KAUAERANGA-HIKUAI ROAD

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 32314, 15 September 1943, Page 6

KAUAERANGA-HIKUAI ROAD

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —May I reply briefly, to Mr R. L. Wilson’s letter in your issue of August 25. His letters are as remarkable for what he omits, as for what he wrongly alleges. It seems quite obvious that he has never inspected the Kauaeranga route. -

The ten miles of construction on the Kauaeranga route, is a liberal estimate and includes two miles already formed, but not metalled, on the Kauaeranga side, and a further length of old road from the Golden Beet battery to the junction, with the Neavesville track, on the Hikuai side. A good 6ft. track, on a grade not exceeding 1 in 16, has long been in existence, and will be a substantial help in road, construction over the hill. There is less than eig'ht miles of entirely new road to make. To those who know both routes Mr Wilson’s statement that a road via Neavesville would cost only one seventh of a road via the Kauaeranga, is not correct.

The official distances from Hikuai are—to Thames via Kauaeranga, 25 miles. To Puriri, 23 miles, and to Thames via Puriri, 32 miles. What Mr Wilson fails to say, however, is that the Neavesville route would have to be. lengthened by several miles to get a reasonable grade, and traverses some exceedingly bad road-making country.. The summit would be in the vicinity of twice as high as via the Kauaeranga, and on the Puriri slope it traverses a water catchment area into which it would drain. Also it is located, on the shady side of the valley, so that it is always wet and greasy. The only reason for its existence, was gold mining at Neavesville, which has long since passed away.

The Kauaeranga route was selected for a main road across the Peninsula over 30 years ago, after careful consideration of all possibilities from the Karangahake Gorge to Tapu.— I am. etc., A. BRYAN. Thames, 5/9/43.