Passengers By-pass Port

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32032, 5 July 1969, Page 46

Passengers By-pass Port

Lyttelton prepared for a week for the arrival of the Italian luxury liner, Angelina Lauro, and its tourist trade, but when the liner arrived yesterday morning the tourists largely passed Lyttelton by.

By the time the liner berthed, just before 8 a.m., there were nine buses on the wharf to take more than 300 of the passengers on trips arranged by the Government Tourist and Publicity Department to Porters Pass and beyond. Another 70 passengers left the ship after its Pacific Island cruise and of the remainder most travelled to Christchurch for the day. About 200 passengers joined the 20,400 ton, blue and white liner before she; sailed for Australia and Europe at 4.20 p.m. Many Lyttelton shops had increased their stocks of

souvenirs and New Zealand handcrafts for the liner’s visit. One shop owner hired another empty shop window for the day to increase his display area. Customers from the liner were few, however, and not many crew members came ashore. It appeared that at least some of the passengers preferred to stay on board for the day. The liner was decked with

bunting as it was edged into Gladstone Pier by the two Lyttelton Harbour Board tugs to become the first cruise ship to visit Lyttelton in winter. The press officer for the shipping line (Mr S. G. Higgs) said that the liner, the former Dutch-registered Oranje was the first cruise ship to visit Auckland, Wellington and Lyttelton on the same trip. Passengers on the 1607-berth ship have a choice of three television channels for their entertainment.

As the flagship of the Flotta Lauro Line was sailing, however, and even before it had cleared the inner harbour, an announcement on the public address system on board was heard clearly by those on shore—“ Attention all passengers New Zealand currency is no longer acceptable in the bar. Please arrange to have your currency changed at the purser’s office.”