HAUHAU DAYS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 297, 15 December 1936, Page 9

HAUHAU DAYS.

HIGHWAY ROMANCE.

THE NAPIER-TAUPO ROAD.

FORMER MAORI TRACK,

An interesting history is attached to the Napier-Taupo road, the splendid highway which, passing through some of the finest scenery in the North Island, links Hawke's Bay and the south with the popular holiday resort. The route has passed through many stages to reach its existing perfection of surface and grading, and a high degree of engineering skill is apparent in the easy grades with which the road has been led across some of the highest country in the island (states the Xapiei "Daily Telegraph.") New Zealand surveyors, when exploring for new roads, often found that old Maori tracks weie the best I guide. So to-day a great portion of the Taupo road still covers the footprints of ancient Taua parties. When .1 the Hauhau war began in the middle J '(iO's, the Taupo road was only a track. On this track military blockhouses were (established at the following places: — | Titiokura, Te Haroto, Runanga, and Opepe, finishing with the main blockI house at Taptiaeharuru (now called Taupo), all garrisoned by the New Zea- | land Armed Constabulary. All com- ! mi&sariat supplies, with the exception of meat, were sent from Napier, and the mode of conveyance was by pack mules. There was little for the garrisons at | the various blockhouses to do, so the men were sent to make a cart road here and there, and to build makeshift bridges. Round about 1871) the road was made passable for wheeled traffic, i A firm of carriers. Messrs. Hart and I McKinlev, obtained the contract for | carting supplies to the Armed Constabulary. and the pack mule train was supplanted. It was about this time that the I Government began to take some interest iin the road, for there was an outcry for

a good thoroughfare from Wellington to Auckland. Somewhere about the early '80's the first deviation of the road was made, which cut out the 49 crossings of the Esk river. In 1904 privately owned motor oars began to use the road. It was quite an easy journey if the road was dry, but if. on the other hand, the motorist was caught by rain, it was quite a feat to reach Taupo The slow, but reliable, five-horse coach still carried the mail, and it was several rears before the coach went off and service cars became general for mails and passengers. Great engineerin. skill was brought to bear by surIvevors in laying out a descent on the north side of Titiokura, and this deviation although much longer, was a wonderful improvement on the old narrow, sleep, slippery papa road. This work was finished in 191">. To-dav there is an excellent road to Taupo. with scenery which possesses a charm and distinctiveness of its own. The route to Taupo from Napier provides tourist traffic with one of the most pleasant drives i;i New Zealand.