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Sterbende Welt and the Two Reischeks
In a letter which appeared in the New Zealand Herald in December 1892, Reischek writes:
My thoughts are often in New Zealand. It would be impossible for me to forget that lovely
country, with the many kind friends I made during my stay. It is always a great pleasure to me
when I am lecturing or writing on New Zealand to give the Paradise of the Southern Hemisphere,
which has a great future before it, its just due. The great mineral wealth which the colony
possesses, the many durable and beautiful timbers, the large extent of fertile land, the healthy
climate, the varied scenery, make New Zealand a country unsurpassed in the world. The hot
springs, with their curative powers, will be widely known in time[s] to come. 41
In Sterbende Welt the typical stereotypes and images of the day also surface in the introductory
chapter “Das Forschungsgebiet” (which, however, has been omitted by Priday). New Zealand
nature, we are told, possesses “ein gemäßigtes, außerordentlich gesundes” (20) climate, and
unifies “alle Wunder landschaftlicher Schönheit und Eigenart” (17), with the landscape on the
West Coast of the South Island constituting “ein noch unvergleichlich schöneres Wunder” (18)
and the Southern Alps providing breathtaking views: “Das tiefdunkelblaue Meereswasser, die in
allen Schattierungen von Grün gewebten, dichten Urwaldteppiche, die zackigen Kronen der
Berge, die vom Eis der Gletscher wie von Diamenten funkeln, und darüber der tiefe, südliche
Himmel, alles zusammen gibt eine Symphonie von Farben und Formen, die den Ruhm der
skandinavischen Fiorde in den Schatten stellt” (18f.). 42 New Zealand politics are also briefly
mentioned in favourable terms. To the approval of Reischek, New Zealand-born citizens now sit
in both lower and upper houses of Parliament, as opposed to consisting solely of British
representatives, after the colony received the right to vote in or appoint its own representatives.
The most important example of how far New Zealand has come in its interracial policy is seen in
the fact that Maori also “sitzen als Abgeordnete sowohl im Oberhaus als auch im Unterhaus”
(21). The superlatives soon come out as New Zealand is portrayed as one of the best governed
and happiest nations in the world:
41
Andreas Reischek, “Letter from Mr. Reischek”, in: NZH (supplement) 17 Dec (1892): 1; cf. Reischek, “Meine
Reisen auf Neu-Seeland”, 627.
42
Cf. 284f., 303f. Granted Reischek senior’s descriptions of nature may have been reworked to some extent by his
son, the former shows in other contributions that he was not incapable of similar language when edited, only perhaps
with a lesser focus on philosophical attitudes and classical parallels. This can be seen, for example, in the storm at
Dusky Sound, in which the thunder “held me awe-stricken by a sense of man’s feebleness in the presence of the
forces of nature. It was a wild but inspiring experience to witness such a storm on a dark night among those lovely
hills with no human companionship to disturb the contemplation of Nature warring, as it were, with all her power
until her forces were lulled into peace through sheer exhaustion. More impressive indeed, if that were possible, than
the storm was the calm which followed it, speaking to the soul with the still small voice – not a breath of air, not a
quiver of a leaf recalled the fury of the elements which had preceded the sudden lull. I can never forget such a scene”
(Reischek, Caesar, 24f.).
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