Pacific

The

Tahiti Is Costly

But Popular

ALTHOUGH residents of Tahiti are not at all sure that they want a tourist industry —see elsewhere in this issue—there is no doubt at all that tourists (especially American tourists) want Tahiti. The situation is therefore rapidly de veloping where demand by tourists is rapidly exceeding Tahiti’s capacity to deliver the goods.

It is essential therefore, to book well in advance.

Getting There By Sea: The

Matson Line vessels Monterey and Mariposa call at Papeete south bound from the American west coast to Australasia at about four weekly intervals.

Shaw Savill Line’s Southern Cross calls four times a year at Papeete— twice going to Australia, and twice going from Australia to UK.

Three vessels of the Messageries Maritimes, Tahitien, Caledonien, and Melanesien sail from Marseilles through the Panama to Papeete, Noumea (New Caledonia) Vila (New Hebrides) Sydney and return to Marseilles by the same route.

The two vessels of Pacific Islands Transport Line, Thor I and Thorsisle call at Papeete southbound only from US west coast ports on a route that includes most of the South Pacific Islands.

The two large Royal Dutch Mail vessels, Oranje and Johan van Oldenbarnevelt , make regular calls at Papeete northbound only, be tween Australasia and North Euro pean ports via Panama.

The Italian Sitmar Line vessels

Fairsea, Castel Felice and Fairsky make several irregular calls per year at Papeete between Australia and Southern European ports via Panama. (The addresses of all the above shipping lines can be found in the Shipping Timetable section. Inquire direct for fares which vary con siderably.

Getting There By Air: At

present three companies operate into Faaa—Papeete’s airport: Transports Aeriens Intercon tinentaux which operates a service with DC7 aircraft from Noumea, New Caledonia, to Papeete and then on to San Francisco via Honolulu, and returns on same route. This service connects at Noumea with TAl’s DCS jet airservice via Syd ney and Middle East to Paris.

Tasman Empire Airways Ltd., which operates services from Auck land, NZ, to Papeete via Nadi, Fiji, and Cook Islands, with DC6 aircraft (they will shortly be using Electras).

South Pacific Airlines Ltd. which operates services between Honolulu and Papeete with Super Constella tion aircraft.

Air Fares: Syd n e y-Papeete £A326/5/- first class return from Auckland, £NZ2O6 first class return; from San Francisco $1,022.40, first class return; $754.20 economy class return.

At present Papeete’s Faaa airport is not up to jet standard but this will be rectified by May this year and by July it is expected that three jet services per week, capable between them of landing 1,000 passengers there, will be in use.

Entry Requirements: A

passport, with tourist visa issued by a French Consul. (Tourists arriv ing by air from a place where there is no French Consul can obtain a visa on arrival in Papeete if the rest of their affairs are in order— see below); A return ticket or a repatriation

guarantee—the latter in the foi of a cash deposit sufficient to e

sure repatriation;

A confirmed hotel reservation this is a must as Consuls will refi to issue visas unless tourist c prove he has some place to sta and

A smallpox vaccination certifica

More Hotels Soon

It is estimated that by the tii those three jet planes are runnii there will be 450 double hotel rooi or bungalows available and abo 80 private bungalows for rent the month.

There is a great deal of new ho building going on in Tahiti but of end of February the situati was as follows:

First Category

Hotel Tahiti, with 18 de luxe bungal suites of living room, dressing rot bedroom and bathroom, fitted w refrigerator and the latest Amerit fixtures. There is a bar and snack-1 at this hotel, with restaurant aim complete and 22 rooms each with bi and balcony scheduled to be finished July. Present tariff is $18.50, 1,660 P fcs., or £AB per day, without mei single tenancy: or $20.50, 1,775 Pac. i or £A9 per day double tenancy.

Hotel Faratea, about 40 miles east Papeete. This has 12 Polynesian st bungalows, with bathroom, and Indus of meals tariff is approximately $23 £AIO/10/- single and $34 or £AIS/1 double per day.

Hotel Aimeo, on the island of Mooi about 12 miles by small passenger s] from Papeete, has half a dozen bungalc available and prices charged are ah the same as for Hotel Faratea.

By July this year there will be a deli hotel at Bora Bora, with tariff, includ meals, from $27 or £AI2 per day ] person and up.

Second Category Hotels

Hotel les Tropiques: Accommodati here varies from the very old bungalo at about $7 or £A3 per day the three new bungalows suites wh are very good and cost around $l3 or £6/10/- per day. (Meals not include The Grand Hotel, right in Papee where the tariff goes up to 800 Pac. f< per double room, without meals.

The new Tiki Tabu bungalow ho( which has no restaurant; the sm bungalows rent from about $5.75 £ A2/10/- per day to $7.75 or £A3/1( for double tenancy.

Further out (6 miles) the 32 Polynesi style bungalows of the laorana VI Hotel rent from approximately $9 £A4 to $13.50 or £A6 per day. Th« are also some double rooms that slightly cheaper. This hotel has a t and a restaurant.

Other Accommodation

Other types of accommodation are t Bel Air bungalows, about 5 miles out Papeete, which have kitchens as well the other fixings and rent for about $] or £A44 for two people per week (larg bungalow that sleeps four, £AS6 p week).

The Lotus Village (6 miles out), wh( the bungalows include kitchenettes, about $l3 or £AS/10/- f and up, per di Bill Stone’s cottages, near Taao Beach where you can pay from $63

18 per week up to about twice that ich. depending on the cottage.

Juesnot’s, where the bungalows also re kitchens and the charges are about 50 or £ A3/15/- per day.

There are a number of Tahitian inns the country districts—which are just at the name implies; and about 65 el rooms which are unclassified be ise they lack some or all of the al tourist amenities.

Before we leave the subject of tels, we can perhaps be permitted interpolate here that all Tahiti tels, etc., seem to be run on the staken notion that people always vel in pairs and that those pairs to. sleep in the same room. In i best hotels, therefore, while i couple who share will be irged the equivalent of £A9; the iple who won’t will pay £AI6 be jen them. It seems a very big dif ence.

Zac Day—War Graves

Jr Of P-Ng

NSETT-ANA have arranged a nine-days tour of Papua-New Guinea to take in the annual zac memorial service at Bomana r Cemetery, near Port Moresby, 1 a subsequent visit to the War netery at Lae. )ther points of interest around se two towns are also on the lerary. Visits to Koki market, in t Moresby, and a full-day tour the Sogeri rubber-growing area lind Port Moresby and up to the inning of the Kokoda Trail are t of the tour. And from Lae ts are made by road to Bulolo I Wau, with all the usual breaks inspect cocoa and coffee plant >ns, the plywood-mill at Bulolo I gold sluicing at Wau. he tour leaves Sydney (or Bris ie) on the night of April 21 and irn commences from Lae on the owing Saturday morning, leav seven full days in the Terri 7. Accomodation, cost of which is uded in the tour, is arranged at els in Port Moresby, Lae and 010. s Anzac Day (April 25) this year s on a Tuesday, four days are at in the Port Moresby area and remainder of the time in the *obe District. Arrangements are le for members of the tour to aid the Dawn Service at Bomana Anzac Day and they will then free later in the morning to at i the Anzac march and the mid ning service at the War norial which is right in Port ■esby. he inclusive cost of the tour, i tourist-class air travel, is £l3l n Brisbane and £143 from Syd . With first-class air travel the usive cost is £153/1/- from Syd ; £l4l from Brisbane, itending travellers might do well lote that “tourist and first-class’ el as it relates to both airlines ;he Sydney-Lae route is domestic •ist and first-class, and not in lational.

A baggage allowance of 44 lbs is allowed for first-class travellers and an allowance of 35 lbs for tourist The accommodation for tourist class passengers on these planes is re stricted as most travellers to and from P-NG travel first-class (the smaller baggage allowance being one reason for this).

The seating in the small tourist section is three one side of the aisle and two on the other and as the forward journey is made between 9.45 p.m. and 6 o’clock the next morning, elderly tourists (as war graves’ visitors might well be), and those who like leg room, would be well advised to spend extra on a first-class ticket.

Ansett-ANA will have, as well as this special Anzac tour, three longer P-NG tours later in the year. These are of 15 days duration —i.e., 13 full days in the Territory—and include visits to Madang and Goroka (New Guinea Highlands) in the itinerary.

These leave Sydney on June 9, July 28 and September 8. Cost from Sydney is approximately £AI96 tourist class.