THE EASTER HOLIDAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13726, 16 April 1908, Page 6

THE EASTER HOLIDAYS.

HOW TO SPEND THEM. FIELDS FOR PLEASURE-SEEKERS. With a continuance of the present fine weather conditions, the Easter holidays this year should prove very enjoyable, especially to those in and around Auckland, for plenty of pleasure resorts are at hand, and facilities to get thereto have been arranged tor by sea and land. To-morrow and Easter Monday will, as usual, be observed as close holidays by tradespeople, while the major portion of other business and professional places will not open on Saturday. In addition, many j of the offices are closing from Friday to | Tuesday inclusive, while those opening on S the Tuesday will close on the following ! Thursday. The butchering establishments | will close on Good Friday and Faster ! Monday, b"t open on Saturday and all day on Wednesday next, in order to make up for the two holidays. Tie' tramway service will be suspended to-morrow, so that the employees may hold their annual picnic. This year the rendezvous decided upon is Pine Island. The numerous 1 resorts in the harbour and gulf will probably be visited by large numbers, lor ample facilities are being provided in the way of transit by the various steamer companies. The Northern Steamship Company, the Settlers'" Company, and the Devon port Ferry Company, are all running their usual excursions, as advertised. Day trips will be run to Waiheke, Waiwera, Mahurangi Heads, Wbangarei, Kawau, and other favourite resorts. On Saturday the Auckland Racing Club will open its autumn meeting at Ellerslie, ami continue it on Monday and Tuesday. The Foresters will hold a united picnic ; at Motutapu on Saturday. The Waitemata Boating Club will also hold their annual picnic and trial fours at Maori Bav, on Saturday afternoon, ferry boats leaving the wharf at 10.45 a.m., and two p.m., and returning at five and eight p.m. The cup presented by the Mayor for the best sculler, and also trial fours for the Mayor's medals, will be competed for during the afternoon. • Tim Kawau regatta will lie held at Bon Accord Harbour, Kawau, on Saturday. Three yacht races will be held as advertised, and also other aquatic events. All are open events, one yacht race being for keel boats, one for centreboard, and the the other also keel boats not exceeding 28ft overall. Entries will be received up till nine o'clock on Saturday morning, at Kawau, or this evening in Auckland, with Mr. W. A. Wilkinson. The first-class yacht* will be sent round Kawau, a distance of 18 knots, if the weather is suitable ; if not a shorter course will be sailed. , The usual regatta will be held at Awapoa Bay, Waiheke, on Monday, the steamer Ngatiawa leaving at nine a.m. The Easter tournament of the Auckland Bowling Association will commence at nine a.m. to-morrow, play taking place on the various greens. The tournament will be continued on Saturday and Monday. ,i , The Easter manoeuvres of the local volunteers will be commenced this evening at Castor Oil Bay. To-morrow evening there will be a "rational"' concert in His Majesty's Theatre, together wth a series of pictures, while a sacred , biograph conceit will be given at the Opera House. A bioscope entertainment will also be given in. the Royal Albert Hall. RAILWAY ARRANGEMENTS.

The Railway Department has made arrangements for the running of the usual excursion trains during the holidays. Quite a number of athletic and sporting gatherings can be reached by rail. Races will be held at Ellerslie on the 18th, 20th, and 21st inst.; races at Putaruru, on the 20th inst.; Foresters' sports at Parawai, and athletic sports at Papakura, Helensville, and Waihou, all on Monday, and a golf tournament at Okoroire on the 18th, 20th, and 21st inst. . A. special Easter excursion train will be run from Auckland to Rotorua to-day. The train will leave Auckland at 10 p.m., arriving at Rotorua at 6.20 a.m. to-morrow. The train will leave on the return journey at 7.15 in. on Easter Monday, arriving in Auck and at three a.m. on the Tuesday. An extra express train will also'run from Auckland to Rotorua daily until Tuesday, the 28th inst. The train, will leave Auckland at 19.35 a.m., and will also connect with the Taumarunui, Waihi, and Thames lines, while the usual 10 a.m. daily express will take passengers for Rotorua and Cambridge lines, no connection being made with the other lines. To-morrow a- special train will leave Auckland for Te Aroha at 6.50 a.m., arriving there at noon. A return special will leave To Aroha at, 4.30 p.m., arriving in Auckland at 9.20 p.m. POST AND TELEGRAPH. This evening tlie post office will be open between seven and eight p.m. for an overcounter deliver}-. Mails usually despatched on Fridays will close at 7.45 p.m. A special clearance of street receivers will be made, commencing at five p.m. Good Friday will be observed as a holiday in the post office. There will be no delivery by letter-carriers. Sunday hours will be? observed in the private box lobby. On Saturday the letter-carrier's will make a full delivery of letters, and the office will be open for an over-counter delivery between seven and eight p.m. On Monday the office will be open to the public in all its branches (excepting money cider and Savings Bank) from nine to 10 a.m. Mails usually despatches on Mondays will close at eight a.m. There will be no delivery by letter-carriers. 'The usual hours will be observed in the private box lobby. The following hours will be observed at the telegraph office: — Good Fridav. 9.30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and five p.m. to 5.30 p.m. : Easter Monday, nine a.m. to four p.m. and seven p.m. to midnight. Tin* telephone exchange will remain open as usual. BANK ARRANGEMENTS. As St. George's Day falls this year in Easter week (the Thursday after EasterMonday), the bank holiday arrangements have been altered. Instead of closing, as is customary', or. the Tuesday after Easter (April 21), the banks this year will remain open on that day, and close on the Thursday. The other bank holidays will be on Good Friday, Easter Saturday, and Easter Monday. "CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT. The offices of H.M. Customs will be closed throughout the Dominion to-morrow, Good Friday being a statutoiy Customs holiday.