Pacific Islands
p. 14 · Read in the full issue
Two Companies
Provide—
Air Cruises to Pacific Islands
BOTH Ansett Airways Pty., Ltd. and Sir Gordon Taylor have arranged imposing schedules of air cruises of the south-Pacific dur ing the coming tourist season.
Using his Frigate Bird 111 Ber muda flying boat, which has com fortable accommodation and a roomy lounge-bar, Sir Gordon will com mence his programme with two cruises along the route he used for cruises in 1955. Each cruise will last 15 days, departing from Sydney on March 17 and April 10. Only about 35 hours will be spent in the air, although during that time approximately 5,000 miles are travelled. The itinerary, including stops at Nouvata Lodges, Anse Vata beach, Noumea, Beachcomber Hotel, Deumba, or Korolevu, Fiji, and at Vanua M’balavu (Exploring Isles), Lau Group, Fiji Local tours will be arranged as part of the “Cruise bird” service. All inclusive fare for the trip is £A295.
Other cruises which will be con ducted by Sir Gordon Taylor are: A 22-day trip to New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, Aitutaki, Tahiti, leaving Sydney May 12 and September 1, all inclusive fare £A476; a 15-day trip to New Caledonia, Fiji, Exploring Isles, leaving Sydney June 16 and August 14, all inclusive fare, £A295; and a 9day trip to Sydney-New Caledonia
on July 14 and October 13, all in clusive fare £AI72.
HIGHLIGHT of Ansett Airways’ programmes is a 12-days Papua- New Guinea “War Graves” cruise, from Sydney to Port Moresby, Rabaul and Samarai, timed to co incide with Anzac Day services in Port Moresby. This tour includes an Anzac Dawn Ceremony at Bomana War Cemetery (Moresby) on April 25, returning later to the RSL Club for “gunfire breakfast” of rum, coffee and hamburgers.
Later in the day there will be a march-past of ex-servicemen, in cluding natives, units of the Pacific Islands Regiment, Papuan and New Guinea Volunteer Reserve and the Royal Papuan-New Guinea Con
stabulary, to the accompanimerr the army and police bands. TI will also be a service at Memorial Gates, Port Mon which will be attended by the ; ministrator, Brigadier D. M. Clelj In addition to visiting or ffl over historic battlegrounds of W War 11, inspections of other tourist attractions are includes the itinerary.
The Australian RSS and A has been advised of the cruise i the initial response has been gi flying. The American United I News Service is publicising cruise in the US and a correspond might also cover the trip, inclusive cost of the tour is £A/ Ansett will run two other IslL tours this year: A 12-days trii- Noumea, Suva, Auckland, leas Sydney on June 11, all inclusivea £A23O; a 21-days trip to Noul Suva, Samoa, Aitutaki, Tahiti; July 16, cost from Sydney, £A Local tours to tourist attracc are arranged as part of the A]i service.
Sandringham flying-boats, tourist accommodation for 30, ae spacious lounge-bar, will be ul Captain Middlemiss, Flight- 1 tain of Ansett Airways flying division, told a representative PIM that his company would! to make Pacific cruises off-1 beaten-track, but that the lao good accommodation prevented i However, he suggested that a ; tion to this problem could posai be found if residents on some o;c out-of-the-way islands were wi\ to make accommodation avaiij and could arrange some types entertainment for tourists.
Captain Middlemiss spent n flying hours over the South Pa c in Catalina flying-boats dvf World War 11, and he will protf( take personal charge of most o:c flights. fl Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Gillard passengers to Rabaul on the Jam Soochow.
Keen interest is[?] shown in the possibilities of Caledonia. Res visitors to Noumess[?] Mr. D. Ragg, of V[?] Tourist Agencies [?] tralasia, and Matheson, As[?] Traffic Controller[?] TEAL. After contr [?] with Mr. Jean local agent and fit[?] of the new Pacific Tours, thes[?] gentlemen returmr[?] New Zealand bye TEAL DC6 which bid [?] 55 New Cale [?] tourists back fr[?] 15 days' tour [?] Photo shows, [?] right, Messrs: Matt [?] Ragg and Brock. —F. E. Dunn