Rain On Boxing Day Dampens Holiday Spirit

Press, Volume CI, Issue 30015, 27 December 1962, Page 8

Rain On Boxing Day Dampens Holiday Spirit

Almost three-quarters of an inch of rain which fell in Christchurch on Christmas night and up to mid-day yesterday dampened the holiday spirit of Boxing Day; and though the weather cleared in the afternoon, rain set in again in the evening. Beach galas, family car drives and picnics, and sports fixtures—traditional Boxing Day <itertainments —all suffered from the weather. Galas at Pines Beach and Waikuku Beach had to be postponed, and other sports fixtures were either put off or their starts were delayed. Prom being the hottest of the main centres on Christmas Day, Christchurch woke to fairly steady rain yesterday morning. There had been .52in recorded at the Weather Office at the Christchurch airport up to 9 a.m., with the total 63in up to midday. After the wet morning, many Christchurch folk appeared to head into the city, rather than out into the country, for their afternoon’s entertainment. By 2 p.m., all parking within two or three blocks of Cathedral square had been taken up, and there were sizeable queues at the city’s picture theatres. The wet weather proved a good business "strike” for the theatres, most of which reported full, or near-full, houses. Sports Fixtures

Of sports fixtures, both the Canterbury tennis championships at Wilding Park and the Canterbury Bowling Centre’s Christmas fours championship, with 72 rinks entered, had to be postponed. The Canterbury golf championships at Shirley were begun as scheduled. Shooters turned out for the Waihora Gun Club’s Christmas shoot, but the Banks Peninsula Cruising Club postponed its Lyttelton-to-Akaroa yacht race for a day. The race will now start at 8.30 a.m. today.

The Ashburton Trotting Club’s Boxing Day meeting was held as usual, but the weather was “more like winter than summer,” according to one man who attended the meeting. It rained until half-way through the programme, with some heavy showers at times. The track was fairly soft. Campers at Beaches

Camping in rainy weather is not pleasant—to repeat a comment made famous by Jerome K. Jerome and many a camper at the North Canterbury beaches must have woken shivering yesterday morning, when temperatures were low, and the

rain was falling quite heavily.

At Waikuku Beach, after some heavy showers at times during the night, intermittent rain continued throughout the morning. The Waikuku Beach gala had to be postponed, and will now be held today. Fortunately for the big crowd of campers at Waikuku (Beach, the rain had stopped by mid-afternoon, and the sun shone a little. More campers are expected to move in between now and New Year, and when everybody is settled, a record crowd is expected. At Woodend Beach, four miles to the south, there is already a “full house” of campers, but in spite of some heavy rain yesterday morning, they were reported still cheerful, and nobody had packed up and gone home. As at Waikuku Beach, the weather cleared at midafternoon, and the sun peeped out, making the prospect more pleasant. At Pines Beach, three miles further south again, similar weather was experienced yesterday morning, and the Pines Beach gala likewise postponed. It will now be held on New Year’s Day. Fire Hazard Reduced

For some—farmers, foresters, and market gardeners—the rain yesterday was welcome, being the first appreciable fall in Canterbury since December 7. Since that date, the fine, hot weather had caused pastures to become burnt and brown, and crops to begin to suffer. Pastures will now be freshened, and pea and wheat crops brought into full head.

The Forest Service, which issued a fire-danger call on Christmas Eve, will be able to relax a little in that the acute fire danger has been relieved. “The rain has made things fairly safe,” said the assistant - conservator of forests in Canterbury (Mr M. F. Armitage) yesterday. Almost three-quarters of an inch of rain had been recorded at the Hamner Springs State forest yesterday morning, and about a haifmch at the Balmoral, Ornihi, Ashley and Eyrewell forests. The fire risk to plantations along the North Canterbury beaches, from Waimairi to Waikuku, has also been lessened.

However, a return to northwest conditions could soon bring the fire hazard back, said Mr Armitage yesterday. Market gardeners in general will welcome the rain, but for raspberry growers it

meant a delay In picking. The fruit was dry under the protection of the bushes, but each leaf held a teaspoonful of water—and so, in the interests of the pickers, work was abandoned. Growers were reported not unduly upset about yesterday’s delay, but their profits could fall, however, if picking should be delayed by further rain. Snow at 3000 ft

After many days without snow, the high country on the west of the Ashburton county was covered in snow yesterday. At Mount Hutt the snow was very thick, especially in the gullies, and down to about 3000 ft. It was also thick through the Rakaia gorge, although not as thick on Mount Somers. More than an inch of rain fell in Mid-Canterbury. At 9 a.m. yesterday, ,95in had fallen in Ashburton. The heaviest fall up to 9 a.m. was I.2in at Springburn. Gutters could not cope with the rain in Ashburton, and water overflowed on to roads.

The rain pleased fire officers in the borough and county, who have had many calls to grass and scrub fires in the last two weeks. It was a different story, however, with the many campers and holiday-makers in the district. Most districts in Mid-Can-terbury had between .6in and I.2in of rain up to 9 a.m. yesterday. Eiffelton had 1.1 in, Pendarves and Highbank ,84in, Wakanui ,77in, and Anama ,98in. Nelson and Blenheim

In Nelson between midnight and midday .83 inches of rain fell, says the New Zealand Press Association, and the estimated 10,000 campers in the province were getting very wet. The rain began at 3 a.m. and by 5.30 a.m. all tent dwellers at the Tahunanui motor camp were up digging trenches to prevent the water running through. Many camping parties had wet bedding, and the new roads in the camp were bogged in places. Heavy rain caused the postponement of outdoor sporting activities in Blenheim, including the annual Christmas open tennis tournament and a swimming carnival. In Picton the annual Festival of the Sounds, staged largely for the entertainment of holiday visitors, was postponed until New Year’s Day.

Campers at the various camping grounds in Marlborough were taking the wet day philosophically. Most grounds have many campers, but the main flow at some of them is not expected until today.