DUKE’S TOUR STARTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18584, 19 December 1934, Page 5

DUKE’S TOUR STARTS

ARRIVAL AT HASTINGS i ; INCIDENTS ON TRAIN LOVER OF INFORMALITY Press Association.) HASTINGS, this day. Sweltering hot weather conditions are accompanying the start of the North Island tour of the Duke of Gloucester. The Royal train, on board which all are well, is travelling to the scheduled minute, and arrived at Hastings a little after 10 a.m. There was a stop ol several hours at Pakipaki, 4£ miles south of the destination, for breakfast On the train. Always a lover of informality, His Royal Highness, after breakfast discarded his .coat and vest and sat in the carriage in his shirt sleeves. Some of the members of the suite made themselves similarly comfortable, and also took the opportunity to look over, the spenery of the Pakipaki valley, where graceful willows slept in the basking sunshine. They expressed delight at the nature of New Zealand’s flora, being impressed particularly by the vitality of the tree growth. . • Connected with the Royal and official carriages, is a complete telephone system, enabling contact to be preserved with any jJart of ' New Zealand. Before 8 a.m., the Hon. J. A. Young, Minister in attendance, was talking to his private secretary-on office matters at Wadestown, Wellington, and later he had a word with his mother, now in her ninetyfirst year, at her home in Mount Eden, Auckland.

Having last night examined an album of photographs of Hastings at the time of the earthquake, • His Royal Highness, at precisely 10.6 a.m., made his acquaintance with the new Hastings, and received a gireat welcome