No Need To Be Dell

At Nadi, Fiji

The area around Nadi International Airport in Fiji is fast developing as a tourist resort in its own right—thus justifying all those people who don’t live in the capital and who have been saying for years—Suva isn’t all of Fiji.

RECENTLY the Mocambo Hotel, near the airport at Nadi, ppointed a tour hostess, Miss everley Watson, who has her office i the foyer of the hotel. Most of ie following information comes om a brochure issued to hotel nests by Miss Watson, but the tours id cruises listed are available, of )urse, to guests at other hotels in ic area—Skylodge, on the boundary f the airport, and the Nadi, in Nadi >wn.

Both the Mocambo and Skylodge ive swimming pools and putting eens and guest privileges are tended from local golf and tennis übs to people staying at local itels. Horses may be hired for )/- per half day, 15/- per full day, ' hotel guests; and bicycles at 10/day.

Tours

Daily Coastal Tour:

eparts from hotels each morning id afternoon at approx. 9.30 a.m. id 2.30 p.m. Includes a scenic ive via Nadi Township, Bay area ewing golf and tennis clubs, etc., ist native villages and Indian ttlements, beaches, etc., and around mtoka Town and environs. Dura m approx. 2 hours. £l/10/- per rson for 3 or more; Minimum £4.

Fijian Childrens’ Enter

\INMENT TOUR: Includes a enic drive to and from a Fijian istrict School, overlooking Veseisei llage, where a 40 minute pro amme of Traditional Fijian Dances,

songs, etc., are performed by the village school children, dressed in their native costumes. Tours depart each Wednesday at 2.30 p.m. Dura tion 2 hours approx. £l/10/- per person.

Nausori Highlands Tour:

Includes a drive to the mountain plateau, visit to a small timber mill, view of Fijian village, etc., and con tinues on into forest. Duration approx. 3 hours. These tours are arranged as requested, at a charge of £5/10/-.

Saweni Beach Tour: This

beach is a few miles on the Nadi side of Lautoka and for best swim ming conditions should be visited when the tide is high. The tour includes transport to and from the beach and adequate time for swim ming. Tours are arranged as re quested at a charge of £3.

Sugar Mill Tour: These

tours are available each morning and afternoon, Monday to Friday. They include a scenic drive to and from the Lautoka mill, which is on the outskirts of that town, and an escorted tour of the mill, the largest in Fiji.

Time taken is approx. 2i hours and charge is £3/10/-.

Cruises

Lautoka Coral Garden

CRUISES: These operate from Lautoka Wharf each morning and afternoon at 9.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. Duration of cruise is 3 hours at a cost of £l/15/- per person, in cluding afternoon and morning refreshments. Charge does not in clude transport to and from the wharf; taxi fare from Nadi hotels and return is £3 per vehicle of five passengers. Full day cruises with barbecue luncheon, swimming and skin-diving can also be arranged at £3 per person.

Gig! Reef Cruises: These

operate from Nadi Bay (Newtown wharf), departing at 8,30 a.m. Morn ing tea is provided during the 2J hour cruise. Rates vary according to number of people carried (maximum of six) from <£s for one person, £2/10/- each for two; £2/5/- each for three.

Stardust Cruises: Depart

Lautoka wharf every Sunday and Wednesday at 9.30 a.m. for a 3-day cruise to the Mamanuca Group, re turning to Lautoka at 5.30 p.m. each Tuesday and Friday, A 50% deposit is required for confirmed reservations.

Cancellation charge of 50% also charged for late cancellations. Trans fers to wharf and return included in fares which are £24 to £4O per per son per cruise, according to accom modation.

Blue Lagoon Cruises; De

part Lautoka wharf every Monday for a 4-day cruise to the islands of the Yasawa Group, including the “Blue Lagoon” Caves, etc. Fares: £4O per person. Available at certain week ends are cruises of 2 days’ duration.

Miscellaneous Information

Fiji’S Free Passenger

TRAIN: Departs Lautoka Sugar Mill noon Tuesday and Friday mornings at 7 a.m., travelling to Nadi and onwards. Approximate time of arrival at junction near Nadi airport, 9.15 a.m. The train does not return until the following day, en route to Lautoka Mill and calls at the Nadi airport junction at approximately 2 p.m. This is a recommended tour for those interested in a novel and interesting train ride. Taxi Fares: Re turn to hotels from Nadi—B/- per vehicle, Return to hotels from Lau toka Mill £l/10/- per vehicle.

Vehicle accommodates five persons.

BUSES: Local buses operate on the half-hour, every half hour from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in both the Nadi town and Lautoka directions. Three buses run daily to Suva.

The "Pacific Islands Monthly" is a member of the Australian National Travel Association (ANTA) and the Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA), which are pledged to promote tourist travel in their areas

Seeing New Zealand In Rose Time THE New Zealand Government Tourist Bureau in conjunction with the NZ Rose Society is arrang ing a special Garden and Sightseeing Package Tour of NZ in October- November.

Customers have a choice of pro ceeding from Melbourne or Sydney, by the vessel Fair sky (ex Melbourne October 27; ex Sydney October 29) and returning by air from Christ church on November 28; or flying both ways, leaving Sydney on Novem ber 2 and returning from Christchurch on November 28.

Inclusive cost of the tour in (Aus tralian currency) is Melbourne- Melbourne, sea-air, £320/4/-; by air both ways, £328/10/-; Sydney- Sydney, sea-air, £3ll/3/-; air both ways, £315/2/-.

Travel within New Zealand is in coaches, the Cook Strait crossing is by steamer, and hotels are best avail able. Places visited are Auckland, Rotorua, thermal and Maori regions, Waitomo Caves, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Milford Sound. Queenstown, Mt.

Cook.

There is an extended stop over of three days in Wellington to enable

those interested to attend the NZ National Rose Convention which will be held between November 12 and 17. Distinguished guest at the con vention will be Mr. Sam McGredy, world renowned rose breeder from Northern Ireland.

Cruises in the

Aegean Sea

THE isles of Greece that have moved poets to lyrics since the beginning of civilised time may now be visited by busy people in cruises as short as two days.

The Typaldos Line of Athens is currently operating two ships—the modernised Rodos of close to 8,000 tons (she started life as a US war ship), or the slightly smaller Kriti.

Rodos has accommodation for 210 one-class passengers in two and four berth cabins—all the two berth cabins having bath and toilet or shower and toilet. Public rooms include verandah bar, ballroom with bar, dining room, etc. There is a Lido deck with swimming pool and the whole ship is air-conditioned.

The week-end, two-day cruises are, of necessity, confined to the islands closer to Athens and are taken at a pretty fast clip. The ship leaves Piraeus at 2 p.m. Satur

days for Hydra, one of the most accessible and therefore one of the most commercialised of the Aegean Islands; passengers have a few hours ashore that night, before sailing for Delos where a pre-breakfast arrival is made. Two hours ashore is allowed on the island before cruis ing on to neighbouring Mykonos— and another two hours ashore.

Sunday’s last island is Santorini and after sailing all night Rodos is back at Piraeus in time to disembark pas sengers after breakfast.

This vessel also undertakes a five day cruise from Piraeus, Monday to Saturday morning, calling at Crete, Rhodes, Halicarnassus, Kos, Patmos, Delos, Mykonos and Syros. Tourists with the time to spare can combine the two cruises by staying ashore at Mykonos for two days.

The cost of the cruises can be amazingly reasonable. The week end cruise is from the equivalent of £Stg.6/l/5 per person in 4-berth cabin, to £Stg.l2/2/10 in a two-berth cabin. Two luxury suites are also available at £Stg.4B/18/8 per person.

Five-day cruises range from £Stg.l7/17/2 in 4-berth cabin to £35 for 2-berth. (Suites £Stg.l4s).

The seven-day combination is from £27/2/10 to £52/2/11. (Suites £Stg.2o3). This includes hotel ac commodation and meals during the two days at Mykonos.

The 7,600-ton Kriti operates five day and seven-day cruises. Calls are made at Troy, Bosphorous, Istanbul, Pergamum, Panayia Kapula,, Patmos, Rhodes, Crete and Santorini.

Auckland, one of the places included in the NZ Rose Society's Garden and Sight seeing Package Tour.