Visitor Thinks New Zealanders Lack Sense of Humour

Lake County Mail, Issue 44, 7 April 1948, Page 6

Visitor Thinks New Zealanders Lack Sense of Humour

What he claims to be New Zealanders’ serious-mindedness and to some extent their lack of sense of humour, has embarrassed Mr A. G. Raven, Surrey, who is at present in the course of a tour of New Zealand. Since he began his travels about New Zealand on November 3, Mr Raven has seen a great deal of the country and its people, but in giving his opinions he makes the reservation that he has been living in hotels and lias not seen much of the New Zealanders in their homes. New Zealander and Sport Individually, he has found New Zealanders kind and helpful. In general, he considers they, do not live up to their reputation of being lovers of sport. The Englishman, he claims, particularly considering the comparatively small amount of nourishment he gets, is keener and more energetic than the New Zealander. The Englishman will spend evenings on the golf links, or on the tennis or squash courts. The New Zealander is more inclined to be a spectator at, for instance, a Rugby match. Further, Mr Raven finds that the children who at Horae would be out playing some sport, in New Zealand stay at home and engage in something more practical —carpentry, perhaps. Beginning at Auckland on November 3, Mr Raven spent a fortnight in North Auckland. By bus he went to Tauranga, Rotorua and along the East Coast to Wellington. He went across to Picton, to Christchurch, and Dunedin. He found the Milford track in very good condition. He tramped through the Eglington tunnel to Cascade and returned over the Milford track. His next journey on foot was to Doubtful Sound. He went by bus to Queenstown, and did a number of tramps about there. The Routeburn track he found to surpass Milford track in beauty, but it was too strenuous for the average person. The South Island, says Mr Raven, has impressed him most. The rest of New Zealand’s scenery disappointed him, being too hard and lacking in colour. He added, however, that the dry season might be partly responsible.