HOLIDAY RUSH

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24761, 8 December 1943, Page 4

HOLIDAY RUSH

ACCOMMODATION TAXED HEAVY TRAVEL BOOKINGS The rush for accommodation during the Christmas season has been so heavy that holidaymakers who have not already made reservations will be extremely fortunate if they can find a vacancy at a hotel or boarding house at any well-known resort in the Auckland Province. There is also a heavy demand for accommodation in towns which are usually not greatly frequented by holiday visitors. According to an officer of the Government Tourist Bureau at Auckland, bookings for travel and accommodation have been phenomenal for the past month, and the rush is stated to be heavier than at any other Christmas period in the past 18 years. Accommodation in practically every town in the province is fully booked and employees at the city bureau have been working at nights for the past month in order to keep up with the work created by the abnormal rush. The Main factors Several factors are stated to bo responsible for the present position. The absence of rail travel restrictions and the large number of visiting service- ■ men intending to visit the betterknown resorts made holiday bookings heavy. In addition, wartime conditions appear to have prompted people to spend more money than usual this holiday period and it is noticeable that first-class seats on trains have been booked out before the second-class, whereas the reverse was the case before the war. The accommodation problem is accentuated by staff shortages in sonic hotels. It is stated that some rooms in several well-known hotels will be closed because of lack of staff to provide the necessary service. Mount Maunganui and Rotorua One of the most popular resorts this summer is Mount Maunganui, where accommodation is fully booked for the holiday period. All accommodation at Tauranga also is stated to be taken. At least one hotel at the Mount is fully booked from the present time until Easter, and in the past month 1200 applications for rooms have had to be declined. The rush began in June and it is stated that the demand is far heavier than last year. No camping sites at the Mount are expected to be available until the end of February. The crowds at Rotorua are expected to be as heavy as at earlier Christmas and New Year periods. Practically all available accommodation at hotels and boarding houses is engaged and the shortage of these facilities for' holiday visitors has resulted in heavier calls being made on camping grounds in the district. Privately-owned sites have been in exceptional demand, but at the borough camping ground bookings are not yet reported to be heavy. Small cottages and flats attached to camping grounds have been heavily booked throughout the holiday period. Popularity of Taupo Last Christmas holiday season at Taupo was quiet, but this year the demand for accommodation has exceeded all expectations. The October announcement of an increased petrol allocation for motorists during December and Januarv is believed to be mainly responsible for the exceptional rush. All hotels, boarding houses and fishing lodges will be full until the end of January, and, in some cases, until the end of February. Cottages have been taken for the past two months. The Government hotel at Waitomo began to receive Christmas and New Year bookings in October, chiefly from Aucklanders. Some rooms are still available for Christmas, but all have been reserved for the New Year period. Bookings are much heavier than last year, largely owing to the lifting of the rail travel restrictions, and it is noticeable that whereas visitors previously stayed only a few days they'are now planning a week's stay. Position in the North In the Whangarei district accommodation at seaside boarding houses is reported to be fully engaged for Christmas and the New Year, principally by northern residents who do not wish to go far afield for their holidays. There is not a great demand for camping sites, but beach cottages available for letting have been taken for some time. The demand for accommodation at Russell is slightly heavier than last year. Since June the hotel has been fully booked for the Christmas and New Year period. Since the announcement that the petrol coupons for December and January would be available at their full face value, the Automobile Association (Auckland) has experienced a greatly increased demand for touring itineraries. The number dealt with is already in excess of previous war years. Owing to accommodation difficulties, a number of people are selecting holiday places which would previously have been regarded as wayside stopping-places, and it is stated by an official of the association that inland towns a few miles from popular beaches will be patronised to a greater extent than previously. CAR CONVERSION Charged with unlawfully converting a motor-car valued at £240, and with committing a breach of his probation order, a factory hand, Leonard Robert Lovich, aged 18, pleaded guilty before Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., yesterday. The magistrate committed accused to a Borstal institution for two years. HARBOUR CHARGES The Auckland Harbour Board yesterday agreed to waive the imposition of the penal demurrage rate on goods in store between December 24 and January 3, both dates inclusive. £7OOO THEFT OF STORES (0.C.) SYDNEY, Nov. 80 Two military trucks, containing ordnance stores valued at £7OOO, were stolen from a military depot at Newcastle. After a widespread search police later found the trucks, but their contents were gone.