ISLAND TRADING

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 58, 2 December 1930, Page 7

ISLAND TRADING

The Maui Pomare

ITINERARY RESUMED The Cook Islands Department advises that the Government motor-ship Maui Pomare is expected in Dunedin from Niue Island direct on Thursday afternoon and she will then resume her running in the Island trade. Following an extensive overhaul to her engines the vessel left Wellington on a trial trip to the Islands on November 11 and she has since visited Niue and then Samoa, returning to Niue where an unsuccessful endeavour was made to pick up a shipment of bananas in a strong gale. According to her schedule, the Maui Pomare will make Auckland her last port of call in New Zealand and she will leave from there on each trip for Niue Island and Apia, returning via Lyttelton, Wellington and thence to Auckland. On every second trip she will make Dunedin her first port of call in New Zealand, then travelling up the coast, calling at Lyttelton, Wellington and Auckland.

Reports concerning the vessel’s trial trip indicate that the engines have been running well and that no trouble has been experienced. She has a cargo of 7400 cases of bananas for New Zealand from Samoa, but it proved quite impossible to load at Niue Island, owing to a westerly gale, which made the roadstead

unworkable. A large quantity of bananas had to be left on the island and the'dative growers will experience s dead, loss on them.

On arriving off Niue the vessel had to seek shelter on fhe eastern side of the island. The gale showed no signs of abating and during an attempt to pick up passengers two native surf boats were lost. Although some time was spent in the hope that the gale would die down, the Maui Pomare ha<L to leave with the bananas lying on shore.