AUCKLAND TO NAPIER.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 184, 6 August 1925, Page 10 (Supplement)

AUCKLAND TO NAPIER.

VIA HArVULTON-WAIRAKEI. MOST GLORIOUS OF TRIPS. INTERESTING ALL THE WAY. Until quite recently, if a person had said that it was possible to reach Napier from Auckland, via Hamilton, in seventeen hours and a-half. or under, actual travelling time, together with a good night's rest given in, it is quite possible to imagine the greater majority of people saying, " It can't be done." It is being accomplished, however, and as time goes on there are indications oj

J the scheme being marked up to a higher Z state of efficiency. a] It is quite reasonable to suppose that •Jp people who, " under ordinary circum- ££! stances, would,. travel by the Main 2& Trunk expressman all-night journey— X between Napier and Auckland, and vice eg* versa, would much prefer to do the trip % in practically the same time, with the fjfc benefits of a to fourteen"hdurs' j£ rest thrown : In. There are addeft of attractions, however, such as all dayj*s light travelling, and views of the most * J magnificent grandeur, which are not a M eclipsed in any other part of the world. ■ s l>y taking the new route people would B J have a splendid opportunity of seeing ■ a the beauties of. Hamilton and its sur- * ■ rounding country, as well as the greater £ x part of the South Auckland Province, pc practically without any loss of time' gT whatever. So far the sight-seeing EX travelling public—business people, too, FS for that matter—do not know of the NO advantages which, are to be gained. The yjte. trip saves at least a day and a-half _L ' than by going round the old rctito via &J ilotorua and Taupo. n Then again.-jif .the traveller does not ~f .-.ir'i to go right through in the .few--1? hours it takes, a stop-over can be made :i route, and jc peep at what is described C* us tlie finest thermal region iv the n world, as well.as unsurpassed views, can " be obtained with the greatest of ease 6T and comfort. A description of the EL writer's first trip, and what is to be seen n on the road to wonderful Wairakei, Lake jT i'a'ifo district, and on to Napier, will, r \\ is hoped, ue of information and benefit §■ to others. ; B" Seme Interesting Comparisons, a" From Auckland to Napier by rail is Qm ■ : ->l miles, and with one change at n i'alrcerston North it takes practically ? 23 continuous, hours to do the journey. B" The distance between the two points by B- way of Hamilton is .110 miles—or 141 g_ miles less —and the trip can be accomn. plished in 31 hours, with a spell of [T about 14 hours -.amidst beautiful surB" roundings, and with excellent accommofj" dation at either Wairakei or Taupo CL thrown in. From Hamilton the dis--6 lance to Napier is 2ld miles, the actual travelling time 1 ' being 12 hours, or together with the 14 hours' rest, 2C ~ hours. A comparison between the times of departure from Auckland, and (1 arrival at Napier by the two routes makes interesting reading. *S The Main Trunk express leaves AuckR land at 7.10 p.UK on one day, and the f» passenger arrives at Napier at 5.1 p.m. S the next. Travelling by way of Hamuli ton the traveller leaves that place at (X 9 a.m. in the morning, and he is sitting down to dinner • near the source of the > Waikato, after having had a lovely swim Ik in a natural hot swimming bath, at C r« p.m. After breakfast next morning— S not too early either —departure is taken >» for the East Coast seaside resort, where arrival is made at 4 p.m. the same day, {V "lops having been made at Taupo and k* Tarn-.vera en route. S If it were -not for the gloriously scenery and the interest which is sns- | hy tamed all tlu> while. Ihcrc would be no jjjl further need to amplify the Aucklandj UaniiltoilW airakei-Taupo-Xapier route. jr. After Leaving Hamilton. 1 ft , Fr T Allckland to Hamilton has been i.Cscnbed elsewhere in tins issue. Also ?§>| he trip f rom the latu , r , * Horahora tnm-otf. The route taken to m ~', lS the f ame "P t0 that point. X, ; '•' kct, ' ,in - •traißht on. tf\ .- i..kc, where the road travels CMjue Vaikaiu River to Horahora ST. elec ric ,-ower station, and thence X "" l " tno Arapuni dam and electrical construction works. Here a stop i s rW made whilst tourists, and others, inspect the works and the beauties of the river *J scenery. Then on to Putaruru, which by the way. has transformed itself into a substantial business centre. Soon *\f Litchfield, live' miles distant, is passed The old site of'the original township in f\rf 'hoo part of the country is quickly left behind, and .cpencs become more and more rugged. Following the TaupoiX Totara Timber; Co. 's private line the big touring cars" make good headway. JL Sixteen miles out the township sections at Tokoroa a,«d: : cheese factory are passed.' Here an excellent view of the iirwinriding country is to be obtained. ?\j What ehsnr'csVh&v-e taken place during

I recent, years. The whole- landscape is ■ I hardly recognisable- since si_ years age. jon account of the large amount (.•: I country which has been broken in. On to Atiamuri Rapids. i On and ever on the car sweeps, leav- , j ing the miles behind. Up hill and down l dale the road winds, it being interesting I all the time. Many are the delighted expressions of approval of the journey, especially from overseas visitors. The road is good, especially tho new devia- ! tion. Bad weather does not affect it j 1 greatly. It is easily negotiable with ; , chains even in the worst of conditions. I Soon the turn-off to the old route from j Taupo to Rotorua is passed, the car speeding on towards Atiamuri Rapids, j c Presently the top of a most peculiarly j >" shaped hill comes into view on the j ' right. It is the solitary mount called | 1 Powhateroa. It looks like a huge giant's % j tooth, aad appears to be just as for-:

bidding. It is tapu. or sacred, and has been used f s a Maori burying ground. How they got the bones up to the top is a marvel. Soon the rumble of the famous Atiamuri Rapids is heard. Then, in a r flash, their gurgling, tumbling, frothy, white and green trout-filled waterways burst :_tp ..view. They are a leaping mass of little cascades in the old Waikato River. They have not the grandeur of the Aratiatia Rapids, higher up at Wairakei, still they are very lovely, very beautiful. A cheery welcome is awaiting the travellers in the quaint old accommodation house, set back amidst picturesque surroundings, in the pines on the banks past which, the old Waikato flows.

A few minutes later and off the car goes with the kindly wishes and goodbyes from the Atiamuri folk. On Top of the World. Up and yet up that high-powered car leaps as if it, too, is enjoying the glories of the unsurpassed views of great mountains, wooded valleys, hill and dale. You seem to be going up to the top of the world. Stretching away for miles and miles. ::orth, south, east and west in the bluey-hazy distances, mountains seem to be tumbling over one another. No pen could ever do that trip justice. Really it has to be seen. And

even then the mind can hardly take in all that great vastness at once. With the eyes, however, it is different. Long, long afterwards, when you are far, far away, little scenes of magnificence, likened to a travel film at a picture theatre, come up in the mind. It is something which is forever imprinted in the memory —a something you feel you would like to be able to tell others about so that they, too, could enjoy the amazing beauty of it all. But you cannot. It is all so vast, so magnificent, so far beyond the range of description. Arrival at "Wairakei. Inthe midst of all this bewilderment at nature's handiwork a flock of snowywhite sheep is passed. One of the travellers from London exclaims, "Well, I'm " He is immediately brought down to earth again by the sweet, low laughter of a woman's voice. Immediately he apologises. But it seemed

unnecessary under the circumstances. He, like several others in the car, was spellbound. We- are v nearing "Wairakei the Wonderful/ Bowling merrily along, suddenly the horn screeched out time and time again. With a wide sweeping turn the car sped gracefully and noiselessiy along the pretty drive up to the main entrance •of an hotel at . Wairakei The first stage of the journey from Auckland via Hamilton to Napier, was finished. Quite an interested crowd of tourists and guests had assembled around the vestibule. All were chatting away and asking questions about the trip. Mine hostess was at hand, and after a ehecry greeting the first words were: "Now you

must be starving; you'll find something to eat —and drink—in the dining-room." That was a most welcome invitation. There was time, to make one or two hurried visits in this particular part of New Zealand's Wonderland—the land where geysers are for ever playing. A run out to the glorious Aratiatia rapids, where huge volumes of frothy-white, swirling waters of the Waikato River come tumbling pell-mell over precipices and through chasms of rock, is never forgotten. It is here on occasions where trout are to be observed leaping up the surging waters to the spawning grounds up stream.