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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 8, Issue 4 (August 1, 1933)

Standing On The Centre Of New Zealand

Standing On The Centre Of New Zealand.

When the surveyors told the Nelson people that the exact centre of New Zealand was on the hilltop behind the park, they said: “Really! Just fancy that! We must put a seat there to let our visitors sit down and look at it.”

But it is said that the visitors soon wore away the seat by carving their names on it! So nowadays there is a concrete slab instead. However, there are plenty of other seats around the hillside to rest upon, and once the hilltop is reached there is a glorious view of Nelson and the sea below.

On fine days, Mt. Egmont, at New Plymouth, may be seen. Can you guess how many hundred miles away from Nelson that is?

Now, Nelson you know, is where the apples grow. Sunny Nelson it is called, and how the sun shines! It makes the cicadas sing all day long and on into the night they trill. There are trees everywhere, and over the green hills puffy white clouds are piled up against the bright blue skies.

One end of the main street leads to the sea and the other end leads to the hill on which rise flights of steps leading to the cathedral gleaming amidst the trees like silver.

Outside the town the roads are lined with tobacco plantations. The tobacco leaves are cut, strung and dried in the sun or by artificial heat. Tobacco plantations are rapidly taking the place of hop gardens. Hop vines grow in rows, on strings, about 13ft. high. The hops themselves are curly light green cones over an inch long and are dried in kilns.

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