RANGIRIRI'S ROUGH ROAD.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 308, 29 December 1922, Page 3

RANGIRIRI'S ROUGH ROAD.

SOON DRIES UP AGAIN. HOW IT CAN BE AVOIDED. BY MOTORISTS GOING SOUTH. While it is quite true that the Rangiriri Hills get in a shocking state after a day's rain, it is equally true that a day's hot sun and wind will it this time , of the year dry the clay surface and; motor cars can then negotiate this weak j spot in the Auckland-Waikato road with comparative ease. Practically every garage in Auckland is empty this Christmas and New Year, and owners and families are scouring over the country in all directions. Reports about the state of the Rangiriri Hills road have been scaring amateur drivers off this loute, and some of them have been inquiring about railing their cars to Hamilton. There i is no need to do this however. Old hands know that an impassible clay road may be quite easily negotiated after a day's spell of December fine weather, | but some of the newer car owners are i apt to be misled by reports of other motorists' road troubles. Mr. G. W. Hutchison, the secretary of the Automobile Association has just been down Paeroa way, and he reports that there is no need'for anxiety, providing the weather keeps fine. The clay roads dried up very quickly after a day of real Bummer weather, and the conditions reported at Rangiriri would rapidly change. He believed the Rangiriri Hill.i were rough even when dry, and that was in epite of the work that has been done there. There is, however, a very nice run from Tuakau to Huntly through Glen Murray, and this route cuts out not only the Rangiriri Hills but the Razorback as well. Mr. Hutchison strongly advisee motorists going south to take this route. You cross the Waikato River at Tuakau, and then keep on until the Huntly bridge is reached. There is a bridge at, Rangiriri but he advices keeping on and not crossing the river until Huntly be reached. To show how quickly these roads dry up, Mr. Hutchison said that although it rained heavily on Wednesday night, the road was dry on Thursday when he passed over it, with the exception of one or two patches that could be easily negotiated. He met six cars on the road. None of them had the slightest difficulty and Mr. Hutchison did not once have to use chains. There was one hole that a car could get stuck in, but there was an easy way of avoiding it. On this road through Glen Murray there is only one hill that can be called steep and that is metalled, all the others being of an easy grade. From Pokeno Mr. Hutchison went by way of Maramarua to Paeroa, but he found it very rough in places and does not advise motorists to talce it. He says that even in dry weather it would be rough.