ROTORUA CARNIVAL

Wanganui Chronicle, 7 January 1947, Page 7

ROTORUA CARNIVAL

SUCCESSFUL CELEBRATIONS Rotorua. Jan. 4. The annual New Year’s Eve carnival, favoured by excellent weather, proved a most successful function, and in many respects is considered to have surpassed pre-war standards. Organised by the Thirty Thousand Club, whose object is to provide amenities and attractions for Rotorua, it drew larger crowds than ever beforb. The procession of decorated floats, motor-cars, and children's bicycles, tricycles and prams, was a particularly pleasing spectacle. Shown first in the afternoon, it was repeated in the evening, the terminus in each case being the Town Hall. Funds for the decorations were provided by the advancement committee of the Rotorua Borough Council, which has power to levy a special rate of up to £lOOO for purposes of the advancement of the borough by such means as carnivals and advertisement. In the evening, which wa s mild and warm, a large crowd gathered at the lake front, where from 9 o’clock until 11 they were entcieained by a Maori concert parly. Afterwards music was provided by the Rotorua Pipe Band. Shortly before midnight a Maop hangi, in which food had been cooked in the traditional fashion, was opened and feasting took place. The approach of the midnight hour was heralded by the explosion of shells and rockets. A large bonfire was lit by some unauthorised person before the appointed time, but it made a fine blaze, which lasted well into the new year. It was a tribute to the success of the whole organisation that even after midnight many people chose to linger on by the lakeside for a considerable time.