CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11843, 21 December 1901, Page 5

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.

THE SEASON'S ATTRACTIONS. ARRIVAL OF VISITORS. The Christmas season is almost upon us, and already the city is beginning to wear something ot a holiday asp cot, due to the arrival of visitors from the country. Christmas Day— first of the twentieth century falls this year in midweek, so that in many instances the holidays will be almost continuous from Wednesday next- till Thursday of the following week, business resuming actively on Friday, January 3. The banks and insurance offices are observing holidays in Christmas week on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, lesuming work for the half-day on Saturday, and ' observing holidays again on Wednesday and Thursday, January; 1 and 2. ' The Government offices are even more fortunate, : closing :on Wednesday for the whole of the week and observing a further two days' respite at - the New Year. 'l radesmen and shopkeepers will be more limited in regard to off days, but on the whole there is no doubt the / people of Auckland will, as is their wont, make the most of the holiday season. : There tire already a great many visitors in tho city. * ' Excursionists from k the Upper and Lower; Thames seem fa l>e coming in rather fewer numbers than in recent years, but the N&rth is supplying a large number of excursionists, and no cbubt many nioi'o will arrive, from all districts -day, tomorrow, and on Monday. / '■ The attractions' for ; tin* holiday season arc as numerous as ever. Tho Auckland .Hating Club have, as usual, taken advantage of the holiday season for their principal meeting of the year, and with good weather the four days' meeting at Ellerslie promises to bo one of the biggest racing gatherings c'+er brought off in Now Zealand. Starting tin Boxing Day, the moetillg Will bo continued on Saturday, December 28, and on Wednesday and Thursday, January 1 and 2-. * The Auckland Cup will bo run oil Boxing'. Day, tho Summer Chip on Saturday, December 28, the Great Northern Derby on January 1, and the Auckland Steeplechase on January 2. The Auckland Trotting ; Club has also a three days' meeting announced for Alexandra Park on Friday and Monday,, December 2? and 30, and Saturday, January 4-, so that,racing attractions will be provided on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Christmas week, and Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday 013 the following, week, omitting only two days of the nine week days from Thursday, December 26, to Saturday, January 4. Among the athletic attractions will be the Caledonian sports in the Domain on New Year's Da£, iiiltl a Cycle paper tl'iist! for Christmas Day, while tho tennis, bowling, and other clubs have special draws, the most important of which will-be the New Zealand tennis chatiipioriship meeting, to be held on the Eden and Epsom iaWlis dii December 26, 27, 28, and 30. Apart from these • attractions to be provided in tho city many will no doubt seek chango in excursions to the country, while yachting and tho sea trips offered by the various steamship CoiilpSiiieS ; r»U!j ns usual, have their full share of the patronage of tho season. A grand Christmas carnival and regatta is announced to take place at Tauranga from Boxing Day till December. 31, to which tho Northern Steamship Company run special boats on Monday, December 23, and Friday. December 27. Then the Kawhia Regatta and carnival evpntuafcss oil January 1, % and 3,, to which tho sanio company arc running a Special trip, and as this district is becoming increasingly interesting to Aucklanders, it will no doubt be liberally patronised while tho regatta is in swing. There will be an athletics meeting at Diniry on January 2. A race meeting at the Thanics on December 26 and 27 is amonfr the other oiltside attractions to wliiiih _ tiio Northern Steamship .Company. arc running special trips, and already they are announcing their short trips to the Great Barrier, Waiheke, Waiv/era, Mahurajigi Heads, etc., the list of which will no doubt be considerably added to by Monday, so that holiday-seekers will have ample choice of a holiday resorts . Tha DeVohport Ferry Company also announce a long list of excursions. .On Christinas afternoon they run a steamer round and between the islands of the gulf, the p.s. Eagle being placed at the service of exoursionists. Hunter's well-known band will go on this trip and play selections of music. On Christmas night thd same steamer will go on an excursion round the harbour. The Ferry Ctiitijiany also announce a number of attractive excursions for Boxing Day, and every day during the holidays there will be ample opportunity provided by their steamers for trips ,to Mottitapu, Takapuna, St. Heliers Bay, and tho other beauty spots within tho hai-bom'. The Devonport Band announce a moonlight excursion to St. Heliers Bay on Monday night. The railway excursions already announced will no doubt draw a large number of citizens from the scene of their daily toil. The special train arrangements commence to-day, and on Monday a special . train leaves the city for Rotorua> To Aroha, and the Thames, and there are important alterations in the ltinning of the trains of all the succeeding days during the holidays. - The passenger traffic to Rotorua during the holiday season promises to be very brisk, and we are informed by Messrs. Thomas Cook and _ Son that a considerable demand has set in ■ for hotel and boarding-house accommodation. Thoy also state that one of the advantages offered by their firm in booking excursion trips to the Hot Lakes district, as announced elsewhere, is that of securing tho accommodation in. advance; although a greater advantage is offered in fares very much lower than will be available at Rotorua to the passenger finding his own way. For evening attractions we have the Brough Comedy Company, opening on Boxing Night, while in the City Hall Mr. DLx is providing a special concert on Christmas Night, and a monster new programme for Boxing Night. In the Opera House on Christmas afternoon and night there will bo sacred concerts and Icinematograph entertainment, and iu the Choral Hall tho Grafton Road Methodist' choir will render "The Messiah."