LOVELY SCENERY

Hokitika Guardian, 13 September 1932, Page 6

LOVELY SCENERY

FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER. SCOPE FOR EXPLOITATION. A high//opinion of th e wonderful combination, of ' beauty seen on a toipMto*, ifch?.. jFnanz Josef Glacier is ■hefld "by.. Allon Peebles, Ph.D. Jin ecbp,b|<|ic6)y of Columbia Univers^|//Vp^i;iiigton... who' has .returned frpm " ; 1a visit to the glacier. He declared that from the .scenic point of view the attractions at the glacier were certainly equal to anything he ' had seen 'anywhere, and his travels have taken him all over Europe, the United 'States and Canada.

Dr Peebles ,said that he had had a pleasant time during his stay, and had been impressed by the fine type comprising the Dominion’s population.

Not the least attractive side, of the journey to the Franz Josef, he stated, was the railway trip through the mountains leading to the Otira tunnel, He considered the mountain ' scenery compared most favourably with tha‘ of the Canadian Rockies and the Swiss ■Alps; it wag certainly 'superior to any mountain scenery to be seen in the United States. Oil the way to the Waiho was the outstanding impression of the whole trip, with the rare combination of beauty conveyed by the proximity of tile bush and the glacier.

| Dr Peebles said he felt that New : Zealand was fortunate in having such men as the Graham brother? in charge ’ of the hotel, where a mopt democratic atmosphere prevailed. He had never ,felt such an atmosphere since leaving Switzerland, and . there was certainly nothing like it in the United States. The beauty of the scenery at the glacier itself was remarkable, and he thought that perhaps New Zealanders did not appreciate it, for it was rare to have such • marvellous lnf-'h growth iso c’ose to the glacier and so readily accessible. The amazing thing was the variety of the district, which made it a geologists’, botanists’ and sight-seers’ paradise, for there was so much in so little space. In his opinion tb«ro was tremendous scope for the exploitation of the beauties of the Dominion, and New Zealand was a gold mine if tourist-' could be attracted here. Great opportunities for tourist traffic in better times were, apparent, and if New Zealand advertised it should not have much difficulty in tempting rich American's who grew tired of Europe and the East to l.come here. He thought that an agency in Honolulu would provide co”densed advertising, as many tourists could be met and attracted from there. One of the advantages of the Franz Josef trip was the cheapness, for the whole expense, including transportation and accommodation, was leiss than it ■would cost to take t'h P minimum room at the Hotel Pennsylvania for a similar time. Now would be a good time to exploit New Zealand as a tourist soot, owing to the advantage to Amerieavr of the monetary .exchange., for f k"' would gain a. great; deal when changing dollars into pounds.