Newspaper article - Farmers Rail Tour 1929

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Paekakariki Station Museum

FARMERS’ RAIL TOUR SOUTH VISITS NORTH FIRST OF SERIES The first of a series of inter-island visits by farmers who will tour by rail, commenced yesterday when Canterbury and Westland farmers left Christchurch for the North Island. The tour has been organized by the Railway Department, in conjunction with the Waikato Show Association, farmers’ unions, and local bodies of the places which will be visited. The main purpose of the tour is educational. Two hundred and eighty-eight farmers had a good trip up by the Wahine last night. They are interested not so much in the scenic or travel side of the tour as in the quality of the North Island land, many of the younger men looking to better openings as to regards land in the North. Experience alone will show those who know the South Island only whether there are more opportunities north of Cook Strait. To-day after breakfast, they entrained for Hamilton, which they will reach at 8.38 o’clock tonight. They are in charge of a member of the commercial branch of the head office of the railways. To-morrow they will attend the Waikato Winter Show, and there will be a social gathering in the evening, and next day they will visit the Ruakura State farm and the large dairy factories. Proceeding to Rotorua on Saturday, they will leave the train at Putaruru, motoring to Arapuni, returning to the train for Rotorua, where a Maori concert has been arranged for the evening. They will receive a liberal education in trips to the thermal regions on Sunday and part of the next day, leaving for Auckland in the evening. The “Queen City” will occupy their attention on Tuesday and on Wednesday they will attend the races at Ellerslie. On Thursday a return trip will be made to Palmerston North, spending Friday there, and leaving early next morning for Wellington, spending the Saturday afternoon at various sports here. Sunday will provide a free day in Wellington. On Monday they will be shown around some of the big motor building works here, leaving in the evening for the South by the ferry. While the southern farmers are on their way north, they will pass 180 Taranaki farmers similarly seeking education in the possibilities of Otago and Southland, and next month other trips are arranged to give opportunities of these interesting inter-island visits.