MANY ACTIVITIES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 305, 26 December 1944, Page 6

MANY ACTIVITIES

BOXING DAY CROWDS

BEACHES AND RACES

With a brilliant sunrise in a cloudless sky, Boxing Day opened promisingly, and with any fear of bad weather set aside, Aucklanders and visitors to the city were, in holiday mood. People "went places" to-day, and the later clouding over of the sky did not affect the situation greatly, judging by city activity. The earliest section of the crowd on the move were those bound for the beaches. Eastern suburban and North Shore beaches received their full share of visitors, and for some hours the passenger bus and ferry services were running at high pressure in order to with the crowds. Owing to the late afternoon tide the beaches on the west end of the harbour were not so well patronised, although there were many picnickers. Varied Attractions Major attraction in tne city was the Auckland Racing Club's summer meeting, which opened at Ellerslie. Thousands of city dwellers, as well as many suburban and country residents, flocked to the course, where the colourful gardens and the carnival setting made a bright sight. Other amusements which attracted their share of the holiday crowds were the tennis and bowling tournaments and the holiday cricket fix' ture. The Auckland Christmas handicap tourney, with over 200 comi petitors, was continued at the Stanley Street courts, while the Auckland i Bowling Centre's Christmas fours tourney was begun to-day on city and suburban greens. The match between I the city and suburban cricket repre- ' sentatlves and the Waikato was set 1 down for conclusion to-day at the ' Inner Domain. I With the city hotels and boarding- '. houses fully booked over the Christmas season there was an influx of visitors from all parts of the Dominion, and'a corresponding number of city and suburban dwellers left for other parts. Camping Grounds Filled This year motorists.. again . had more than the normal short ration of petrol and in -consequence' were able to visit many, of the closer, resorts. Reports from, the north indicate that most of the camping grounds were filled/.to capacity. Big fleets of pleasure craft, including many large keel yachts which had taken the water for the first time since the beginning of the war. made their way to Kawau, Great Barrier, and Coromandel, and other cruising grounds in the gulf. Launches were also able to make more extensive α-uises, using their extra ration of one month's additional supply of petrol.