[?] Oniara Turns

It On For

Tourists

From Gabrielle Lawson in Honiara th three tourist ships in years, it is not quite true y that the BSIP is yet on lap as a tourist centre. But beginning to look that way, / the end of July, two ship of “happy wanderers” will set foot on the shores of alcanal this year. first lot of 1,300 or so arrived Honiara on May 15 in the i. Preparations had been made hand to make the day’s stay ! tourists a profitable one all local branch of the Girl > Association, desperately in •f funds to complete a new hut, stalls in the wharf area for e of island crafts, Buka baskets, tese fans, mats, spears, coconut ats, shells and walking sticks, eir main attraction was organ ght-seeing tours. ke other places, Honiara has t of taxis to provide transport, /ate cars with drivers were gen ' offered by the locals to the juides and lined up ready to i the tourists at £1 a head for ir’s drive. arrangement proved popular the visitors. Some of them in on private homes and were hat astonished to find all mod. herein.

Huge Crowd

Honiara does not yet have a ater berth, the tourists came by ship’s launch. They landed strains of the local Police Band lourful uniforms, and were at the wharf by a huge crowd, Solomon Islanders in dirty and decorative hats.

British Solomons Trading Co. s agents for the ship, arranged ramme of entertainment. This Id at the Mendana Hotel and uadalcanal Club, with music :d by the Simbo Bamboo Band he Guadalcanal Pipe Band, bands are quite original and opular. :ers in grass skirts from the

island of Ysabel performed to the thumping of bamboos.

Pupils from Saint Joseph’s School at Tenaru took part in a Savo dance.

This time the bamboos were struck together.

The Western women also did their bit in skirts made of coloured streamers.

All this was lapped up by the tourists, many of whom were heard to say that Honiara was a lovely place—so unspoiled!

Other comments were that the people here were so friendly, not like the New Guinea natives who were too sophisticated.

A prominent notice displayed out side the Trading Company saying “Duty-Free Goods Sold Here” put Honiara almost on a par with other places as a haven for duty-free luxury goods.

The array of Mikimoto pearls caused even the locals to gaze long ingly through the glass windows. Also for sale were the usual cameras, bino culars and transistor radios.

As Honiara was the last stop for the tourists before Sydney, most of them felt they were old hands at the barter game when Solomon Islanders offered them beautifully carved walking sticks inlaid with pearl shell. Prices soared up and down like a bird in flight The Solomons have much to of fer cruise tourists. But travellers wishing to stay awhile to see more than a small part of Guadalcanal’s coast are hampered by lack of ac commodation.

Mendana Avenue, Honiara.