THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 28, 23 December 1938, Page 23

THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE

Columbia Pictures’ "Ideal Holiday" Competition Has Closed; the Final Winner Will Be Announced in the "Record" of January 7

BY the time this appears, the last of the Ideal Holiday essays will have been sent in. All that remains now is to select the winner of the final week's competition, and, after. that, from the 10 semi-finalists,: "the lucky person- who is to receive the two weeks’: free: holiday, and all that, goes with it. The final winner will be announced in the "‘Record" on January 7..- Needless to say, entries haye been coming in thick end fast-during the closing weeks of the competition, particularly during the final day cr so. An especially pleasing feature, incidentally, was the fact that many who had previously been unsuccessful sent in another essay. There have been dozens of entrants, in fact, who have entered two and even more essays. Tos

T isn’t a very original remark, so let’s get it over-the Christmas holidays are heré. For school children they have already commenced, and’ lucky youngsters (and lucky teachers, too) who have weeks of warm summer. weather ahead of them, and no school. Quite likely you have already decided just what. you are doing this summer. | Possibly you have already left on your holiday, . And it may--eveh be that this "Ideal Holiday" competition has -been instrumental in solving your holiday problems for you. It’s easy Sometimes to procrastinate over the planning of a holiday, to leave it-to the last minute. .

',Here’s hoping that some of-the suggestions made have helped you out. , Again this week there arrived some particularly original essays-some of them might have been a little too original. One 17-year-old Aucklander wrote in verse, good verse at that. : «Some of the © versification ‘attempted ‘during thé competition has been. frankly "indifferent, the metre lame, the rhymes: laboured. But this verse: essay: was distinctly -better. Here js the last verse:-... Oh, let me fancy to my heart's content Just what would be my holiday _ . deal, Hecauae, I know that thus. it is more sweet "Than it could ever be if it were real. Winning Essay prize for .this, the ninth week of the competition; goes, however, to Mrs. J. P.

Aston, of Wellington. The route she took and the places she went to on her ideal holiday are well enough known, put she has exactly the right mental approach to a holiday. Here is her essay:Lake Waikaremoana with its golden kowhai, its shimmering expanse of water, its camp on the lake-side under apple trees in apple blossom time. Could there be a more perfect holiday? We started out in the car from Wellington during the last week of October. Our first night we camped at Dannevirke. The car made a very comfortable bed; but despite new woollen camping pyjamas I was bitterly cold. No wonder! When morning came everything was covered. in snow. We started early and it was beautiful driving through the snowcovered hills amidst bright sunshine; but as we got to Napier the sun became gloriously hot, and we were into summer. We went to Moera for a night or two, and had some lovely baths in the hot springs there; but we arrived at Waikaremoana on Ociober 31 in the evening. Our camp was a place of joy, right under the apple trees on the lake edge, with apple blossom petals drifting down on us, All night long, cars kept arriving to be ready for the opening of the fishing season. ‘The day dawned bright and clear. | We were among the first out in |} our boat, 1 will never forget the

beauty of the peaceful lake and the glorious sunrise. |! had the honour of hooking the first fish of the season. .After a perfect hour’s fishing, with half a dozen trout to our credit, back we went to camp and the best breakfast ‘on earth, New Zealand trout fried in the open. As we reached the camp we passed a boat .with some focal people in it, a man and his wife: | had: on. my aforementioned camping’ pyjamas. © Very: smart, I. thought, lernon coloured with blue facings; but the farmer's wife

thought ~ otherwise. "Crikey," she said -in a loud voice which carried Well: over the lake, "Just look at ‘er perjarmers." We conid not. help iaughing. .

But if you want an ideal holiday, at very little cost, go to Lake Waie karemoana. Its very name _ is _ poetry enough to make more enjoys able its beauties and its fishing.