ISLANDS CRUISE ENDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23411, 29 July 1939, Page 12

ISLANDS CRUISE ENDS

RETURN OF MAUNGANUI THREE WEEKS IN SUNSHINE : After spending three weeks of the winter in warm tropical sunshine, 250 passengers returned from an Islands cruise by tho Union Company's liner Maunganui yesterday morning. The final stage of the trip was to Noumea, New Caledonia, which had not previously been visited by a cruise ship fr° m New Zealand. ■ After leaving Auckland the liner proceeded to Nukualofa and Yavau, and then to Apia and Pago Pago. From Pago Pago it went to Levuka> Suva and Lautoka, and finally to Noumea. At Apia a pilgrimage -was made to the tomb of Robert Louis Stevenson. On the way to Levuka the famous tin-can mail was dropped at Niuafoou. On the morning prior to leaving N° u * mea a party of officers and men fro® tho Maunganui, under Captain G. Morgan, with about 30 returned soldiers from among the passengers, marched to the Monument aux Morts and laid a wreath on behalf of the merchant navy of New Zealand. Passengers had the unique experienc of crossing the date line four tinics .1 the short period of nine days, j 1 ?*"" 1 in that time two Fridaxs and v Tuesdays and omitting two Saturday One passenger, who was to have reac i her 21st birthday on July S, found 1 that date did not occur on the Tho only rough weather experience was when the liner approached the i Zealand coast.