Fast development in youth hostelling

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32902, 28 April 1972, Page 8

Fast development in youth hostelling

Youth hostelling in New Zealand is developing at one of the fastest rates in the world, according to the national secretary of the Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand (Mr C. N. Todd).

Mr Todd said in his report, to be presented at the association’s annual conference in Wellington this week-end that two-thirds of the over-night stays in hostels were made by visitors from overseas. “While this increase in hostelling activity is welcomed and encouraged, it highlights the need for better and enlarged hostels in the right places and for greater emphasis on adequate wardening; and it places greater demands on our administra-

tion at all levels,” Mr Todd said.

To meet this demand, the association was establishing a chain of national hostels.

“The projects where there has been the greatest amount of progress are in Queenstown, where land is secured and architect’s plans have been finalised; a contract should be signed within a month for the tender; at Ruapehu, where the executive will proceed only if the special building fund reaches $lO,OOO from branch contributions in the North Island—which have been showing a lack of interest; Rotorua, where preliminary sketches have been prepared; Invercargill, where a new hostel has been completed; and Kaikoura, where the hostel has been enlarged and improved,” Mr Todd said.

“To help meet the peak demand at holiday periods supplementary accommodation in some areas is now becoming more readily available. “In Dunedin, a private school dormitory block has provided 80 extra beds; in Wellington and Christchurch there has been some help from university halls of residence; and at Wanaka a school classroom has been used.”