First Chch, then the Taj Mahal ...

Press, 7 September 1989, Page 7

First Chch, then the Taj Mahal ...

By

DAVE WILSON

It’s official — Cathedral Square and the Avon River have joined the Taj Mahal, ballooning in Nairobi and “The Phantom of the Opera” on the travel itineraries of the rich and famous.

A 90-minute sightseeing tour of Christchurch has been scheduled in the itinerary for 100 wealthy globe-trotters taking part in next month’s “Around the. World Supersonic Concorde Adventure.”

The Concorde and its predom-

inantly American travellers will spend three days in the South Island as part of a 21-day world tour.

As during a similar group’s stopover in April, the travellers will spend most of their stay in the Queenstown area. But Christchurch will have an opportunity to. impress the travellers just before they head at supersonic speed to Sydney. The jet-setting holiday will begin at New York on October 4 and end with a gala farewell

cocktail party in the British House of Commons on October 24, before the Concorde streaks back to New York the next day. The British Airways jet has been chartered by an American travel firm. The itinerary is similar to that of the $65,000-a--head group that took part in the April tour.

The Concorde is due at Christchurch at 2 p.m. on October 7 after which the travellers will fly on a domestic service to Queenstown.

During their three-day stop-

over the party will visit Milford Sound, cruise on the steamship Earnslaw, and take a ski-plane flight around Mount Cook. The Concorde will fly to Sydney on October 10 for a two-day Australian stopover before the tourists fly on to Hong Kong, India, Kenya and Britain Highlights of their tour package include ballooning in Nairobi, visiting the Taj Mahal, cocktails among the sampans of Hong Kong harbour and attending “The Phantom of the Opera” in London’s West End.