A ROUGH MOTOR TRIP

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 27, 1 February 1923, Page 8

A ROUGH MOTOR TRIP

HEAVY RAIN AND HEAVY GOING,

(By J.G.S.)

The recent vicissitudes of the weather were experienced in full measures by a party of Wellington. motorists. Fine weather inaugurated the tour on the 13th January, but the following day thunder. and drenching rain accompanied them nearly all the way from Palmerston to Stratford. This had its expected Result the next day, when the long stretch of backhlock road was negotiated to Te Kniti, on the Main Trunk railway, by way of Whangamomona. People said conditions were quite phenomenal for the season, and the three or four clayroad saddles to be crossed were in a horrible condition of mud and greasiness. Fortunately the weather was fine overhead, but the state of the roads necessitated the use of chains for nearly 100 miles of the 130 to 140 traversed. The journey occupied thirteen hours.

In the two following day's Waitomo Caves were visited, and Rotorua reached by way of the Mamaku bush, where the dreaded road was found dry but very rough. From Rotorua the car toured the Bay of Plenty, Tauranga, Whakatane. Opotiki, etc, en route for Gisborne. At the last named town, however,' such torrential rains were encountered that in fear of slips, and a.probable "stick up" plans were changed and a retreat beaten to Rotorua. The whole day's journey of 100 miles was accomplished in an absolutely tropical downpour with the accompaniment of thunderstorms. At Rotorua it was found that nearly seven inches of rain had fallen in two days. Probably there was more in the coastal districts.

From Rotorua, Taupo was. reached, and from Taupo Napier, the whole 100 mile drive across the mountains being done in pouring rain through floods and landslips. In Napier it was said to have been raining for weeks, and the country looked like it. Rain pursued the party to Danirevirke; a really'fine day on which the car encountered a swarm of bees, saw them to Featherston, only to find that, the Rimutaka road was badly blocked. Round in their tracks and full speed to Palmerston. The Manawatu Gorge was traversed at 9 p.m. It was raining, there were numerous slips, . and in one place a ten-ton boulder lay in the roadway, barely leaving space to squeeze through. That day's run was over 200 miles. Next morning Palmerston 1 was le"ft at 4 o'clock, and home reached in time for breakfast.

The trip occupied sixteen days, and the distance covered was over 1400 miles. The car went without mishap throughout, though it scarcely seemed possible that such complicated mechanism could stand up to such weather conditions and such battering, twisting, and banging as it received. Seventy gallons of petrol wers used.

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