ARAHURA'S ROUGH VOYAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 18, 22 January 1924, Page 5

ARAHURA'S ROUGH VOYAGE.

7O HOURS' WAIT AT GISBORNE TOSSED IN HEAVY SEAS. An exceptionally rough weather voyage was experienced on the East Coast by the steamer Arahura, which arrived back at Auckland at 3 p.m. yesterday. Leaving here at 1 p.m. last Tuesday the vessel had fine weather until rounding; East Island at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, when she ran into a strong southerly gale with heavy scae. Tokomaru Bay was worked with difficulty, about a dozen passengers being disembarked. After the Arahura left Tokomaru the weather gradually became worse and by the time she arrived at Gisborne, at 4.30 p.m., a whole gale waa blowing with mountainous seas. A signal from the land advised the vessel, to stand off. This she did, and remained in the Bay throughout Wednesday night. All day Thursday the gale raged; but early on Friday morning, after the weather had abated somewhat, the vessel was able to go in and anchor shortly after daylight. As soon as the tide was sufficient for the tender Tuatea to leave the river some 110 passengers were put ashore and the vessel left Gisborne at 7.30 p.m. witli the weather gradually improving. Xapier was reached on Saturday morning and on Saturday night the Arahura left again for Gisborne. Again the wind and sea prevented passengers from being landed or embarked, and it \v?-; not until noon on, Sunday that the Tuatea came alongside. About a hun dred passengers wore taken on board, and the steamer stood out from the roadstead at 1.43 p.m. for Auckland direct. It was impossible to work Tokomaru Bay on account of the heavy weather. During the run up to Ea~t Cape and across the Bay of Plenty the wind was backing to the eastward with a very heavy sea. and it was not until reaching the shelter of the Hauraki Gulf at noon yesterday that the weather began to abate. At Gisborne the passengers, who were disembarked on Friday, were on board for 70 hours and when they landed they had nothing but praise for the ship and the master and officers for the way they had been treated. So shorrage" was felt in the catering department !as the Arahura was well victualled when leaving Auckland and the prolonged waiting did not cause any anxiety.