Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-31
SOUTH SEA SIGHTS
PeCuIiaritieS and Parad0xeS
of Topsyturvydom:
ACROSS THE EQUATOR
New Zealand, Tasmania, Australia,
the Upside Down Antipodes.
OUR OWN PACIFIC ISLANDS
Longitudinal Dashes to the Torrid
Zone, Cannibal Islands and the
Other Side of the World.
OUR OWN PACIFIC ISLANDS
BY THEODORE w. MOVES.

Editorial Correspondence of The Star.
The ruts in world travel are worn along
the parallels OF latitude. Like succeeds
like in excursions eastward and west
ward. The maximum Of diversties in
climate and CT novelties, dissinilarities
and contradictions. in general and in par
ticular, are found in longitudinal travel.
Interesting dashes by sea from the
United States across the equator to the
south temperate zone and the south polar
region may be made in the Atlantic to
South Africa and the east coast of South
America, and in the Pacific to the west
coast of South America and to New Zea-
land and Australia. In each of these ex-
cursions one enjoys many thousand miles
of ocean travel over seas that are for the
most part smooth and in an atmosphere
that is for the most part balmy and
health-giving. On each route in travers-
ing the tOrrid zone one yields himself
willingly to the fascination and lazy de-
lights of tropical louisiana. He observes
on all four excursions EngliSh-speaking
or Spanish-speaking men in the south
temperate zone struggling to conquer the
soil and to solve the same political and
social problems that engage the attention
of the north temperate zone. AS at home,
he sees fine cities, harbors, farms and
forests, great waterfalls and snow noun
tains. Unlike those familiar at home he
sees also unique and curiousy character
istic animals, birds, trees and flowers. He
comes to topsy-turvy land which looks
south instead of north to the pole, where
the seasons are reversed, where one pic
MICS among the flowers and perspires on
Christmas day and freezes on the Fourth
of July.
In 1910 1 journeyed down the west
coast and up the east coast of South
America. In 1911 / visited South Africa
sailing to Cape Town and penetrating as
far inland as Victoria Falls. In 1912 1
completed the suggested schedule of
dashes by sea through the tropics toward
the south pole by going from San Fran
cisco through the South Sea Islands to
New Zealand and Australia. And as in
the case of my South American and
to my friends, the readers of The Star,
concerning my summers experiences.
Across the Equator to the Antipodes.
One may go from America to Australia
by way of New Zealand by English
steamers sailing from San Francisco and
touching at Tahiti and Raratonga. Or
sailing from Vancouver and touching at
Honolulu and the Fiji Islands. Or one
may go by American steamers from San
Francisco to Australia direct. emitting
New Zealand, touching on the way at
Honolulu and Samoa. My summer wan
behring's carried me from San Francisco
first to Tahiti. Of the French Society Is
lands, and Raratonga, of the English
Cook Islands, and to Wellington, New
Zealand. Thence, after visiting the North
Island of New Zealand, and especially
the famous geyser region, 1 went by
steamer to Littleton (Christchurch),
Dunedin and the Bluff in the South Is
lands of New Zealand. to Hobart. Tas-
mania. and to Melbourne, Australia.
From Melbourne l travelled to Sydney by
rail and from Sydney by steamer to
Auckland, New Zealand. the Fiji Islands,
Honolulu and San Francisco. From the
first stopping point to the last this timer
airy is full of interest.
The places visited divide themselves
into three groups: az a myriad of small
tropical coral islands, constituting a Sec
ton of Polynesia. GU Two large, wet
islands in the temperate zone, about the
size of England, Scotland and Wales,
constituting New Zealand. (3J The vast
continental island of Australia, MOST
about the edges, in the interior excess
sively dry. with our irrigation problem
infinitely aggravated; about as large as
continental United States, emitting
Alaska.