STEAMER MAORI RUNS EXCURSION,

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19268, 3 January 1931, Page 2

STEAMER MAORI RUNS EXCURSION,

takes PASSENGERS TO THE AKAROA HARBOUR

about 1050 passengers, the s.s. Maori berthed at the Akaroa wharf yesterday after a fair trip from Lyttelton. About half an hour had to be spent in manoeuvring the ship to a position alongside the wharf, the end of which shook ominously with the strain put on it by the .ship’s ropes. Nearly three hours of brilliant sunshine was enjoyed at Akaroa before the crowd was required to leave on th « return to Lyttelton. Though the tide was nearly at its height when the ship berthed at noon, there was only about a foot of water to spare under the stern while the Maori lay at the wharf. The vessel draws about 15ft, though near the bow there was some three feet between the keel and the sea bed. The ship was berthed stern first, as was also the case last year, when the vessel, coming m on a rising tide, scraped the bottom heavily. A Picturesque Scene.

The people of Akaroa, and the many holiday visitors, were more excited over the vessel’s arrival than were the excursionists. Seasickness on the part of a number of the latter may have accounted for this lack of interest in life, but except for a band which played vigorously in the bow of the vessel, and a display uf flag's from the bow and stern, there were no other signs that the passengers were excursionists. They left Lyttelton in fine and bright weather, but encountered a fog outside of the heads. This continued until the vessel reached Pompey’s Pillar, four or five miles outside the Akaroa Heads. From then on brilliant sunshine made the hills surrounding Akaroa look their best.

The Maori was the centre of a picturesque scene as she slowly steamed up the harbour. Motor launches and even outboard motor boats and rowing boats went out to meet her and to career round her bows like so many Pelorus Jacks. The vessel, on her second visit to Akaroa since before the war, turned to a dirty grey the stretch of water opposite the head of the wharf as she manoeuvred back and forth preparatory to berthing. Captain T. Bolling, superintendent for the Union Company at Lyttelton, came ashore in the launch which carried the end of the first of the ropes by which the ship was worked to the wharf. With all the excursionists crowded on to every vantage point on one side of the vessel, the Maori, stirring up more and more muddier water, was gradually brought alongside the creaking and complaining wharf, from which those persons on shore were warned off. Favoured by Tide. The excursion was favoured by the tide, which was at its full about 1 p.m. The vessel left again shortly before three o'clock, the excursionists in the meantime enjoying the opportunities for sun-bathing or the coolness of the many bushy walks near the town. The Maori made on New Year's Day of 1930, her first excursion trip to Akaroa since before the war. Shethen carried about 1200 passengers, and it is probable that that total would have been exceeded this year had the excursion been run on New Year’s Day. As it was, the total fell only about 150 short of last year’s crowd. It was originally intended by the Akaroa Regatta Committee to hold ‘ the rowing events yesterday, in order to take advantage of the fact that the Maori would then be at Lyttelton, and available for a sea excursion. The Wahine has too deep a draught to make berthing at Akaroa safe. However, the Regatta Committee, after some correspondence with the Union Company, changed the date of the regatta back to its usual time on New Year’s Day. Both days were-favoured with brilliant sunshine.