LONELY ISLES VISITED.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 2878, 2 December 1921, Page 5

LONELY ISLES VISITED.

;o " CRUISE OF THE VERONICA. o 11.A1.5. V eroniea has returned i*• Auckland after an extended offi. i;. a cruise in the Piutfic lasting rum' s weeks. ’ Since leaving Andrian September Id, she has steamed on 6000 miles, and visited about I s * ixlands, extending from Fiji to th* <. f bert Group, situated 5 degrees nor of the Equator. r The Veronica \i-ited places wha man-of-war liad not been -eon l«*r many years—lonely islands trading vessels seldom visit and where news from the outside world is old before it is received. \ . onica took mails for tho various islands. Here was the first, mail that had reached tin* Elice Islands b.r eight months, and some of the lot forbad left London 13 months before. After leaving Auckland, the warship ealled at Suva and then steamo l north to the Elice Islands, in latitude 5 degrees south, and then to the Gilbert Group, 600 miles further north She then returned to Suva, where >h coaled, and then visited the Lau Group of b ijians Islands. From Fiji she went to the Friendly Islands, and called at Vavau and Nukulofa. SL left the- latter |x>rt lasi Tuesday On tlie way o Auckland she encounter**«T a strong south-west gale and higl seas. The gale lasted 36 hours, an«l during that i inie the Veronica. wax buffeted by the storm. Heavy sn-; broke over her. which necessit at««T every opening being battened dour an uncomfortable situation for a \* sel of her type and size, with 120 ple on board. On the third day out the wind moderated, and line weather was cx]X'rienced to Auckland. The Veronic will <x>al to-day, and will leave port or. Friday for the B.*\ of Islands, where some surveying v i!I bt» carried out.