Maunganui’s Pacific Cruise Altered

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 161, 11 July 1939, Page 7

Maunganui’s Pacific Cruise Altered

SMALLPOX OUTBREAK AT TAHITI

Per Press Association.

AUCKLAND, July 30.

A readjustment of the programme arranged for the Union Company’s passenger steamer Maunganui during her three weeks’ cruise to the South Pacific has been caused by an outbreak of smallpox in Tahiti, according to advice received by the Auckland otfice of the company. As a result the Maunganui, which left Auckland last Thursday for Rarotonga, was diverted to Nukualofa and she will omit Rarotonga and Papeete.

About 250 passengers are carried by the cruise ship which arrived to-day at Nukualofa. She was originally expected to reach Rarotonga, her first port of call, to-day and continue her voyage 1 o Raiatca and Papeete, reaching Papeete at the time of the anniversary celebrations of the Fail of/the Bastille. On leaving Papeete the ship was to ha - e called at Mooren, Apia, Vavau and Nukualofa before arriving back at Auckland on July 28.

The schedule has now been greatly altered. The Maunganui was expected to leave Nukualofa this afternoon for \ avau and Apia and the course of the remainder of the cruise has not yet been fixed. Misfortune attended one of tho ship's two Pacific cruises last year when a woman passenger developed measles and strict quarantine was enforced at Apia.