WAITOMO CAVES HOSTEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19762, 8 October 1927, Page 14

WAITOMO CAVES HOSTEL.

Sir, —I fail to see that the position in regard to the accommodation to be provided by the new hostel at the Waitomo Caves has been misrepresented by the Te Kuiti Chamber of Commerce, as stated by the Minister in Charge of Tourist Resorts. The fact remains that the sum of £30,000 ts being spent on the new buildings, nor was the laundry or the other necessary offices, utility and social, ignored when stating this sum. For this outlay, accommodation for another 36 visitors is to be provided. The chamber was not criticising the department or the architect when this matter was under discussion, but there was a consensus of opinion that for a matter of a*few thousands, the sleeping accommodation could be almost doubled. The people of Te 'Kuiti come in contact with a large number of visitors to the Caves, and numberless complaints have been voiced at the lack of accommodation there. The majority of visitors are anxious to see the three caves, but this is a tiring undertaking for anyone but young people to carry out in one day. In the past this*has been necessary owing to the meagre accommodation, as visitors could only get rooms for ono night. With the increasing popularity of this resort, largely due to the motor traffic making it more accessible, and the fact that these wonders of nature are being talked about, it seems scarcely probable the new hostel will meet the demand that will be made on its resources. There are 6everal points in th? Minister's statement with which the Te Kuiti Chamber of Commerce entirely agreed, particularly where he states that when the new building is completed, little besides bedrooms will be required. This is exactly what the chamber advocated —more bedrooms, at the same time, stressing the fact that another storey could be added with a minimum of cost before the roof of the first storey was completed. In the Waitomo Caves the Government has the most profitable of the tourist resorts. For last year, it had an excess of receipts over expenditure amounting to £5414. For the last three years there has been an annual increase of approximately 2500 visitors to the caves. Now the road past Waitomo to the coast has been metalled, one of the finest motor drives in the Dominion is available for motorists. All these facts must be considered when providing accommodation at the caves, and it is to be regretted that for the comparatively small additional expense, adequate provision is not being made to meet the growing demands on the resources of the hostel. S. Chaig, President, Te Kuiti Chamber of ComV mere*..