The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-07-14

cruises have been developed to such an
extent that ten thousand Americans
leave New York annually to enjoy
these pleasure excursions. Within half
a decade cruising steamers have opened
the Caribbean Sea to the inquisltlve
Yankee, who thinks nothing of spend
ing a part of his winter off the coast
of South America and month or so
in summer aboard ship off the Land
of the Midnight Sun; and even then
wonders why it is that the Pacific
the Southern Pacific, at least-has
never become a "stamping ground
Oh the American tourist.
The truth of the matter is that the
American has never been told, day af-
ter day, of the attractions en- route to
New Zealand or Australia, while at ev-
ery turn he is face to face with glaring
circulars and wonderful pictures de-
scribing the beauties of Hawaii, Japan,
China, India, and the Mediterranean,
and to these lands he HES himself.
FRANKLY, luE VI q u
to New Zealand or Australia is not
alluring to the Yankee: it is too much
like trying to tempt him to visit anoth-
er America. But put before the pleas
ure-travel-loving American the picture
of a cruise to the Hawaiian Islands,
the Paradise of the Pacific; FIJI, the
home of the aboriginal South Sea Is
lander; Samoa. the delectable home of
Stevenson the beloved, and possessor
of the most active volcano in the world,
that plays for the edifcation of pass
ing tourists; and peaceful Tonga, with
its wonderful caves by the sea. Tell
him of Rotorua (don t compare it with
Yellowstone), dwell so long as you
please on the beauties of the Wan
ganui, for there is nothing approaching
it anywhere in the world. Advise him
to take in Butler and Otira Gorges.
Don t let him miss the Sounds trip,
and say as little as possible about the
towns Che has seen such aggregations
of houses as Auckland, Wellington,
Christchurch, and Dunedin all his life,
not many so beautifully located, per-
haps), but let the beauty of their sur
roundings break on him. Let him see
the wonders of New Zealand, then send
him home (America is "Home" to
Picture such cruise to him, and you
have him interested. It was the mere
perusal of little illustrated pamphlet,
tsTalofa Samoa that turned me from
second Mediterranean cruise, to spend
my time in the South Seas. In all
America there is not such an alluring,
well-written pamphlet as Miss Beatrice
Grimshaw's tThree Wonderful Ma
tions,'' and in all America I doubt if
a copy of this is to be found Such
publication in the rack provided for
such literature in every hotel in Amer.
lea would, I am certain, send many
of my eountrymen scurrying to the
South Seas to learn if it is really all
true; and it isl have been there.
America is quite able to fill Austria
lasia with tourists. She supports near
ly dozen passenger lines to Japan and
China, where there are not 10000
whites all told, and but one to Austria
lasia, with its 100000 white popula-
tion. But then every rack in every
American hotel is filed with glowing
literature on Japan, while there is not
one pamphlet setting forth the attrae-
Islands. In Japan have been reared
hotels as spacious and commanding in
architecture as-as any public build
ing in New Zealand, let us say, for it
is the truth. In Honolulu the hotels
are palaces, for the Yankee is but too
often "hotelbred, and inquiries first
of all about the Accommodations -
abroad. The Royal Hawaiian, the
Grand (Yokohama), and Shepard IS lin
Cairo), are names known in every
American household, as well as, and
perhaps better than, Kilauea, Nikko,
and Luxor-and l am not writing in
jest. There are American tourists to
whom the Royal Hawaiian Hotel is Ha-
wall; the Grand Hotel, Yokohama, all
there is to Japan, and Shepard S the
greatest attraction that Egypt has to
offer. King Kalakaua built the Royal
Hawaiian in which to lodge his visitors.
I believe that one palatial Hotel in
New Zealand would do more to attract
over-the-sea tourists than tons of scenic
literature The American is sat home -
in a hotel Give him the luxuries of
lite and he will try to get on without
the neeessities-it is his way. The
Lichfield made Jamaica for the Amer
lean. not the scenery. l think the
Tourist Bureau of New Zealand might
take hint The wandering Britisher
tn the third generation speaks of GO