ROTORUA POPULAR

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 81, 29 December 1938, Page 8

ROTORUA POPULAR

Christmas Festivities

ROTORUA, December 28.

In spite of unpleasant weather during the weekend, there was an exceptionally large influx of visitors to Rotorua, and by Sunday most of the hotel accommodation had been filled.. Motor camping grounds in various parts of the district were also filling rapidly. On Saturday and Sunday traffic was particularly heavy on all the main highways leading to the town, and a large crowd arrived by special trains from Auckland. Though the morning was unpleasant on Christmas Day the sky cleared during the afternoon, and there was a big crowd at the lake front in tire evening for the sacred concert given by the St. Faith’s Church Maori Choir.

As'a prelude to the opening of the carnival on Boxing Day, the weather was fine, though slightly cold and windy, but considerable interest was taken in the athletic and tenuis fixtures at the Government gardens, and also at the lake front, where, during the afternoon, the Maoris engaged in preparing a hangi or Maori oven attracted considerable interest from visitors to Rotorua.

Exhibitions were also given of matweaving and poi-mgklng. The Ngati Wh'akaue tribe gave a Maori concert of poi dances, songs and liakas, last night, and the hangi was opened after the concert.