TOURIST TRAFFIC

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 71, 21 September 1936, Page 10

TOURIST TRAFFIC

THE COMING SEASON

PROSPECTS VERY HEALTHY

AUSTRALIAN VISITS

Present indications point to New Zealand enjoying a good tourist season during the summer months. Mr. R. W. Marshall, manager of the Wellington office of the Tourist Department, stated today that the prospects are very healthy and promising. Since the introduction of the visits to New Zealand waters from Australia by P. and O. and Orient Line cruise Ships this method of spending a holiday has become increasingly popular. This will be the third season for which such cruises have been arranged, and an indication of their growing popularity is the fact that two more than last season are to be made. THE CRUISE SHIPS. The first cruise ship this season will be the Orient Line's Orion, a new vessel of 23,370 tons, which made her maiden voyage to Australia last year, ahd so far has not come to New Zealand. The Orion is to arrive at Auckland from Brisbane on October j 28. She is due at Wellington on October 31, and is to leave here on November 1 for Sydney. The Orion will be followed by the P. and O. liner Strathnaver, which is due at Auckland from Brisbane on November 20, and at Wellington on November 23. On the evening of November 23 the ship is to leave Wellington on her return to Australia. In December the Union Steam Ship Company's Maunganui is to make a cruise from Sydney to the South Island sounds. The Maunganui is to leave Sydney on December 2 and is due at Milford Sound on December 6. After visiting the other sounds in this region the ship will proceed to Stewart Island (where she is due on December 8), Port Chalmers (December 9), Lyttelton (December 10), Queen Charlotte Sound (December 11), and Pelorus Sound (December 12), after which the ship will return to Sydney, arriving there on December 16. Next will be the Orient liner Orford. She is due at Auckland from Brisbane on December 23 and at Wellington on December 26. The Orford is to leave Wellington the following day for Australia. On.January 2 the P. and O. liner Narkunda is due to arrive at Auckland from Australia. This ship will not be coming south to Wellington. Instead, from Auckland the Narkunda is to go on a cruise to the Bay of Islands before sailing for Sydney. The Oronsay is to arrive at Auckland from Brisbane on February 5, and is due at Wellington on February 8. She is to leave Wellington for Australia on, the night of February 8. In March the Strathnaver will be back in New Zealand waters again. She is to arrive at Auckland from Brisbane on March 12 and at Wellington on March 15, and is to leave here on return to Australia the same evening. The trip to be made direct from Sydney to the Sounds by the Maunganui in December will be something new. Cruises, of course, have been made to the Sounds previously by the Wanganella and the Monowai. They have been short cruises from Wellington and a big percentage of the passengers were New Zealanders, but on the trip to be made by the Maunganui there is to be no call at Wellington first before the ship proceeds to the Sounds. OTHER VISITORS. Apart from the cruising, quite a number of other parties will be coming to New Zealand for various purposes. For example, there will be the delegates to the conference in Wellington next month of the Federated Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire. Then in January the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science is to meet in Auckland, and in the same month at Auckland the Royal » Australian College of Surgeons' Congress is to be held. An Australian primary producers' tour is planned for February. The party, will mainly be comprised of South Australians and Victorians and it proposes visiting both the .North and the South Islands. A tour by a party of New South Wales dairy farmers is projected,.and if this.eventuates it also will probably take place in February. The idea tentatively is for this party to visit the North Island and portion of the South Island, but to spend most of the time in the North Island. Also on-the list of projected tours is one by a party of Queensland bowlers in January. For those coming on the "cruise" ships as well as for others overland trips and excursions to various places of interest in the Dominion are to be conducted. Advice has also been received of numerous independent tours, that is, tours by people distinct from party groups, from the London, Sydney, Melbourne, and Los Angeles offices of the Tourist Department. The present bookings are a long way ahead of last year's. A letter, which has just been received from the Sydney office, states that the office staff is extremely busy there planning tours to New Zealand. So busy is the Sydney staff, in fact, that it has been necessary to work overtime for the last two months to cope with the business.