A Mystery Party.

(Contributed.)

When Mr. W. D. Frazer, of the New Zealand Railways, consented to address a private audience on the scenic beauties of our own country, he left Otira in the belief that he was going to a “buck party” in Fendalton, Christ-church; that is why he did not bring his wife, though he was asked to do so. His modesty was equal to meeting the surprise when he faced an audience of University professors, bankers, financiers and accountants, all married, or nearly all. Mr. Frazer exhibited for two hours over two hundred pictures of superlative beauty. The artistry of the views placed Mr. Frazer in the very forefront as a real exponent of all that is beautiful in New Zealand. His views were in natural colour, and the audience frequently applauded some unbelievably fascinating view. The screening of the Waimakariri River, the frozen waterfalls, the sea of clouds beneath, with Mts. Cook, Elie de Beaumont, and other giants peeping out from the top, were outstanding items. Then came keas, glaciers, icefields, crevasses, and Canon Newton on the peaks, with Archbishop Kelly boating on the mirror called Lake Matheson. The Grahams with their home in the West, the Fox Glacier and its hostel, and Captain Mercer in his ‘plane landing on lone beaches at Bruce Bay or on unexplored strips in the Haast River were full of interest. Then came an unforgettable trip in the “M.V. Gael” to the Dusky, Doubtful, and Milford Sounds—ninety miles from the sea, past sheer precipice, thousand-feet waterfalls, fairy islets, and tranquil waters, with ever the majesty of a ten-thousand foot sentinel of snow for company. That party comprised leading Christchurch men, several of whom saw themselves in action for the first time, and one in particular was amusing as he scrubbed his dentures in a bucket of sea-water. One of the guests afterwards exhibited a moving-picture of incidents in that excursion, showing other beauty which Mr. Frazer had not time to deal with. Of especial interest was a shoal of black fish which sported alongside the “Gael” for some hours.

Mr. Frazer received an ovation at the end of his display. All the guests recognized the artist in the pictures. The explanation of each picture, whether cutting steps past a cornice at 10,000 feet, or sitting on the top of Mt. Tasman looking out over the world and its entrancing beauty, provided the real explanation. Mr. Frazer had been there. That was the significant and interesting side of an absorbing entertainment.

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