MOTORING IN NEW ZEALAND.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 19 June 1926, Page 14

MOTORING IN NEW ZEALAND.

UP ARTHUR’S PASS.

TO DUNEDIN AND BACK

TARANAKI PARTY’S INTERESTING TRIP.

(By Gur Kakaramea Correspondent). A* trip from Patea to Dunedin, via Wellington, Picton, Christchurch and returning "via the West Coasti and Nelson: —

Leaving Patea with a party of three in a Ford car on Friday at 11 a.m., Levin was reached that night and Wellington the next morning. Sunday was spent in Wellington, and on Monday afternoon the car, was taken to the wharf and lined up with nine others, to be shipped on the Tamaliino for Picton. The cars were run alongside one by,-one and a -rope fastened on the hub of each wheel. They ware then slung on board and put right down in the bottom hold/ with hoods up and benzine in the tank. Picton was reached at 6.20 p.m., and by 7.15 p.m.- the car was on the road 1 for Blenheim, which was reached an hour la tar. It took another hour to find find accommodation.. Every place was full, but eventually we found aeconimodatiaon .in a private house. Leaving Blenheim next morning about 9 a.m. the car was soon climbing Redwood’s Pass, where the road is very twisty, some of the corners being particularly sharp. The bend where a car went over a few .months back and several people wer e , killed was noticed. After crossing Redwood’s Pass, the road descends into the Awatere Valley, and crosses the Awatere' river into the township of Seddon. The bridge across the Awatere may l>e unique in New Zealand, in that the same set of cylinders support both traffic and railway bridges. The railway structure is. some 14 feet above the traffic. From Seddon th e road is undulating, but of good grade and surface until AVharanui —the end of the railway—is readied. Here one sees the sea again, and close into the sand hills the old' AVakatu steamer, may .lie .seen sitting on an even keel. as though tied up ?-t the wharf. It must be fully 12 mouths since ,she- went ashore there. From there on the road runs along the sea coast for miles, and is very pretty. AVhen within .about ten mile.", of Kaikoura, the road leaves the coast and runs inland for a few miles to cross die Hapuka River. On arrival at the bridge, it was found that there had been a flood on the Sunday before, and the river had altered its course, running at the far side with the approach washed away. The party crossed the bridge, and then had to get down, into the river-bed by a very steep track and ford the river, which, however, was not very deep, and had a fairly good bottom. KAIKOURA. A few minutes from the Hapuka brought us to the beautiful little township of Kaikoura, which is right on the sea coast, with very good Jjand at the back of it. The night was .spent here, and the next morning a start was made for Christchurch —a distance of 122 miles. The first part of this run is along the sea coast, and the road runs fo-r miles, beneath large karaka and riiho trees, which grow right 'down to the water’s edge. The Clarence River is crossed a few miles before reaching Kaikoura. and one can. imagine the rush of water in flood time. There is a fine bridge across it now. The Conway is the next river to be crossed, and ,that is also well bridged. Here the road leaves the sea. coast, .and runs up the Conway Valley for .some distance, then climbs the hills and descends on the other side by a «teep, narrow and twisty road, with .very sharp turns, so on to the commencement of the North Canterbury Plains, and nine miles further on is the Parnassus railway station, which is the end of the line from Christchurch. There is thus a gap of about 80 miles of difficult country to connect the East Coast railway. Fifteen miles further on Domett is reached, where the party had dinner. From here on the road is through mostly agricultural land, and the crops of wheat appeared to be very good. Christchurch was reached .abo.ut ,4 p.m. A run round the suburbs was taken and a faint idea gained of the ■size, of the City of the Plains, with all its king streets laid out at right angles. A driver from the country who would like to try his hand at citv driving is recommended to go through Cathedral Square between 5 and 6 o’clock in the evening. On Thursday morning, a start was made for Timaru, a distance of 109 miles. Thitv-six miles from Christchurch on e came to the Rakaia River, which is crossed by the combined railway and traffic bridge, 1J miles long. Apparently not a plank is spiked: down, for it is continual bump and rattle from end to' end. The party was lucky there, in that no train was due, so the gates were open and the car .able to go straight across.

“DRY” ASHBURTON. Twelve miles further ou Ashburton was reached, and despite it being a “dry” town, it appears to be a thriving and flourishing place, rather prettily laid out. with trees up the centre of the main street. From there on to Timaru is through agricultural land all the way, mostly crops. The roads are level and straight, up to 14 miles without a turn, apparently dead level. Geraldine, another “dry” town, is a pretty little place, and the accommodation is' equal to any in th© ‘Avet” towns.

Twenty mhes from Geraldine is Tiinarn, a very pretty town, right on the sea coast. The night was spent there, and the party had a good look round the town. Caroline Bay is a pretty pleasure resort, right in front of the town, and when lit up at. night looks very gay. A start was made on Friday morning for Dunedin, the (last stage of the journey down. A very pretty run of 52 miles through agricultural country brought us to Oamaru, another “dry” town', with fine white stone buildings. Th e traffic rules here appear to be very strict, but the car got through without mishap. From here on the road is more undulating until Hampden is reached, and a few miles further on the l eea is seen again at Kartigi beach. Here the. coast is followed for six miles to Shag Point, then the road crosses a- low rang© of hi'ls and comes to Palmerston South. Front Palinertson South on to the foot of Kilning Hill the road is rather rough ; in fact, the worst since leaving Pieton. Kilning Hill road is rough and steep in olaees, with sharp turns, and a fair amount of 'ow gear is necessary. O'n gaining the top of Kilrnog. a good view of the surrounding country is obtained, one thing very noticeable is tl:e yellow bloom, of ragwort, which, appears to he. spreading fast over the raughish country. The descent of Kilmosz is fairlv steep, with sharp turns and a narrow road. After' a short run along the flat close to the .‘■©a, the road starts the ascent of Mount Cargill. This is a beautiful run.

with an easy grade and a wide and good surface. On reaching the, top ja fine view of Dunedin and harbour is obtained if the day is good, the clouds were resting on the top of Mt. Cargill, so that the party could only see a chain or two. Descending oil the Dunedin side, the car ran out of the clouds into brilliant sunshine. From the top of Cargill it is a down bill run right into Dunedin, which the Taranaki party reached at 4 p.m., after a run of 464 miles from Picton. Ten days were spent in Dunedin seeding the town and Exhibition. The ,two outstanding sights of the Exhibition were the British and Canadian courts. TURNING FOR HOME.

The return journey was commenced on Monday, March 15, and Christchurch was reached at noon on Tuesday. On A\ r ednesday morning a start was. made for the West Coast, via Arthur’s Pass. . From 'Christchurch to Springfield, a distance of 40 miles, is along straight roads, with a slight rise a n l the way. At Springfield most motorists put their ear on th e train and go as lar a.s Otira, the AVest Coast- side of the tunnel ; but the weather being fine, and the rivers low, we decided to go ovei the Pass-.

Leaving Springfield, a run of about 10 miles on a good surface brings the traveller to the Kowhai bridge, with the approach washed away. As the river is low, it is easily forded, though the shingle is rather soft and loose. After climbing out of the .river-bed, a run of two miles on a good road leads to the Kowhai A 7 alley, down which the river of that name winds, and has to be forded six times before reaching tire foot of Porter’s Pass, the first stiff climb of the trip. Just at the foot of the Pass are the ruins of the old Porter’s Pass Hotel, which flourished in the old coaching days. From there to the top of Porter’s Pass is about two miles, and .low gear all the way. A short run from the top leads v to Lake Lyndon, with Paradise, grey and teal ducks, and black swans.

From the top of Porter’s Pass to Lake Lyndon the road is through tussock, and evidently under snow in the winter, a,s the road is marked by sft iron pegs driven into the ground, presumably to guide the coach in former days.

After leaving Lake Lyndon, the (route passes through a boundary gate between the Grassdale and Castle Hill runs. Castle Hill is iso named from the rocks standing about on the Mils, which in the distance resemble old Castle ruins. The road now descends into Broken River, a huge chasm about 100 ft deep and 10 chains wide. It is a step climb out of it, by a fairly rough road. A fairly good stretch, of road for a few miles passes Craigeburn Cutting, which is fairly steep, and| yov

then follow the Craigeburn stream, which has to he forded three' times) to Lake Pearson. At. the head, of the lake is the Flocrkhill homestead. This is a very be an if ul lake. The read .runs clos© to it for. about three miles, and is good, Avitlx the exception. jof it few wash-outs* where tfe water pours down from the steep hills above. Lake Grassmere now comes into view, and the road is slightly above the lake, but a good view is obtained of it. No sooner is Lake Grassmere lost sight of than Lake Sarah appears. Thus the road runs past four beautiful lakes, right up in the mountains, at an altitude of nearly 3000 feet. TAKEN IN TOW. > A few miles further on. the Cass railway station is passed, about a mile to the right of the tfoad—it is the first sight of the railway since leaving Springfield. Here we met two men, the first in 40 miles. The Cass River has now to be forded, but as it is not very deep no troub'e iis experienced. From there on to the Bealey Hotel, a distance of eight miles, six pr seven creeks, all fairly rough in the bottom, are forded, hut the water is not deep. Afternoon tea is partaken of here, and arrangements made for a- liorsei jto tow the car through the Waimakarin .River. The river-bed is about one mile wide here, and the horse is waiting at the main stream, about half way across. The horse is, fastened to the, front axle and a sack tied to the front ot the radiator, the driver standing on the running board, and the water there is above the tops of his boots. Just before reaching the bank .soft metal, is struck in the bottom, and the, horse thinks he .needs a spell and stops. The driver has to jump into the water and get the horse by the head before he will start again. However, he pulls the car out, and after parting with £1 for ten minutes’ work, the party proceeds on its way, thankful to be across the big river. , From there to Arthur’s Pass .station is about eight rni’es. The road winds round the foot of the mountains, and is narrow, with sharp bends and numerous creeks to ford. Just before getting to Arthur’s Pass station is Rough Creek, and it is well named, for a rougher creek .would be hard to find. After passing the station, comes McGrath’s Creek, so named after an old man who had ,a still there at one time. The travellers met trouble here. Lhe ford looked easy, hut was deceptive, there being loose metal with water running through it-, and the driving wheels would just go round without gripping, so the two men of the party had to get out to the wheels whilst the lady took the steering wheel. After a considerable amount of pushing and lifting and scraping the loose metal away, the further bank' was .reached.

The real ascent of Arthur’s Pass now commenced, and it is fairly steep; so steep that with four gallons of benzine in the tank it would not feed through into the carburettor. The road was too narrow to'turn, and it .was ten miles on to the Otira, where benzine might be obtained. The only way out of th© difficulty was to build platforms of stone behind the back wbee’s, and, with the help of a small plank found on the side of the road, run th© baok wheels up on to the platform, and thus let benzine feed through. A dash was then made as far as possible and the performance repeated.Eventually’ the top. was reached, and the descent to Otira. commenced. For about two miles this is very steep and narrow, with .very sharp- bends, and great care has to: be taken. On© mistake, and these notes would never have been penned, as it is a long way to the bottom of the gorge. The Otira Hotel, by the station of that- name, is soon reached, and all were glad to have reached it safely, as the road from

Springfie’d to Otira, a distance of 61 miles, is full of .thrills. The scenery <:u tuToiign call only’ lie described as grand, and well! worth seeing. For the 60 miles- the scene is ever ©hanging; no two places- -seem alike ; fii'Sffc t^rancl ru£Cge»cl peaks. then lakes reflecting the [shadows of the mountains, later a piece of grass country with/ sheep and cattle dotted about giving place to rough creeks with'huge boulders, .and on to th© birch bush, trees up to about 20ft in height, _growing thickly -together, -and looking as though they had been plantedi by man. A -patch of bush is followed by an open glade, and the line of. trees is as though planted with a line, so straight is the outside row. Beautiful rata trees abound in the Otira Gorge, just a mass of /scarlet bloom. Leaving Otira on Thursday morning, a run of 37 miles ends in Kumara, once a thriving town, but now rather a de-'•erted-’ooking place. This run is very oret-tv. all through native bush, and along the banks of the Teramakau River. There are many .sawmills on th opposite -side of the river, where the railway runs. A good number of colonies of bees were noticed in small clearings in the bush near Otira. Apparently the honev is obtained from the hush flowers, principally the rata -in the autumn. WEST COAST TOWNS. ' The residence of the late Hon. Richard Seddon was pointed out with 1 pride by so-m© of the old residents, of Kumara. Evidence of/the gold that was got from the country round Kumara lies in th© vast heaps of stone that have been sluiced. There is at present a large sluice claim some 3 miles from th© town, but the old residents don’t expect it to be good enough to the town to its former glory.

Leaving Kumara, a fourteen-mile run brought th© car to G reymouth. This appears to he a flourishing town, and business seems brisk. After dinner a start was made for Reefton, a distance of 48 miles. The road runs through Brunner, where coal mines /are being worked, and much coal was being loaded, on to railway tracks. On this run there are a good many .combined railway and traffic bridges, and, being short, there are no gates to b© shut when a train is due, so. a- sharp lookout has to be kept. The land, except for small patches, seems of poor quality, hut the blackberry thrives to perfection.

Tfl e writer visited Reefton about 38 years ago, and it does not seem so prosperous now as it did then. Like Kumara, -its glory passed, with the gold, the land surrounding it not being of good enough quality to keep it going. As the hour was only about- 3 p.ni., it was decided to push on towards Nelson, still following the railway and crossing combined bridges. The Inangahua Junction was reached in about an hour. This is where the river of that name junctions with the Buller River. Hera also is the end of the railway from Greymouth. A read branches off to Westport, following the Buller River to the sea. The party, however, took the road to Nelson, and .shortly after crossing the Inangahua on ai temporary bridge alongside a concrete railway bridg© which was in course of erection, and will eventually be a. combined bridge, the car entered the Buller Gorge, and followed the driver of that name.

There is lovely scenery through the Gorge. As dusk was near when the Lyell was reached, -it was decided to nut up. for the night, as from, here .to Murchison the road is in places narrow, with sharp turns, and it is a. very, long way down into the river, if one happened to miss the road. The Lyell township consists at the present time of three licensed hotels, and no other buildings, except a couple- of churches,

one of which is used as a day school, there being eight or nine children, one licensee providing «ix of them. At one time this township had a population of 1200 people, but th© gold petered, out, and the inhabitants moved on, and apparently took their houses with. them.

THE FIRST TUXCTURE,

Leaving the Lyell on Friday morning at 6 o’clock, Murchison was reached in time for breakfast. Driving out of Murchison after about an hour’s stay, the party got the first puncture of tfie trip about four miles along the road. Soon the railway construction town of Pikomanu was reached. That is the end of the railway from Nelson, so there are about 50 miles of railway to construct to connect the two ends, and some v.ery difficult country to negotiate. It will be many years \if evil) before the last spike is driven m tins gap. The motor now •ascends 1 the Hope Saddle, and a splendid view of the country is obtained. As far as the eye can pee, it is range after rang© of hills, but in between are some very fertile valleys. On descending from the Hope Saddle, the road runs through tlie Clark Valiev and Motupiko and Kohatu, all old settled: districts, where mixed farming is carried on. Tie read now crosses tlic Motueka- Itiver and ascends Spooner’s Range, from lhe top of which a grand view of the thicklysettled Waimea Plains., right down to Nelson is obtained. The road winds along among top gardens, raspberry gardens, orchards, and crops of oats and- barley. Thorn the top of the range to Nelson is about 25 miles, and the whole distance is thickly settled, and orchards and hopgardens abound the whole way. It was a beautiful run on a fine afternoon from the top to. Richmond, -where a week was spent. From this centre runs in the car were taken- through the Tasman, Mahana and Mapua .apple districts, and also through Motueka and Riwaka, where hop and apple > icking were in full swing. After an absence of over 30 years, Nelson town .does not appear to have grown very much. It is much, the same. In Trafalga-r £•■ fleet i there is a barber who cut the hair of one of the. party when a. boy at school, and he is still there cutting hair. AVe left Nelson for Blenheim, on Wedensday, March 31. Rain fell heavily, it being the only wet day on the whole toui 1 .

TO MARLBOROUGH. Th e car had a good run through tho Ra-i Valley, but the day was too wet to see -much'. On Thursday afternoon .a start was made from Blenheim for Picton. After a stop- at Tua Marina, the motor ascended Massacre Hill, where there is a monument to the 26 Englishmen under Colonel AVakefield, who were massacred by the Maoris in the early days. A conference was being held between Maori and pakeha, and things were going smoothly, when a blunaerbus went off and wounded -a chief’s wife. The Maoris, who greatly outnumbered the whites, massacred nearly the whole hand f only a few escaping by biding in the flax and fern. Pic ton was reached 'in -tlie evening, and the tourists embarked with the car on the Tamahine for Wellington. After a' good crossing, Wellington- was reahed -on Good Friday morning, and Taranaki on Easter Monday. Thus ended a tour of some 2000 miles, without mishap, except a couple of punctures. . , One thing very noticeable is the difference of the rivers in the South .and North Islands. In the South the water is near the level of the surrounding land, and perhaps a mile or more of river-bed, over which the water spreads in flood time. There must bq thousands of acre® of waste land -in riverbeds in the South. The North Island rivers are mostly confined within their, banks, and the water covers most of

the river-bed, and in flood time rises up the banks, and does not spread over chains of river-bed. The rivers in the South must be more expensive to bridge. They have to be so -much longer; as the Rakaia bridge (1$ miles) and the AVaita-ki (5- of 51 mile). The worst longt-Ix of roTvd. oil t/lio avltoloi •fcnijs is from Bulls to AVanganui, and it is very rough, corrugated and _pot-holed. No roads were found to -compare with Taranaki roads, except -short lengths in some of the towns. The driver’s license was not asked for during the whole trip. NOTES. Exhibits -at the. motor too sv in Sydney a few weeks ago- were valued at a total of over £1,000,000. The Newmarket. Borough Council proposes to revise the by-laws dealing with parking. A. mimjber of streets will be affected. For taxation, purposes the U.S. Board of Tax Appeals- has decided that the depreciation -of a- dair shall, be reckoned at the rate of 25 -per cent, per annum. It is .officially stated that in the London Metropolitan Pc,lice area the number .of police on point duty is about 1300, though it varies) according to tifa.ffac; needs. Sheriff: “What do you mean Iby driving through, this village at over 60 miles ,an hour?” Fair Motorist: “Well’ you see-, my brakes have gone wrong, and I was hurrying home before I hjad an accident-!’’ It has 'been ouistomiairy to patch and repair the .surface of -Grafton Bridge with bitumen prepa.rations. This week a quick-drying concrete, mixture wlas employed on .some bad patches.

Tlhe Greeks 1 have always 'been gentle in their peiis.uiaisii.ve arguments. Poles sft.. 'long and studded, with large mails are’ ito be, used by the Athenian police for throwing across the path of nnotordrivers who travel too fast. Several members of the council of the A.A. A. ,remarked at the meeting this week that some scheme lor the ©limi.ula>tiom of tramway poles .should to considered before traffic problems became aggravated. \ The alternative •routes to the north v/iia the East Coast and. via, Hole,nsvifle were discussed iby Mr. M. H. AVynya.rd, at the meeting of the. A. A. A. last week. Mr. AVymyard sold -that either schema would cost £165,000, and 1 woulld take -five yeans, to complete. The Auckland City by-laws require that muimlber-plates -shall be -adequately illluhiiiniafed. There -are iniaiiy ears i:n use which have either inefficient or cun-ningjly-arnanged tail light®. As J» result of a conference in-U.-S.A., it appears that yellow glasses for rear Lamps, in place off the normal redcoloured -glasses, will 'be legalised in Anneriftai.

One has onily to look at -a> private ca-r after a; spell of wet weather to- see that the mudguards Could be improved. Even" after -a long run on des-eutted roads where it has not been .splashed to -an .appreciable degree by tlhe passage cif other traffic, a car will often be exceedingly dirty on its hade part, 'drat is to say, the bonnet .and sides of the body iso far iba.de a.s the drivers seat are" reasonably clean, but from there rearwards extend 1 ® a graum-aiUy thickening film of mud, the forward faces of the rear wings being thickly encrusted. The Whole Ibaick panel .of the car .arid possibly of the hood as well -may be covered with a fine coating of mud. This obviously suggests that there .are .some fundamental errors in mudguard* in.g. It. would -almost appear that, on the whole, .protection from mud is 1 molt so igco-d mow ais it- wlas two. or _ three yearns .ago. This may toe .attributed largely to the enormous inbreuise in Hie .use of OiGiw-pre-sisute tyres of large section. J.ulst as very few mianuf.actureirs have .modified their steering to isu.it balloon tyre-s, iwo a Vast- proportion of cda.chbuilderisi have retailed tlhe same width of wing as they used when ordinary .small .section tyres were standard. The result is that the walls of the tyres are '.practically flush with the outside edges of the wings, lantl- even when, the ear :i-s being driven, .straight along -the road drops of dirty waiter and dollops of mud stream past- the wings -and are deposited along the whole length of the body, and especially on. the projecting .surface- ’of the rear wing. AVStli any type of wheel and tyre, of course, mud is flung over the body when cornering with- the normal type of fixed wing, but this -stage of affairs is aggravated when .the wings thy not overhang, the tyres to a sufficient extent. Hence there Would appear to be a- distinct- future for the “close-up” wing which as gaining -flavour among sports-car enthu-si/asts. The “close-up” typo of wings can be much more easily mounted now that four-wheel brake® a-re toeing universally adopted, -as the large -black plates of tbie letter provide -a. wide and .safe -anchorage for 'wing supports. If the wings move nip and down with the axles it is obvious that mudguard clearance can to reduced to a minimum, lallowimg only .sufficient room for the inflated tyre complete with its wheel to be removed. Ais these wings turn with the front wheels, miud .and dirt -are net flung outwards whenl cornering, while, owing to the fact that they are so close to the tyre, they ©an be made very -ma.rr.owi and wind resistance can thus be cut down. In fact, tests have shown, that on- a. 60 m.-n.h. c.a,r the substitution - of well -designed ‘ ‘cl6.seup” wings- for tbo.se of coiiven.tiom.ail type b-ave -added over 5 m.p.h. to the sneed. Everyone knows also how .di-nty it is poissiilb'-le to. get .if it should be .necessary to lift the bonnet of a car with the ordinary type of wings c.r running board, which prevent close approach to the bonnet. AVith “doiseum” mudguard's the front wheels need only be looked over, when the ow'nerdiriver tcta.n stand -close to tihe bonnet without the neiceelsity for learning across end trailing h-i.s .garments .against the wings.