HOLIDAY TRAFFIC

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 73, 19 December 1928, Page 10

HOLIDAY TRAFFIC

HEAVY STEAMER BOOKINGS During the last few days the Christmas holiday rush has set in in earnest, and thousands of New Zealanders are on the move by steamer,' railway, and service car. The holiday feeling is apparent, too, in the Sydney steamer service. The Maunganui, which arrived from Sydney yesterday morning, brought 450 passengers, and will be carrying a large number on her return trip when she sails on Friday, as the Makura did yesterday. The inter-island ferry steamers are carrying very large numbers of passengers this week, and the rush will continue until well after New Year’s Day. Judging by the queue at the counter yesterday,'the Union Company’s booking clerks were having a strenuous time in coping with the eager applicants for berths in the Wellington-Lyttelton ferry service. The Wahine and Maori are running full ships this week. It is estimated that about 5000 passengers will be carried south from Wellington between Monday and next Sunday, and that a like number will be coming north in the same period. In addition to their usual nightly passages, the Wahiue and Maori will make daylight trips from Wellington to Lyttelton and vice versa on Sunday and Monday. These are busy days in the Cook Strait passenger services, too. The Tamahine is heavily booked, and will make extra trips between Wellington and Pieton. She will make her usual runs to Picton to-day and on Friday, and will return in time to make an extra trip on Saturday, and two trips on Monday. In the Nelson service, which will also be heavily taxed to cope with the rush, the Arahura will arrive back at Wellington on Monday, and will sail at 10 o’clock that night to supplement the sailing of the Ngaio at 7.30 p.m.