ROTORUA’S FUTURE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 602, 2 March 1929, Page 1

ROTORUA’S FUTURE

Famed Resort Sadly Neglected FOR WARD POLICY CALLED FOR (Written for THE SUIT) The decision of tkimmediately somc long *° eff ? Ct almost house accommodation at Rotorua ha'l'°" bath great satisfaction not only in th,. Ik ’ H ee , n ai l ec l with Auckland. y m the ther mal district, but in

T HE f * ilure ° f Government, and particularly the eac- Minister who has been rewarded with knight - hood, to realise the possibilities of Rotorua, contributed more than any. thing else to the defeat of Mr F F Hocklv at the last General Flection* The personal popularity of the late member was great: but the studied neglect of the Dominion’s greatest atiraction caused a resentment in the district that told heavily against Mr. Hockly when he sought re-election. It h to be hoped that the lesson will n 0 t lie lost on the new Government.

“ , aM come wh en a new vilInce ot , bUHt ' U " der the SUidwould ' town-planning expert, who via 7 ln oorl function with the laor, Arts and Crafts Board, to reproduce all the characteristic features of Maori architecture and design, and at the same time provide housing for the native residents that would be in •eepnig with the requirements of and comfort. p v AVkaka who have been rotivii 1 i • c3lt - the Pleasant home co^tK-L y hI e , archlt ecture and det£Z design have been applied in ArMrn-; C °i? StrUCtlon of a modernised whv th ft OU fif’ and t i iere is no reason ldeas embodied in Rangi’s w?tv, Illn § should not be carried out a< l van l a S e to natives who are ings 11Vlns in very squalid surround -

Aucklanders who are familiar with the sights of Rotorua, and who can go there in their motor-cars whenever they please, are apt to forget that their I Dwn province is endowed with scenic wonders and attractions that are to be found nowhere else in the world. For all time they will be a source of interest and delight to a never-ending stream of moneyed visitors from the ends of the earth. Any European country would cheerfully spend millions to reproduce the natural phenomena of our thermal legions, and it is a perpetual mystery to tourists why we should not make the most of this marvellous place and develop it properly. They cannot understand why dirty, dilapidated buildings should house wonderful bath waters whose curative powers are world-famed, or why uninviting and greasy-looking concrete baths should be provided instead of white-tiled bathing pools. Nothing could be dingier or more unattractive than the concrete pits into which one descends to enjoy the delights of the spout bath at Whaka, and when one thinks of what an architect with taste, and commonsense could do in the matter of providing agreeable bathing facilities, one is driven to the conclusion that the Government Tourist Department is worse than the man who buried his capital in the garden because he was too lazy and ignorant to make use of it. The department lias completely failed to move with the times. Auckland has doubled its population: more and more visitors are being attracted to the Dominion every year; roads have been constructed which bring .Rotorua within six hours of the metropolis by car, and yet tourists who bring thousands and thousands of pounds into Auckland are asked to put up with facilities that were out-of-date twenty years ago.

A movement should also be initiated to provide Rotorua with proper muni-

cipal buildings. They should be designed to include a Conference Hall, suitable for the meetings of the many associations which make Rotorua the rendezvous of their annual gatherings. Newspaper proprietors from all over New Zealand recently met in Rotorua and experienced not a little inconvenience for want of a suitable meetingplace. American cities bid keenly and offer all kinds of inducements to public and business organisations' when it comes to the selection of the annual meeting place. It would be greatly to the advantage of Rotorua if the residents made better provision for conferences. The enterprising proprietor of the hostel at Mount Cook, looking a year ahead, has secured the next newspaper proprietors’ conference for the Hermitage: this year’s Rotary Conference is being held in Christchurch, and many conferences which Rotorua might secure by a little diplomatic negotiation, plus the provision of suitable facilities, are held in Wellington. Auckland is keenly interested in the development of Rotorua, and there should be close co-operation in the matter between the business heads of both places. h.e.c.

What is required is not a matter of a little rebuilding and a dab of paint, but a comprehensive survey of the whole position at Rotorua, with a view to the adoption of a policy that will make the most of the natural attractions of the district.

For instance, the native village at Whaka, which is a perpetual source of interest to visitors, presents a problem of its own. The native population Is increasing, and the overcrowding of the ancient cottages is becoming a serious menace to health. A good many deaths have occurred recently and, while the health authorities are, no doubt, keeping in touch with the situation, the generally insanitary conditions of the village call loudly for reform. Tuberculosis is altogether too prevalent, and it is not pleasant to think of what might happen at Whaka if the influenza epidemic reached New Zealand, or an outbreak of typhoid occurs.