AN APPRECIATION

Hokitika Guardian, 25 September 1928, Page 2

AN APPRECIATION

FATHER. MARTINI)ALE ON THE DOMINION. SYDNEY, September 12. Father Martindnlc, son of Sir Templet Martindalo, K.C.5.1., is one of the distinguished visitors to the Eucharistic Congress. ■ Prior to his arrival here a few weeks ago he was the guest o'; Hi shop Cleary, of Auckland ,and was in the unfortunate motor accident thatprevented his Lordship from making the trip to attend the Congress. He was formerly lecturer in classics at Oxford University.

Father Martindale, who has not yet visited the South Island, is not returning immediately to England, hut is quite looking forward to spending some time in the Dominion. No doubt the Catholic laity of Christchurch will have the opportunity of hearing this brilliant orator and scholar from their own pulpit before long. On hoard the Rotorua on his way out to New Zealand, 'lather Martindale made the acquaintance of a number of Flock House boys, and on arriving he took the opportunity of seeing over Flock House.

FLOCK HOUSE FOR NEW ZEALANDERS. “I would like,” lie said “ a number of Flock Houses for New Zealand boys themselves; and since Mr Clynes has been talking about the ‘colonisation’ of England (and I think he is right) I could wish nothing better than for him to visit Flock House too.” The distinguished prelate does not snare the disgruntled opinions ol some American tourists in regard to the accommodation and menu of the New Zealand country hotels. “The inns I stopped at took my breath away for cleaniness and variety of menu, and—l must confess for good cooking. All 1 when I leflect on the English country town and its hotels, its beef, its medicated ‘greens/ its weary apple pie and mummified cheese! Now pull yourself together and think of Taupo. Round that lake we went to Waihi—by then I had learnt quite a lot of Maori, now, alas all forgotten—and walked on ground that gurgled and gobbled with, little fountains, and that I could see/' when I woke next morning, mattres&ed with steam. I shall never forget that all-but all Maori villiage, and the free dignity of its welcome Here I met and old Bavarian lady who had read a book of. mine From London, from Wurzburg, and you meet at Taupo, and a silly little book w. already made friends!

WAIREKEI

“Wairnkei, of course is a show place. All the same not many such places let you crunch your way down through thick frost at 10 p.m., and at 6 a.m. to swim in water 98 deg 1 1 confess I tfelt half shy in the presence of its marvels. Its blowholes blowing our steam at the pressure of 1081 b. to the square inch—its immovable pools of scalding opal, its pools that heave suddenly into domes of glassy green and then surf into silver; its conscientious geysers that work according to schedule; its irascible drago mouth that cough abruptly at your innocent curiosity. These things like carrying on like this. They are very beautiful but also very odd.

ROTORUA. “I didn’t feel well at Rotorua. But that is appropriate, for its waters and mud can cure you of almost anything. Mud l'es; and it is an established fact, vide Plato and St Augustine and Madame Tussaud’s. Chamber of Horrors, that human nature like to look at horrid things. Anything more revolting than -Tikitere I can’t iiiiagine. Black, grey, white mud; pits of it; pools of it; ploppling, blupping; great tumors of it bursting; eyes of dead cuttlefish or sharks uselessly staring, and then vanishing, and all this amid a series of a scent-game. Blindfolded, you guess what you are smelling. Ti id tore would defeat ’em.

“What else I experienced in New Zealand was its amazing kindness of its men and women to a strangei This will be so long in my heart that ‘The Long White Cloud,’ already half a. dream, will never become wholly so. It has become for me more than ever an integral part of the ‘Union and ‘Empire,’ and as' long as English is spoken may its speakers know <>nd love New Zealand.”