Rarotonga Missed

“Maunganui’s” Tourists Could Not Land

From Our Own Correspondent.

Rarotonga, Aug. 13.

r T*HE keenest disappointment felt for some considerable time was experi enced on August 7 when the Union Co.’s liner Maunganui, carrying 250 tourists, was unable to land her passengers here.

Extensive preparations had been made, both by Europeans and natives, for the reception of the visitors, who were ex pected—since Rarotonga was their first port of call —to spend freely. A fleet of cars had been arranged to transport them to Muri Sports Ground where a pro gramme of Polynesian dancing had been mapped out.

The day was unquestionably one of the best. A light beeze, insufficient to extin guish a match lit on the wharf, blew gently, while the reef passage at Avarua was in such a condition that the occu pants of one-man fishing canoes experi enced no difficulty in navigating it.

Anticipating bumper business, the waterfront was lined with the small stalls of native curio vendors long before the vessel—running late —hove in sight. To the amazement of all on shore she con tinued steaming in circles beyond the anchorage long after the local authorities had boarded her. At 1 p.m. she was still maintaining these inexplicable manoeuv res.

A number of prominent N.Z. business men with interests here being on board, several branch managers went out to the ship. On their approach, the gangway was hastily raised and such satisfaction as they managed to get was by way of lung-power, gesticulation, and pantomime.

Later, a barge containing the Muri dan cers also went out, but received a similar reception.

Round about 2 p.m. the vessel steamed off for Tahiti, and the same afternoon a radio message was received from Captain Morgan expressing regret at his inability to land the passengers.

The regret was mutual.

Interviewed later, the local manager for the Union Co. said that in Captain Morgan’s opinion it was inadvisable to disembark the tourists, the majority of whom were elderly people and might sus tain injuries whilst entering the boats.

To have permitted younger members to land would have been unfair to the others, he contended.

Rarotonga residents, whilst unwilling to criticise hastily the action of a man whose decision in such matters must al ways be final, nevertheless cannot help reflecting that were they dependent on better weather conditions for their regu lar monthly mail and fruit service, it is unlikely that more than one or two ship ments or landings would be effected annually.