MOTORING IN THE NORTH.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 184, 6 August 1925, Page 16 (Supplement)

MOTORING IN THE NORTH.

1 NO LONGER ROADLESS. " BRIDGING THE GAPS. " "STORK FOR THE HIGHWAYS BOARD. ■ ■ - While the march of the motor, -whether " for business or pleasure, in the Xorth has i perhaps not been so rapid as in other " parts of tho Dominion, owing to scattered ■. population, it can truly be said that a within the last few years its "general " adoption is marked to a degree, not only " in the townships, but equally so in 2 farming areas. With the realisation that ■ fast transit had come to stay, arose I a demand for roads of durable surface, Z and while there is still a lot to be done, ■ vast strides have been made in improving means of communication, and the stage 5 has now arrived when all the year round jj motoring is within reasonable distance f of accomplishment. With this is- bound — to come a large tourist traffic, because V the "Xorth" has much to show, and so _ many attractions to the motorist, apart ▼ from the ideal climate, which led to the . creation of another term, the ''Winterless * Xorth." The problem of roading has » been a big one, and most of the roads have ™ been made out of loans, as rates collected m were only sufficient to go towards maintenance. With the inauguration of the Highways Board, much improvement is . looked forward to in the near future. Gaps in the MetaL * While there are hundreeds of miles of metalled roads in the Xorth, these are _ not continuous, and the formation k and metalling of these gaps will make a wonderful advance. For instance, there are two , separate routes from .Whangarei to the far Xorth, but a few miles-on each . present difficulties of negotoation during ™ the winter or rainy periods, But in v each case authorisation for the expendi- ™ turo of large amounts to put the roads k. in order has been given, and the end of the coming summer should see many of the difficulties that at present confront pV. the long distance motorist disappear. ~r Only about twenty miles on the Whalj ngarei-Kawakawa road need . attention, T" and on this we have it that the Main T Highways Board intend to expend £ IG,OOO m on a very liberal subsidy basis. About 1 the same distance remains unmetalled

on the Mangakahia route through from Whangarei to Kaikohe. From the latter place good metalled roads radiate. The work of completion of the metalling through the Maungakahia Gorge was suspended during the winter months, but.from Kaikohe . south the work has gone on continuously, and it is confidently hoped "that next winter through travelling will- not be interrupted. Fur-, ther north the Marigamuku is being metalled, will considerably shorten the route to the Far Xorth. Equally important works are simultaneously being carried out south of Whangarei. The construction of a firstclass road from Waipu to Oakleigh, the present metalled terminus, is being rapidly pushed on, several teams being engaged on this work at different locations. This road is being-constructed by the Public Works Department and will serve Waipu and connect with the railway system in lieu of a branch railway. Sufficient indication is thus given that the time -will not be long before it will be possible to undertake a motor trip from Auckland to Kaitaia at any period of the year. Of course, this is possible now during the summer months, but the elimination of the rough clay portions affected by rain will be appreciated. Early Days of the Motor. A comparison of the early days of the motoring industry in Xorth Auckland with to-day is interesting. In 1908 at Whangarei there were only three private motor cars, one -'owned by the late Mr. Sam McMahon, licensee of theWhangarei Hotel, another by Mr. Fred Foote, a pioneer of the'motoring industry, and the'third "by Mr. W. H. Mallindine. All were one-lungera • of the Darracq type. There were no commercial vehicles. .... The first motor cycle in the North was owned by Mr. F. Voice, of '. the' "Star," and in those -days- motoring- had its thrills, and incidentally anathemas from horse users of the road. Prejudice dies hard, but contrast the position today While the actual figures are riotavailable, the following is a.fairly cor-' rect estimate. To-day i n Whangarei over eleven hundred motors are licensed while further north, at Kawakawa over two hundred driving permits have been issued by the local body responsible Carriers remaining loyal to old-time horse-drawn vehicles are ne"lir-i u le while the up-to-date motor bus services running to a time-table over wide areas are accepted as tho only feasible solution of the traffic problem. Contracts for bringing cream to the dairy factories, wool to the wharves, and even timber from the forest to • the mill are all carried out by motor trucks of varying capacity. The competition of motor traction as against the railway in the north is not to be ignored, nor is the opposite phase of its valuable use, as feeders over such a scattered area as Xorth Auckland. Cone are the days of the buggy and

roadster to convey the farmer to town on market day. While the good old horse is still necessary on the farm from a utility point of view, there are very few farms on which shelter for the family motor is not provided. Frequently the horse conies in useful in the winter months to extract tho car from the mud, but these months are very few in the year, and, as indicated earlier in this article, even these occasions will ultimately disappear. Recently some effort has been made to place before visitors the scenic attractions of North Auckland and good work has been done in this direction by the North Auckland Progress League, but little is contained in all the standard automobile or tourist guides to the tourist, whether purely on pleasure, or with business in combination. A motor trip through North Auckland should be highly attractive. Leaving Auckland, two routes are available —one is through the Great North Road to Helensville, thence to Dargaville, the old obstacle of ferrying the Wairoa River has now disappeared, being replaced by a modern bridge across this expansive river. A visit to Trounson's Kauri Park is worth while for here these fast disappearing giants can be seen in the actual bush surroundings between the two most important towns in North Auckland, that is Dargaville and Whangarei, though communication by metalled road is now available, An Alternative Route. The other route from Auckland, and the shorter, is from North Shor& through Silverdale and provides many scenic attractions en route. At Waiwera a halt is well repaid, following which Puhoi, an old-time settlement which branches off to the left, should certainly not be missed. Through Warkworth to Mangawai some gorgeous native scenery is passed through, with sub-tropical growth in profusion. Thence the road follows the shore line of the Hauraki Gulf, till Waipu, home of the early Nova Scotians, is reached. A stop should be made to read the inscriptions on the'granite memorials erected to these pioneers. Arriving at Whangarei, ample accommodation for man and car can always be found, and, incidentally, there is a branch of the Auckland Automobile Association. A prolonged stay could profitably be spent among Whangarei'a most enjoyable surroundings, eacn day providing fresh scenery. It is possible to undertake a fifty-mile circular run on modern metalled roads, or travel for

miles along the foreshore of Whangarei's | glorious harbour. Portland should not be missed, a courteous management being always gracious to visitors from distant parts. . Passing Mount Denbigh golf links a splendid view is obtained. A trip through Mangakahia, which contains wild, scenic grandeur, can be broken halfway "by a visit to the Wairua Falls electric generating station;, whence is derived the .power which supplies electric light and power to the Portland cement works and the, whole of Whangarei, Another little known attraction at Whangarei is the weird Abbey cave area, which is within easy reach of the town by good metalled reads. North of Whangarei. Leaving Whangarei by the main north road a stop should be made to sample the waters at Kamo sanatorium, the medicinal properties of which are stated by experts to be unequalled. After passing through the mining township of Hikurangi, the weird rock formation is seen from the high road, resembling nothing so much as : the ruins of an ancient Xorman castle. Unfortunately industrial despoilers have been active in this fine limestone pile, but an effort is being made to have it conserved for all time as a scenic reserve. If time permits, Puhipuhi should be visited, the turn off being indicated by a finger post. Climbing to a high altitude a magnificent panorama of the historic Bay of Islands spreads out. Puhipuhi's mineral wealth- is. constantly being developed; cinnabar ore, containing quicksilver, being in profusion. Vast areas are being used for reafforestation, but Puhipuhi is chiefly regarded as potential in mineral wealth. Before reaching Kawakawa another attraction is the i old Ruapekapeka Pa, famous in the Maori war. The original battle ground remains undisturbed. • Passing through the native settlement of Waiomio it 'will pay to hire a gig to go through, the Xgatahene caves, at one time the headquarters of a native-tribe name,. ..After this Russell is within easy reach, now famed all over the world for its famous fishing, especially for. sword and kingfish, the hooking of 250 to 3001b monsters being regarded as in each day's sport. Once in the historic Bay of Islands the early history'of New Zealand is brought home, many spots of historic interest being within 1 reach, and in nvst 'cases with, the old buildings still intact Between' Ohaeawai and Kaikohe .are the famed Xgawha hot springs. These are off the road, but are one of Nature's wonders, a weird region which in time to come will be among the best patronised hot springs in New Zealand. Continuing on to further North, the famous Ninety Mile Beach is reached, wnere speed is only governed by the car's capacity. At Awanui is situated the bi<r -wireless station. ° Thisi Is a brief outline of some of the attractions from the motorist's point of view of the Xo-th of Auckland