Shipboard life on the Ruahine

Shipboard life on the Ruahine

The route from Europe to New Zealand passed through the tropics, and complaints of the suffocating heat and oppressive sun were common in shipboard diaries. With the advent of steam and then motor vessels, the passage through the tropics was made much more bearable with swimming pools on deck. This poster for the MV Ruahine, built in 1951, shows a pool among the range of facilities designed for the comfort of passengers.