TARANAKI MOTORISTS’ TOUR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 28 February 1925, Page 13

TARANAKI MOTORISTS’ TOUR.

WONDERFUL NORTH ISLAND. A FOUR. WEEKS’ HOLIDAY. Impressions by t-lie way, gained on a tour through the most interesting districts of the North Island, will live long in the memories of tour Taranaki motorists who recently concluded on an ideal holiday.

I\ ith a couple of light two-seater eais, each equipped with a. complete camping outiit. the party- v.-ent from place to place as the mood took them, each day coining upon some new and wonderful piece of country which previously had only been to' them a uanie with which they were more or less familiar' Two of the party more fortunate than their fellows, .spent four weeks on the road, travelling in that time 1825 miles, while the other two joined in over the last fortnight covering in that time a little more-than 850 miles. THE ROUTE TAKEN. Leaving Hawera on December 20tli. the motorists who were out for a four weeks’ holiday camped the first night on the Foxton beach, passing through Palmerston North and the Ma.nawa.tu Gorge to Hastings and Napier the next day. New Year’s Day was spent in Napier, the road to Lake Tutira being traversed late the same afternoon. Wairoa and Lake Waikaremoana were visited the following day, the trip back to Wairoa and on to Morere springs being undertaken the. day after. Gisborne was next visited, and for two nights the camp was pitched on the Gisborne beach prior to travelling to Opotiki. Wha.ka.tane marked the end of the next stage on the way io liotorua. Tokaann, where all four travellers met, was tlie next objective, the road via Atiamuri on the Waikato River being chosen. A FEW IMPRESSIONS.

Looking back over this portion of the trip and commenting on various places, it may be said that Hawke's Bay on the whole was disappointing. The exception however, was the country viewed from the Havelock hills just out of Havelock North; the landscape here just fulfilled the travellers’ expectations of what Hawke’s Bay was going to be. Napier, too, was disappointing, the streets being narrow, the shops poor, and the hou s es tumble-down. The one ideal residential site—a huge limestone bluff overlooking the town and sea, was mainly occupied by a limestone kiln and a prison. The camping place on Lake Tutira (27 miles from Napier, on the main road to Wairoa) was one of the most beautiful available for selection during the whole trip.. The banks of the lake were lined with weeping willows, the waters teemed with fish, and as the place was a bird sanctuary there were enough of the feathered species present to make a paradise for a naturalist. As a matter of fact, the travellers camped close by the home of Guthrie Smith, the noted authority on New Zealand native bird life. A floating inland was one of the surprising features of Lake Tutira., its location varying according to the wind.

.From Wairoa, a forty-mile trip to .Lake Wlaikaremoaria was another eyeopener, the road following the Waikare Tabaka. River for a great deal of the journey, and the river bank, lined With poplars and willows, gave the countryside- quite an old-English touch'. Some distance away from Lake Waikaremoanu, the road commenced a tortuous ascent, the shores of the lake being reached after a climb of 1500 feet. The Location of . the Jake was rather unique and it is smalt wonder that the development of hydro-electricity was so quickly investigated in this region. It did not take an electrician to see how, with such a sweeping fall in the countryside, the water that came gushing out of the fissures in the rocks about 50 feet below the- rugged edge of the lake, and dashed down to form the WaikareTahaka River, lent itself to the production of power over and over again before it reached Wairoa. The scenic qualities of Lake Waikaremoana. and its surroundings were also magnificent, native bush predominating and high rocky bluffs adding to the vastness of the picture. Past the lake there lav a further surprise, for up in the blue hills at an even higher-altitude, Lake Waikare-iti sparkled and shimmered, while from out of its smooth surface rose an island on which there nestled .vet another lake. It was as though tiie water had carefully selected the higher levels on which to lie. Coming back to our motorist friends we find them enthusiastic about a. new road, now' in course of construction, which will eventually connect Wairoa with Rotorua, passing through the heart ol the Urewera country. This road will bring the lakes on to one of the most beautiful scenic routes in New Zealand. There is a good accommodation house on the shore of Lake Waikaremoana and with an abundance of fishing and shooting, the spot is bound to become a much more popular holiday resort. At present the Jakes are more or less off the beaten track. Leaving the lakes behind, Aforere hot springs made another ideal camping spot. The springs were set in the midst of beautiful native bush, and to get to them one passed through what was considered to be the first nikau palm walk in New Zealand. A. town visited that was worthy’ of more than passing mention was'Gisborne. This centre gave the impression of being the most progressive town on the coast, more especially at that time when the high prices ruling for wool were giving added impetus to advancement in tin* district. In Gisborne everyone went out of their way to make visitors welcome, a fact which may have some connection with the isolated position of the town. The district boasted four beautiful beaches, the Wainui beach, four miles out of town, being for two nights the site of the Taranaki visitors’ camp. The route from Gisborne to Opotiki through Motu, entailing a . climb through wonderful mountainous country’ which brings the road to an altitude. of 260(> feet, wa,s acclaimed to be without doubt the finest from a. senie point of v’iew of any in the country, not forgetting the far-famed Buller Gorge. The road from Motu to Opotiki had a. good metalled surface, and’from one of the highest points on it the first glimpse of the Bay’ of Plenty was obtained, White Island being seen visibly active in the distance.

Whakatane provided another - surprise. the drainage and settlement of the Eangitaiki swamp having caused rapid development in the township. The situation of the business area, however, did not provide for much expansion close at hand, the reason being that in the early days the hotels were built on the narrow strip of land between the river and the adjacent rocky bluffs, and this area, naturally became the centre of business activity. With the expansion of the town in recent years the residential area, had, for lack of room, been forced out in the one direction away from the business quarter. The great attraction of Whakatane was undoubtedly the Oh ape beach, than which, it would lie hard to imagine, a better. When the tide went out, it left

a beautiful strip of white glistening sand'about 300 yards wide and extending a. distance of about eight miles out in the direction* of Ohiwa harbour. I IP I " and toheroa beds abounded along this beach and good fishing, was to be had in'plenty. Above the sand there was a good strip of turf where clustered houses and tents sheltered at the hack ' by hush clad - hills, from which ran numerous streapis, providing an abundant fresh water supply for campers. ' From every point of view the beach was an ideal spot for a holiday. .The trip from Whakatane to Rotorua, across tjhe Rangitaiki swamp and the . Tarawera River, skirting Mount Edgecombe and then passing on through a beautiful stretch of,bush and along the shores of lakes Roto it a, Roto Xi/liu, Roto Iti, and Rotorua, provided another, interesting and pleasant journey. After all one had heard about Rotorua the reality came as somewhat of a rude shock. ‘Wljakarewarewa, one of the first places to which all tourists are directed, came far below expectations. No romantic Maoriland was there, but instead a. dirty stream, a straggling collection of impicturesque hovels, and a steaming, barren fiat, were the realities greeted l that the eye. In bygone days the novelty of Hamuraua lay in the trip up the winding stream in the flat bottomed boat, where, at the end of the journey, the visitor was so greatly impressed with thei beauty of the springs, Now the scene has changed. The river, oyer grown with weeds, makes the passage .of boats impossible, so that the over-expectant sightseer trudges the hot track with longing glances at the cool water and the sunken disused boats." That historic spot, Te Wairoa, which for so many years has borne silent testimony fo the wholesale devastation wrought by the Tarawera eruption, was found to be fast becoming obliterated by the rank growth of blackberry. The schoolhouse site and the chief’s buggy had almost disappeared under the advancing noxious weed, while guide Sophie’s hut was fast falling into decay without any attempt being made to stay the ravages of time. Coming to the town itself, there seemed to be little indication of i municipal enterprise. The roads and footpaths were on the whole in a disgraceful condition, and there was a complete absence of imposing public buildings. On the evening of January 15, beside a stream which crossed: the road about five miles on the Taupo side of Tokaanu, the four Taranaki-ites met, two of them having earned a sunburned and mosquito-bitten appearance and the other two still having that experience to come. The newcomers, as they might be termed, left Hawera on> the evening of January 14, and spent that night in Wanganui. They left the next morning at 9.30 a.m. with Tokaanu as their objective, and in order'to cut down mileage, they selected the road through RaetiHi and Wai-; marino in preference to the longer route running inland from Marton. They had been told 1 that the Raetihi route was the shorter, and that the - road w;as good enough, but after their experience of the highway between Raetihi and AVaimarino they had doubts concerning the wiseness of their choice. The first portion of the journey, Wanganui to Raetihi, a, distance of 61 miles, took four hours to cover, it

being unsafe to travel at a greater speed than 15 miles per hour owing to the number of hairpin bends in the road, but the scenery, however, was adequate compensation for the dangerous journey. The way over which the travellers had to journey continued at various levels along the side -of a grea t gorge, at the bottom of which a fair sized-river pursued its course snake fashion between white bluffs surmounted by beautiful native bush. When three quarters of the distance to Raetihi had been, covered they passed by the Mangawhero falls —a huge* body of water which poured with a thunderous roar over a drop of about 50 feet on to a lower level of the gorge. It was a wonderful sight. A little further on and the winding road passed by numerous sawmills, all of which served as an introduction to the milling township of Raetihi. Here the two motorists had dinner before pushing on to AVnimarino. A few miles out of Raetihi the country began to get very stony and not a great distance had been covered when the visitors from Taranaki found themselves in a wood which might, (he described as a, first cousin to a mountain river bed. For the greatest part of 15 miles the ear bumped and plunged along in low gear, and to add to the general discomfort, bridges and culverts that had to lie crossed were broken and unsafe. One span of about 50 feet, a little further up the vallev from the wonderful Main Trunk viaduct, was marked “unsafe for wheeled traffic,” but the notice was across the other side facing the far approach and so it could not be read until the danger was over. After averaging 10 miles an hour between Raetihi and Waimarino, the travellers passed out on to that desolate. tract of country known as the Tongariro National Park, and skirting Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauvuhoe, thev traversed a fairly good road to Lake Roto Aira. From there on to Tokaanu the road was by no means all that could be desired, hut still it was not the worst, a fair average speed being maintained until about five miles past Tokaanu, where the four motorists again met, the holiday, thereafter to he spent together.

Lake Taupo impressed the party as being a glorious place to select for a holiday. The, water of the. lake was beautifully clean and the white sandy shores looked strangely inviting. AVhen driving along the road which runs close to the edge of the lake the party noticed steam rising off the water in a little bay, and pulling up they tested the water and found it was not too hot for swimming. The result was that two hours in the water and on the beach seemed to, pass in less than, ha-11 the actual time.

The wonderful Geyser Valley at Wairakei was also, visited, and comparing its attractions with that or Rotorua, it might be said that the honours rest with AA’airakei entirely. From Rotorua The Mount, across the water from Tauranga, was next visited, quite a settlement of campers and holiday-makers in beach cottages there being discovered. Tauranga, Waihi, and Paeroa were all passed through in the one day, a halt for two nights being celled at Te Aroha. Te Aroha impressed us as being a clean flourishing' little town with a veritable treasure house of attractions

in the pretty domain nestling under the mountain, and it was with regret that the party was forced to continue their journey to. Hamilton.

What impressed the. visitors most when arriving in Hamilton, was the wonderful growth made by the town of Into years as indicated by the high buildings recently erected and then in the course of erection. With the, wide expanse of country surrounding it, there is a, great fyture for Hamilton. Two days were spent in the chief centre of the AYaika.to before the trail for home was taken. AVaitomo, caves, however, were visited on the way and another night spent under canvas, but as the weather was wet and their holiday leave almost, up, two of the party made an early start and arrived in New Plymouth the same, afternoon. It then oniy remained for the Haweraite to wend his way hack to Taranaki. And so concluded' a. glorious holiday under the most ideal conditions. Good fortune followed in the footsteps of the travellers all the way, for in the four weeks only two wet days were experienced, on no occasion were chains necessary, and only one puncture called for attention during the total distance of 27,000 miles covered by the two cars..

MOTORISTS ALL. The total number of private motorcars in England is nearly half a million. AA r e are told that- one person in eighty has a- car. This is a mere beginning ! “A car for every man’’ is said to be the ideal of a former Minister of Education. AVe are not satisfied with this “one in eighty.” There must be a mistake. Those who haven’t a little two-seater “just a little car I drive myself, you know”—ought by now, surely, to be in a minority. If they are not, they soon will be. For the tendency of the time is certainly to “talk poor” and to complain of one’s taxes and to say that one “can’t afford anything!”-—except, of course, a car, a little car, or even rather a big one.

STREET CHASE BY TAXI. Arrest of Alotorist AVho Slipped When Others Scattered. “Stop tliat man !” As lie heard this, cry at one o’clock in the morning Constable Harlow, of the C Division, saw a car containing four men being driven tip Shaftesbury Avenue. He called to the- men to stop. They did not do so, and he jumped on a taxicab and pursued them. On arrival at New' Oxford Street the ear pulled up. The four men got out, left it, and scattered. One slipped and fell, and was arrested. His name was John AVilliam Hutchings, giving an address at Stroud Green, and at - Bow Street he was remanded on the charge of being concerned with others in stealing a car belonging to William Mackie, of Hendon.

(’onstable Harlow told the magistrate (Sir Chartres Biion) that when charged at Vine Sreet Police Station Hutchings replied : “Very good. 1 can clear myself of that.”

MOTOR HEADLIGHTS

From the very large number of letters received by the London Daily Mail (says the motoring correspondent of that, paper), jt is clear tha.t motorists are gravely concerned'over the problem of headlights. Owing to the heavy increase of night traffic of every description the .problem has become- acute. Motorists themselves are at war on the the question, which only adds to the confusion. Failing any binding rule on the subject, they have divided themselves into two camps, as follows: — 1. -Those who believe that it is wise to keep headlights full on in spite of the blinding effect they have on approaching traffic. 2. Those who consider that such a policy is dangerous and 1 that it- is far safer to “black out” —to switch (Iff the headlights and rely on the side lamps —or to use a dimming device for tiie headlights, which lias very much the same effect.

The, former have the backing of the Royal Automobile Club, which has issued warnings against the policy of dimming or “blacking out” headlights. An. official of the R.A.C. said recently : If the motorists, keeps liis headlamps goi ng he can see all traffic between himself and the approaching car, even though that car has dazzle lights. If he avoids looking into lamps the onlv point at which he is really, dazzled is when the two cars are almost abreast. The instant the two cars pass the road ahead and all traffic thereon can lie seen clearly at once. If he switches off, and the driver of the approaching car acknowledges the courtesy by doing the same,' the roadway between the two cars is plunged into complete darkness, intensified by the, contrast after the glare of the lamps. Cyclists without rear lamps, cattle and so forth are almost invisible. But the policy of the R.A.C. is not the same as that of the other important motoring body with many thousands of members—namely, the Automobile Association. An A-A. official said: “We decided: that the only recommendation we could give members was to use their own direction!”

The “war of the dazzle lights” is doing much to kill the courtesy of motorists toward each other. The man who fails to dim is shouted at by the man who believes in that policy," and lie in turn is abused for failing to keep hi.s headlamps going. . The man who keeps his lamps on is also greeted' with a chorus of disapproval from cyclists and drivers of vehicles with inefficient lights. Some years ago an expert committee formed by the " Ministry of Transport went thoroughly into the question and made recommendations which it was understood would! help to solve the problem. The recommendatiops were incorporated in a bill which got as fains the House of Lords, but has been lost sight of owing to successive elections.

Tliis bill made it an. offence tor motorists to use dazzle lamps. The beams of all lamps used' were to be limited to a height which brought them below the level of approaching pedestrians and the drivers of approaching vehicles. All cyclists were to carry hear lights.