THE SOUTHERN LAKES TRIP.

Otaki Mail, 1 February 1922, Page 4

THE SOUTHERN LAKES TRIP.

EiiVliN or. lOuii. Ou January o, ivn una iuff> i. i'. cujjauu, ouaimuii, jjy Uien' iJly.uUa, IClt oil a Ui|J ■-> Lilt s2oUuieiil Uuia Vviieic U*c.. opeiu u very incasam tune, jui cm-. i*ii's» lunaon roiuiiieu noiuts uu lu'i/ij aay evening, juut lue" t±u gush visitor { .»bre So much impressed Willi itlc , lakes that Uiey ueciueu to extend iUieir stay nil next ween.. Giving Some lilipreaSloUS (Jl the trip to a Aews representative, .vir unison saiu tiie panj uciu analgia I" Uirougti to. Duiieuui alter landing at L,ytteuon. Xiie country lruin cnrisichureh to Timaru was very paieiiea up, die iana, especiaii.* auout Ash- , uunon, being oi a iigut character. I from Timaru souuiwam me whole scene changed, there 'ntaig nice crops and green grass everywhere, and these conuuions continued, more or less, to tiie utago capital. The- visitors - arrived in Utmediu at the commencement oi the big bowling tournament, auJ the weather was so bad that 'he players were not even allowed on me greens .to-.- practise. However, mere was an improvement later,- and the pray was able to go on. Four day* were spent in Dunedin viewing tne many pomts oi interest. IN SOUTHLAND. The next stop was at Invercargiu. This town alwavs has an interest ior the visitor on account oi its wiue streets, which are two chains irom window to window. Naturally Mr Gibson was interested in how business was progressing, hut inquiry showed that things were anything but bright. Business men were "in the blues" with a vengeance, and as a matter o! fact, trade seemed to be a good deal slower than is ruling in the North Island, and yet there are growlers up here. Next day the party went on to the Bluff, and Mr Gibson and Mr ( Chapman essayed the assent of Bluff Hill, on which the signal station is situated, and from which vantage point- a fine view is obtained of the western sweep of the coastline, as j well as Stewart Island beyond Foveaux Straits. The thick, foggy weather, however, prevented fit. good view of the Island, but the air was bracing and the trip well worth while. The ; signal station is in charge of Mr and Mrs Berridge, who are well known ' for their genial hospitality. The only 1 unpleasant incident of the trip occur red next morning. When Mr Gibson . went to p;ay his hotel bill hi Invercargiu he discovered his wallet, containing railway tickets and cash, was missing, and going over the events i; the previous day thought he might . have dropped it on the down trip from the Bluff flagstation, where he carried his coat over his arm. A hurried trip to the Bluff and a telephone message to the flagstaff brought the welcome message that Mrs Benidge, who passed the travellers the previous day, had found the wallet, and it was . soon handed over safe and sound: THE LAKES. ; - Hie party men p.-iSscd liiiougu j ijuuuiiaiiu io Liius WiiKaupu -.u uueiistowu, uiiu later went on iu uienorchy anu l'aiauise, at me htau oi tiie lahe. Tnese iauer places wort; ideal, and it .was regreileu inui mere I was not more time to properly view the many line sights. Pan oi me journey is made uy coach Uirougn I red birch ioresis, winch are very una indeed. With Uueenstovvn as a uuse, i the visitors went out io AnoWJown, a

typical old mining centre. The trip by coacn includes the drive over tiie f Skipper's ltoad, one ol the most thru-J ling experiences the party had ever {

come in contact with. Fart 01 me road is cut out oi the lace 01 souu clihic, which in places is 14UU leet 10 the river below, and the road so narrow that only two horses can be driven abreast on it. And yet during the years that this road has iieeii open, 11 of one accident has occurred. Tiie present driver has been 17 years on this one road. The record of ihu Skippers' coachmen is sureiy umequ-, and a tribute to the men who handle

the ribbons in these places oi danger. The" splendid teams of coach horses were greatly admired. Arrowtown was found to be quite a busy little place, and it was apparent that the days of the digger are not yet over, for several sluicing dams were observed at work, with the jets from the nozzles boring into the faces to win the wash-dirt —and gold dust—from the lower levels. A very pleasant few hours were spent, not lorgettirjg a delightful afternoon tea at a local hotel.

Queenstown, in the travellers' [ opinion, was disappointing, and can in no way be compared with Rqtorua as a tourist resort. The town itself . is very dead, and did not seem to possess many live wires. There was not an up-to-date tea kiosk or picture i theatre in the place, and the people J did not seem to go out of the way to / cater for visitors. And then the i charge for a game of bowls at the j j Government green was unnecessarily severe. A game cost 1/6 each player, | ' with sixpence extra for shoes. Mr j , Gibson and Mr Chapman had two . games at a cost of 8/. There is no ] doubt the scenic assets of Queenstown are good, but the provision I ■ the entertainment Tax, the hard times, • I should be. Nevertheless,-the trip was very much enjoyed, and it would« ■ have been even more so had time per- j mitted the return journey being made through Otago Central to Dunedin. . f— ——