The Seven Wonders of New Zealand

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 134, 27 August 1927, Page 17

The Seven Wonders of New Zealand

In ancient times the Seven Wonders of the World were said to be the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Pyramids, the Temple of Diana, the Statue of Jupiter, at Athens, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Pharos of Alexandria. What are the Seven Wonders of New Zealand? We have souglit to find the opinions of representative citizens and the following interesting symposium is the result.

(Compiled by

ERIC RAMSDEN)

TE majority of the replies received voted for the Milford track. The Glowworm Cave at Waitomo -was next in favour;

tourist experts were as one on ,j) i3 point. Rotorua was voted third. Tben came the Southern Alps, indudinS* of course, the renowned yrsnz Josef glacier. Wairakei and Wanganui River, with Egmont as

seventh, completed New Zealand’s "Seven Wonders.” The reply of the Minister in Charge of Tourist and Health Resorts, the Hon. W. Nosworthy, was a model of Parliamentary diplomacy. The Minister refused to commit himself in any direction. He wrote: “As Minister I feel that It behoves me to keep an open mind as regards New Zealand’s many and varied attractions and not to favour any seven at the expense of others. Any of THE SUN’S readers, however, who desire information regarding any of the wonders of the Dominion, are invited to call at the Tourist Bureau, where full particulars will gladly be furnished.” The manager of the Government Tourist Bureau in Auckland, MR. J. W. CLARKE, who has had an extensive acquaintance with the majority of New Zealand beauty spots, arrived at this conclusion: Glow-worm Cave, Waitoriio. Thermal region, Rotorua. Wanganui River. Buller and Otira Gorges. Southern Alps (including the Franz Josef Glacier). Milford Sound. Lake Manapouri. MR. W. PAGE ROWE, who is a member of the Maori Arts and Crafts

®°* r d. as well as a member of the l °uncil of the Auckland Society o£ Arts:— The New Zealand mountains and lakes. The Rotorua area, lla ramshackle setting. extraordinary incompetence o£ e Government Publicity Department adT ertising the matchless scenic t ~®etions o£ New Zealand. e natural beauties of Auckland. yateß >atic destruction through the | of Auckland citizens. ion int rapid solution of this Domin- j to one of the most splendid °« the Empire. HE REV. J. j. NORTH, head of cal College in There is on ,. won< j er 0 f New Zea- |

land that I am glad of an opportunity of calling public attention to. I waive the other six. That wonder is the monument in the military cemetery at Tauranga. It towers above the graves where the English dead of the Gate Pa are sleeping. It is to the honour and glory of the Maori chiefs who beat, us in that fight. It is erected because in the moment of victory they showed mercy to the wounded. There is no wonder to match this New Zealand wonder.” MR. C. P. WALLNUTT, who was

formerly in charge of the Government Tourist Bureau in Auckland, and knows New Zealand from one end to the other, has compiled the following

as the scenic wonders of the Dominion:— Auckland city, as the combination of volcanic hills and beautiful waterways is unique.

Tongariro National Parle. [ The walk to Milford Sound. Mount Cook. Buller Gorge. Wanganui River. Southern Fiords. Mr. Wallnutt has also submitted a list of what he terms “the seven natural wonders of New Zealand : The moa. The kiwi. The tuatara lizard. The kauri tree. Flight of the godwits. The Maori. Ngaurulioe volcano. MRS. C. E. MAGUIRE, ex-Auckland city councillor, though just home after an extensive trip abroad, is still enthusiastic, over the charms of New

Zealand. This is the order in which she places them: — Glow - worm grotto, Waitomo Caves. Thermal region, RotoMount Egmont. Flw ] Southern Alps. SbJF//] View from Mount ~ Eden, Auckland. Wakatipu. Milford Sound.

THE REV. JASPER CALDER, Auckland City Missioner, has no hesitation in deciding upon these:— The Milford Track. 2YA (Wellington wireless satlon). Auckland Harbour. Arapuni Dam. Auckland Savings Bank (as an institution). Wairakei, including, of course, Rotorua. Rangitoto. MRS. A. GLADYS K E R N O T, the Auckland writer and poet, whose literary output has resulted in a sound reputation abroad, found the question a little difficult to answer. “I should 1 love to help you to locate those seven New Zealand wonders,” replied Mrs. Kernot, “but I have

not encountered any that I am aware of. If it is scenic wonders, I have not, thank God, ever seen Mitre Peak; and Rotorua bores me to tears. You could not make it ‘blunders,’ could you, and confine it to Auckland?” Everyone knows Thomas Cook and Sons, Ltd. This is what the Auckland ‘‘man from Cook’s,” MR. ROBERT ANGUS (manager), says:—“It is very difficult to answer your question concerning New Zealand’s ‘Seven Wonders,’ as special attractive scenery may not be considered a ‘wonder.’ However, you could certainly include such places r as:

“The Glow-worm Cave, Waitojno. “Karaplti Blowhole, Wairakei. “Wairakei sights generally. “The boiling lake at the top o£ snow-clad Tongariro. “Franz Josef Glacier. “Moru Road, between Gisborne and Opotiki. “Drive from Hokitika to Waihao. “Overland track from Te Anan to Milford.” MR. A. S. BOYD, president of the Auckland Society of Arts:— “I feel hardly qualified to answer your question efficiently, for, being a comparatively new settler, I do not know all the points. But, as far as my experience goes, I consider that the wonders we express each morning of the week as to what the weather is going to be during the coming 24 hours might be regarded as constituting for that week the undoubted Seven Wonders of New Zealand.”

The Milford Track, which Aucklanders have decided is New Zealand’s greatest wonder, has been described as “the most beautiful walk in the world.” It is a three days’ walk from Glade

House, on Lake Te Anau, to Milford Sound. The first stage is to the Pompalono huts the second, over the Mackinnon Pass to Quinton huts; and the third, to the sound itself. The first stage of 10 miles takes one through the Clinton Canyon. This mighty rift in the heart of the mountains is said to eclipse even the world-famed Yosemite Valley, in the Sierras of > California, for sheer beauty. Perpendicular cliffs, from 3,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level, slope back to the mountains, towering up to 7,000 feet skyward. The whole valley is filled with wonderful ever-green forest. It is rich in ferns, and adorned with the glowing blossom of the rata, the waxen cups of the lace bark, and the pure white blooms of the clematis. This valley is also the haunt of the native pigeon, and of the kakapo, the kiwi,

and the weka. A couple of miles along the track, on the second day of the trip, one comes across Lake Mintaro, a shimmering gem in a mountain setting. From this poiiit the ranges close in. 1

The canyon narrov to a few hundred fee To the pass, 3,500 l'e< above, the track climl steeply in a zigza manner. S: retching away o either hand, as or surmounts the Macki] non Pass, is range upo range of mountain snow-clad, glistening i the clear air. Sno\

fields come down to greet the glaciers. Innumerable mountain waterfalls and mountain torrents, racing down, plunge headlong into the shadowy gorges, to the accompaniment o f reverberating thunder.

At the northern end of the saddle stands Castle Mount, a giant pillar of smooth granite. In the pass itself is a massive cairn to the memory of Quinton Mackinnon its discoverer. The famous Sutherland Falls, 1,904 feet, said to be the

highest in. the world, is another feature of the trip. Lake Ada reflects every detail of the beautiful bush scenery surrounding her mirrored

face. Mitre Peak, the Lion Rock, Pembroke Peak and other wonders, are in the neighbourhood. The extraordinary luxuriance of the semi-tropical vegetation—pines, flowering plants, palms and ferns — with the mountains in snow-white majesty peering above, create an impression not soon forgotten. There are three distinct sets of caves at Waitomo. It is the set nearest to the Government Hostel that is called Waitomo. The original entrance was by canoe on the stream that flows through the caves. A new entrance, subsequently discovered, now makes the canoe unnecessary

ws In these glistening halls oi til et. underworld long, snowy stalactite , et hang from domed ceilings of glitterin white rock. They sparkle like di; monds. A curious formation in on ' j chamber exactly resembles a blankc hanging in many folds. In anothe on chamber there is a great carved orgai ne its construction, of course, being c ; u . limestone. Many of the stalactite on and stalagmites are so clear as to b almost transparent. Another marve . ’ lous apartment, with its silent whit figures, is called the Courtroom. It w- name is appropriate, as this chambe

strangely resembles a Court of Justice. The cave which makes the greatest appeal, however, is the Glow-worm. This is the wonder which Aucklanders consider the second greatest -in the

Dominion. Pillars of pure white support the roofs of the halls and the corridors. A boat takes the visitor on the underground river. Guided by a fixed wire, it winds round the course of the stream, the whole scene faintly

illuminated by the phosphorescent light of myriads of glow-worms. It is a weird and a wonderful experience. Though scientists will tell you that there are no glow-worms in the cave, but that a species of fly is responsible for the lighting effects, the illusion will not be destroyed. Rotorua is too well known to call for any description, though, to be sure, there are some New Zealanders who have never gazed upon the wonders of the thermal region. Yet there are hardly likely to be many Aucklanders among that number. Wairakei, another undoubted wonder, is too close to Rotorua to necessitate comment. The Franz Josef glacier is generally as one of the wonders of the

he Southern Alps, the highest peak of es , which is named in honour of Captain ng James Cook. ia- ! This glacier comes from an elevanc j tion of 9.000 feet to near sea level. :et ; Viewed from a distance it resembles er a frozen river of the purest white, m, compressed by hills of vivid green. On of either side of it the steep slopes are es covered with ake-ake, tree ferns, albe pine broom and the rata, which, when e l. in bloom, is a blaze of crimson glory, te The terminal face of the glacier is ts about half a mile wide. It breaks otf er suddenly into huge cliffs of solid ice.

A few miles up Its surface Is much broken and a trip to the Defiance Hut and back —a day's journey—is a sufficiently strenuous climb for most people. But the walk is cheered by merry , warbling. from the cheery throats of numerous little feathered songsters.

The Wanganui Hiver is often alluded to as the New Zealand Rhine. For what reason probably only the tourist agencies know. The river can stand on its own merits. There is no necessity to compare it with the Rhine, which the Wanganui does not In’ the least resemble. The river has Its source near Mount Torigariro. It winds its way for 140 miles before embracing the Tasman Sea near the town which bears its name. The Wanganui River is only exceeded by the Waikato in the North Island in length. The most wonderful part of the trip is between Pipiriki and the houseboat. Above Pipiriki the banks are almost perpendicular to a height of 500 feet. No pen can adequately describe the beauty of the bush. The bank occasionally dips in a curve to the water’s edge, and on most of the levels the Maoris have built their whares. These glimpses of semicivilisation add interest to the voyage down stream.

There are the old missionary centres. Golden quinces and other fruits along the river remind the traveller of the stout-hearted band of clergy who ascended the river in the early days of this country’s colonisation. The Wanganui is deservedly renowned in Maori song and legend.

| Its import in this poetical connection !is not always appreciated by the i pakeha. Many a fighting party was carried on its bosom. There is the famous pa, for instance, which had to be bodily lifted into the river from its high peak, because its I defenders knew not the meaning of | the word surrender, j Egmont shares with Fujiyama, the sacred mountain of Japan, the distinction of being the only mountain in 1 the world which stands alone. Its snow white breast heaves j heavenward, the nipple a mass of whirling mist. For symmetry and imi pressiveness Mount Egmont has no rival. It can be admired from every corner of the fertile Taranaki district, which surrounds the mountain. I What a memory is the drive through j the virgin forest to Dawson’s Fails, I with the trill of the tui hauntlngly ! playing on the ear!