LONG BUS TRIP

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 158, 19 June 1936, Page 8

LONG BUS TRIP

Ruatoria Maoris To Be Driven to Waitara POMARE MEMORIAL Ywo Government Railway buses left Kapier this morning on the longest trip ever undertaken by any of the department’s buses. They are to travel to Ruatoria near East Cape, to pick np a party of Maoris to be conveyed through Whakatane and Rotorua to Waitara, in the Taranaki district, where the Maoris will take part in the ceremony arranged for th* unveiling of the Sir Maui Pomara memorial. The two buses will travel approximately 610 miles both ways, making a total of 1200 miles. A smaller type of vehicle than those used on the Napier-Hastings route will be used Driven by Messrs. A. Rowell and M. Pettifer, they will be driven through Gisborne to Ruatoria, a distance from Napier of 212 miles. After picking up the party of Maoris, they will follow the coast road round East Cape to Whakatane, and then on to Rotorua. From Rotorua thev will travel through Hamilton and Te Kuiti to Waitara, the distance from Ruatoria to Waitara being about 398 miles.

The journey from Napier to Waitara is expected to take two days. The roads over which the buses will travel are said to be in good order, and no difficulty is anticipated at any portion except, perhaps, at a point near East Cape, where the buses will have to ford a river. Unless the water is exceptionally high as the result of rainfall, however, this should not present any great difficulty. The Maoris will remain at Waitara for a week, and the buses will start on their long journey back to Napier through Ruatoria on Sunday week.