ACCOMMODATION IN SOUTH ISLAND

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 127, 14 March 1950, Page 6

ACCOMMODATION IN SOUTH ISLAND

CRITICISM OF VISITING BOWLERS (P.A.) NELSON, March 12. The only unfavourable impression of the South African Empire Games bowlers on their South Island tour was the poor accommodation, especially at The Hermitage, said some of the members on arrival at Nelson last evening. They 1 had told the Tourist Bureau at Auckland that they wanted the best of accommodation, but at Queenstown they were sent to a hoarding-house which was nowhere up to standard. They were put in huts at The Heripitage, where the facilities “were terrible.” The beds had poor mattresses and were most uncomfortable. Only one old mug was available for drinking, and the paper was peeling off the walls. The bowlers did not blame those at The Hermitage, as the name of the cottage was marked on the tickets obtained in Auckland. “If these people leave their bookings until the last minute, what else can they expect?” an officer of the Tourist Department at Auckland asked to-day. The Auckland office had obtained the best accommodation available for the South Africans when the number of people on holiday made things difficult. Had the office waited until first-class accommodation became available, then the party would not have been able to visit the resorts it wanted to.