Cruises from Akaroa planned

Press, 30 July 1985, Page 8

Cruises from Akaroa planned

A regular cruise boat service is planned to ply from Akaroa Harbour this summer. The Akaroa County Council approved an application for the service, at its monthly council meeting yesterday. Mr Ron Bingham, of Akaroa, has been granted exclusive rights to run such a service on the harbour for three years. The 13-metre boat Mr Bingham intends to use will be able to carry up to 46 people, and might be ready in October. Akaroa Harbour has proved attractive to people interested in running a cruise boat service, five parties expressing an interest in the last six months.

The council decided that there would not be sufficient business for more than one boat. Mr Bingham now runs a business hiring out small boats. “He is a good operator,” said Cr Dan Wright. Cr Robyn Grigg did express some concern about the agreement’s being contrary to the existing freemarket “climate.” “I’m a little bit concerned about the exclusive rights,” she said. The service will have to be run regularly, and to the satisfaction of the Harbourmaster. The boat-hire jetty will be improved before the service starts.

Joint study The council will still support a joint study of land and resource use on Banks Peninsula, in spite of a lack of support from the Wairewa County Council. Mount Herbert County Council has given only tentative approval to the study on the condition that all the Peninsula councils participate and share the cost of a consultant to co-ordinate the project. The study is intended to provide background information which could be useful in the preparation of district schemes on the Peninsula and has the support of the Canterbury United Council and the Catchment Board, r

Although the study will not proceed as originally intended, the Akaroa council will seek some form of cooperation and will still approach the Mount Herbert Council. Work already done on the study would be wasted if it did not proceed, said the Akaroa County Chairman, Mr lan Harris. The lack of communication from the Wairewa council was a source of concern, said Cr Philip Cooke. Switch The change to FM radio will mean a switch of channels in radio-telephones in council vehicles, at a cost of more than $3OOO. New crystals C nd

switches will enable council staff to link with the Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel in an emergency. The base set at the council’s offices will also be switched to the new channel. Storm Akaroa County escaped the week-end’s stormy weather with very little damage, according to the County Engineer, Mr Tony Cole. In spite of some surface water and two minor slips on county roads, there was no other damage, he said. The amount of rain did, however, highlight the need for more water tabling work for the Summit Road, he said.