FINE EASTER WEATHER FOR HOLIDAYMAKERS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29479, 4 April 1961, Page 12

FINE EASTER WEATHER FOR HOLIDAYMAKERS

A brilliantly fine, sunny day for the Easter holiday yesterday meant a day out for most Christchurch folk. Big crowds attended the major sporting fixtures, the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Easter meeting at Riccarton, and the New Zealand Grand Prix motor-cycle racing at Cust, while many families visited the beaches, and other picnic spots near the city, or simply went for a drive. Cathedral square and the centre of the city bore a somnolent appearance in the early - afternoon sunshine. Most persons stood quietly waiting for buses and the inevitable groups of square loungers w’ere fewer. In one corner of the square, resting from the heat in the shade of large buildings, two traffic officers on motor-cycles relaxed astride their

machines, keeping a quiet eye on a small handful of youths on motor-cycles passing by. A little further afield, the Botanic Gardens playground area drew a crowd of families with children. The car park near the United Tennis Club courts was crowded with more than 100 cars. An absence of wind in the sheltered gardens and not-too-hot sunshine, made the playground a pleasant place with dozens of small children playing over a wide area. A few hardy youngsters even braved the autumn chill of the paddling pool. Boating On Avon Boating on the Avon was a popular pastime yesterday with young people, and there were more craft seen out from the Antigua boat sheds than for a long time. The drive to Sumner for an afternoon out proved as popular as ever. Hundreds of cars lined the foreshore from Shag rock to Cave rock, and for latecomers, who were still arriving after 3 p.m., parking spaces were scarce. Redcliffs was an especially popular area and the whole of the sea wall along Beachville road was lined with cars, with many fishing rods out. Scarborough also drew several visitors. New Brighton proved another popular visiting spot yesterday, the foreshore car parks being filled. South Brighton and North Beach were less popular, but Waimairi drew its quota of visitors and at Broad Park, in the lee of the sandhills, there was a small crowd. Warm Weather The warmest Easter weather for five years also tempted afternoon drivers out on to roads on the outskirts of Christchurch. Several young people were out on horseback. Autumn colourings provided attractive settings on many roads. Traffic in the suburbs was light. The centre of the city came to life later in the afternoon, when race crowds returned from Riccarton to talk about the last race in the hotel bars. After 4 p.m., the first visitors to the Cust motor-cycle racing and the northern beaches, and week-end campers began to return to the city. Long lines of cars crowded the Main North and Marshland roads, many towing caravans, or carrying boats or camping gear. The Easter holiday was over.