DAYLIGHT RUN

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 156, 30 December 1926, Page 8

DAYLIGHT RUN

WELLINGTON TO LYTTELTON

(By A. H. Messenger.)

Visitors from overseas have proclaimed the Wcllington-Lyttelton ferry service as the finest in tho world, and thosp who travel tack and forth as a regular thing by this line will bo among the first to endorso this opinion. With perfect precision tho two splendid turbine ships, Wahine ■ and Maori, glide from their respective berths at each port and go upon their appointed way. There is no ''weather permitting" about this running. Blow high, blow low, these finely-appointed vessels speed out into the night, the friendly shore lights vanish astern, and up' on tho high navigation bridges the men who know this sea road as tho average city man knows his home street- keep watch and ward over the destinies of the several hundreds of passengers who in their snug cabins may turn-in without a caro in the world. BUSTLING HOLIDAYS. At Christmas time ivhen everyone is hurrying to be home for the uge-old festivities or to be away for a holiday and all is bustle and excitement, tho ships of this scrvicj are called upon for greater efforts, and for two hectic days provide a special daylight trip. Thus- for one short space in the year they provided an opportunity for a pictorial rocord which could not V>3 missed. We two, with a cinema outfit, boarded the Maori at the Wellington Ferry. Wharf on the day before Christmas Eve, and, disentangling ourselves from tho crowd of passengers, made our mission known to Captain Irwin, who gave us the freedom of tho ship, or its equivalent. Our departure was thoroughly in keeping with the fine traditions of the service. -At-the appointed time the ship sinipiy -glided from her berth with only the faintest tremor to announce tho fact that tho powerful turbines had come into action. There wan scarcely time to shoot a few feo't of film of the wharves and shipping befora we had swung on to our course and were running swiftly down harbour. ' A flat calm rested upon the waters of the port, blue sides reigned overhead, and beyond tho dark ranges of the .Orongorongo, cumulus clouds lifted fleecy heads before tho easterly that held sway along the coast. . From our - vantage point up on the boat-deck we had a splendid view of the surroundings, and could admire to tho full the beauties of which visitors to our city never fail to speak. The noble lake-like expanse of water, the encircling hills with their clustered homes, and down at the foot of the wireless range tho tall buildings of the. city with tho masts and funnels of shipping in the foreground. Once round Point Halswell the open sea could be glimpsed through the Heads, and in very short time we had Pencarrow Head close abeam. On many previous occasions its friendly beacon had given us a kindly farewell as we had sped into tho darkness of the Strait, but this time- we were able to note every detail of tho surroundings and to record them for the benefit of those less fortunate, who will later view them froji the c'omfort of a theatre, seat. So good were conditions outside that even the most timorous among the passengers were induced to keep the spacious promenade decks and enjoy to the full tho bracing sea air and genial sunshine. A WONDERFUL SEA-LANE. What a wonderful sea-lano this Strait is, which- bears tho name .of its famous discoverer and navigator.'." T6 it Wellington .owes its premier position as chief of all ports of trade. From east and wesfc our commerce may be drawn, and north ami south our coastal ships can draw upon every port in the Dominion. Very peaceful it lay this morning with a slight ruffling of its surface here and there to mark the hurrying tides beneath, with far off through the haze the blue loom of the seaward. Kaikouras and tho northward trend of Blenheim's coast line. Dainty whale birds fluttered ovor the lazy swells, and an occasional stately albatross swung in wide circles abou» the ship as we sped on at a good eighteen knots' gait on a straight course to bring us abreast of Capo Campbell Light

Quite a merry throng gathered in tho ship's saloon for dinner at 12,30. We wore due' to pass our sister ship, Wahine, about 1 p.m., so were on the qui-vivc for what promised to be one of tho most interesting incidents of {he trip. Returning to the bridge after dinner our attention was drawn to a faint haze of smoke low down to tho southward. Wahine was in sight and coming up fast. Tho camera was hastily set up, and converging as they were at high speed, the Wahine doing about nineteen knots, to tbo Maori's eighteen; there was little time to make all ready to shoot. " \ '

Now wo were tcpated to a spectacle which shall not be readily forgotten. With a high feather of water spraying from her sheering fore-foot as she sped over the swells now ruffled into white-caps by the freshening nor '-caster Wahine stormed past,- making a beautiful picture with her graceful linos, her gleaming upper works, and the twin familiar rod and black funnels. Handkerchiefs fluttered along! her rails and a cap was waved from her high bridge. In a few moments she was rapidly dwindling in size as she reeled off the long sea miles that lay botwee'n her. and Wellington, leaving jour own ship to drive on southward to Banks Peninsula and its • sheltering port of Lyttelton: THE RETURN JOURNEY. As the afternoon advanced the northeasterly "breeze freshened/ white-caps flashed under a blue sky, arid the dis-. tant shore line on our beam loomed mistily beneath gathering clouds. Promptly to time Godloy Head appeared out of the haze right over our bow, passengers lined the rails to examine "with interest tho great volcanic cliffs and hills which ar^ a feature of thd peninsula, and in a very short space of time our good ship was swung with coii3ummato skill into the sheltered basin of tho port, gliding alongside the wharf oxactly as a train draws up to a platform. On the following morning we joined. Wahine at Lyttolton for the return journey, and through the kindness of Captain Cameron wore able to complete our .picture of the ferry service. We met a fairly high north-easterly swell outside tho Heads, but in spite of it Wahino struck a good nineteen-knot gait, shearing through tho blue seas in fine styte. At tho appointed time, just, after dinner, we met Maori, hurrying south with her decks full of Christmas trippers. Salutations were t exchanged. Tho cinema camera secured a wonderful picture of the ship aashe swung past, and wo folt that our mission had been fully justified. There was plenty to interest one during tho rest of tho yoyagc. Two whalos rose close on the starboard bow off Kaikoura, sending feathery plumes of gpray aloft before they sounded, majestic albatrosses circled about the ship, and many lesser feathered denizens of our coasts attempted to keep pace with us. After passing Cajpe Campbell the breeee died away, aa& we crossed Gook (ftsts- jfr s-*«S #m, &• MM**, fig;

the ocean, being like a burnished sheet; of metal. Ahead loomed the high; hills of Terawhiti, catching the last rays of the declining sun, while a noble panorama of rugged ranges stretched from Pencarrow to the distant loom a£ far-off Cape Pallisnr. We berthed at Wellington with the! same clockwork precision that hatl characterised every movement of tho ship. No undue bustle or excitement; but just that steady fulfilment of purpose which stamps tho servico as being something, of which we New Zealander*. may very justly bo proud.