CROWDED ROTORUA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 1, 2 January 1937, Page 5

CROWDED ROTORUA.

GOOD SPIRITS OF CAMPERS. DISCOMFORTS TREATED LIGHTLY. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) ROTORUA, this day. Rotorua in common with many other parts of New Zealand/experienced a very wet New Year's Eve. In spite of heavv rain throughout the night, however, the great crowd which thronged the town remained surprisingly cheerful, and hundreds of people remained in the streets until the early hours of Fridav morning. * i The crowd refused to be dismayed by! j the conditions, and when midnight struck from the post office tower the town square was almost full. The crowd joined in singing with a will, and fireworks and all sorts of noise-making devices were used to good effect. The Municipal Band and the visiting Hamilton Pipe Band marched through the streets at interval*, followed by large crowds, which joined in singing anv; popular refrains. There were over Soo' camping parties in the borough camp, and after three days of rain there ware very few of them who possessed anything dry, but in spite of this the great majority joined in the celebrations. All were plainly determined to make thei best of things, and everything possible 1 was done to provide them'with some sort of shelter. In spite of this, however, many parties spent the night sitting V their cars. The usual processions were cancelled, and held to-day under eondi ■ tions which were very little better. It 1 was the wettest New Year in Rotorua's history, but it was not by anv means the least cheerful.