Hooters, bunting greet Rangatira

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32879, 30 March 1972, Page 3

Hooters, bunting greet Rangatira

Lyttelton’s welcome to the new Rangatira yesterday morning, when the vessel arrived on her first run, was considerably more enthusiastic than her send-off from Wellington the previous evening.

As the Rangatira headed slowly up the harbour she was escorted by the Lyttelton Harbour Board’s pilot boat, and by the board’s tug Canterbury.

A yacht and a small, power-boat had also: joined in by the time] the vessel reached the moles, and the tug’s firehoses blasted a traditional water-jet welcome into the still morning air. The Rangatira was dressed with bunting, as was another Union Company vessel, the Hawea, lying at the breastwork near the moles, and the first vessel to sound a welcoming blast on her hooter. Other ships in the harbour blew their hooters, and the hills echoed as the Rangatira eased stem-first through the moles at 6.36 a.m. to a perfect berthing at the ferry terminal, where two bands were playing. The vessel’s bars closed at 11 p.m. on Tuesday evening,

Land by 12.30 a.m., when the J ship began to encounter a | misty drizzle in contrast to I the earlier mild, modn-iit J evening, almost all the passengers had decided to call it a day. Little more than five hours later they found the customary rude awakening in the inter-island steamer express had not changed, whatever else had been improved: the : minutes before 6 a.m. brought a battering on the door, a harsh blaze from the main cabin lighting, and the usual cup of dubious tea plus an uninviting biscuit. The compulsory dawn teal ceremony — the Rangatira ■ boasts no “do not disturb” or “no tea please” signs—heralded the awakening of the ship’s public address system, bringing a weather forecast and the announcement that the vessel would berth at 6.30 a.m.

A goodly number of passengers yawned their way to I the rails for the approach to I the moles and the berthing, land the cafeteria and restaurant did a good breakfast trade, although it was nothing compared with the rush for dinner the previous evening. Those with cars aboard had to remove their vehicles immediately the linkspan was in place, and within an hour vehicles for the return trip last evening were trundling through the stern door.