MOTORISTS HOLIDAYMAKING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12464, 7 January 1904, Page 6

MOTORISTS HOLIDAYMAKING.

THE AUTOMOBILE AND ITS POPU-

LARITY

SOME TRIPS IN THE AUCKLAND

DISTRICT,

INTERESTING EXPERIENCES. Ix the matter of locomotion the great tendency of the present age is to reduce distances. The contrivance that will enable a hitherto two days' journey to be accomplished comfortably in one day is the contrivance that will be popular until someone comes along with one that will give a bigger rate of speed and make trio same journey possible in half-a-day. Their speed has undeniably assisted to bring automobiles, or, to use the more common term, motor-cars, into fashion. Here in Auckland the vogue is setting in very strongly, as any importer of the various types of cars will tell you. During the recent holiday sea-sou many owners of these up-to-date horseless chariots made short work of distances, end enjoyed trip; which in former days it would have been impossible to make in the time. Chatting with two or three of the motorists who have returned, a Herald reporter found thai the favourite trip has been the one to Rotorua through the Waikato. Bar accidents, the Hot Lakes district can readily be reached in one day, and from all accounts tiie roads are not bad, except in places, and given, ot course, tine i weather. As to that, those who set out on motor-cars make up their minds to take their luck. _ Sometimes it will be bad luck, but more frequently it is good. THE lIOTORUA TRIP. Dr. A. Challinor Purehas, accompanied by his wife and three others, made the Rotorua trip in the doctor's 12 horse-power Darracq during the holiday--. They left Auckland at a-quarter to six in the morning of Christma,s Eve, breakfasted at Mercer, where they stayed an hour and a-half, and pushed oil from there to the Rangiriri hid.. The doctor found the clay roads here in a very bad condition. For 16 miles—although it i's the main road from Auckland to the Waikato —there is not a particle of metal laid down. Also, it is badly graded, and has a bad surface. The only wonder was that the car stood the jangle and bumping it got. (This is just one instance of the bad luck your motorist falls in with, sometimes.) Leaving Rangiriri, the doctor and his party passed on to Huntly, where they struck the pumice area, the car going famousiv and negotiating the loose sand far better "than was anticipated. After leaving Huntly, the roads began to improve a bit. At Tatipbi the. doctor branched off, avoiding the Ngaruawahia bridge for a good reason" (a- will be referred to later), and from there to Hamilton got the first piece of really good read. The rough clay roads—that 10-mile stretch—had sjianen some nuts right out on the car, and the stay of the emergency brake had sone. Repairs had to be effected at Hamilton. From here in to Cambridge, the doctor was much disappointed with the road. It was so bumpy that ho found it impossible to travel at any speed. From Cambridge to Tirau the car party had a very good run on roads in really first-rate order, hilly in parts and winding, out with a good surface. A picnic party" had rather a narrow shave from being run into by the Darracq at this stage of the trip. The former had. curiously enough, elected to picnic right in the middle of the road. The doctor drove round a bend, and was almost oh top of the holidaymaKers, but luckily had the car under control and pulled up in time. The surprise ol tne picnickers was something to be remembered, and they scuttled awav in ail directions Picnickers should always select camping places that are not open to traffic This by the way. Tirau was readied at eight p.m., and here a spring was broken through the car bumping across a water channel, caused by the heavy rains, and running rhdit across the road. A blacksmith's service were requisitioned, and tho Mainaku hills were then tackled It was just getting dark, and the res: of the journey to Rotorua was by night. The climb seemed a.most interminable, but the Darracq duly reached the top. _ Inen the or.lv rain of the tour fell notwithstanding which a very pleasant run down to Rotorua was experienced, the town being reached at eleven p.m. On Boxing Hay the doctor and two other motor parties went, out to Waimansa, which pcrvc-e geyser, nowevcr, did not play for their benefit The party then went on to Waiotapu, the return to Rotorua being done in very good time (one hour). The doctor left Rotorua tor Auckland again on the Sunday at six a.m.. stopping at Hamilton and Cambridge. At ! li" another spring was broken through the constant pounding on the road, but witii all delays home was reached at l»n p.m. lnroughout the doctor did not hurry and he and his party had a most enjoyable time After the trip he sold bis Darracq to a Rotorua syndicate, and intends getting a 1904 pattern of the same make. THE CAMBRIDGE ROUTE. tc A '.. i , n , restil 'i? holiday was spent by Mr vv. 1. Gilmour and a friend on a Locomobile steam carnage m touring the Waikato and lot lakes. 1 hey started out from Howick on December 3 at halt-past nine in the morning and motored through to Drurv bv twenty minutes to eleven. There they got well-water, which they did not find good for their purpose. it primed badly, coming out in very wet steam, which made it hard to negotiate .hills Mercer was reached by way of he Razorback, which was found in good order on this side, but loose and stony on the other side. On the way to Huntly Air. Oilmour came up with a drove of cattle between Mercer and the Whangamarino ! creek, which delayed him half-an-hour. He and his friend took the delay philosophically. I he trouble was that where the cattle were caught up to the read ran between the river on tn right hand and the railway on the wl.-' , ■„ motor-car has yet to "bo built Which will tackle the water, and railway tracks have not yet been negotiated even by the most venturesome, of the motorists Jo pass the cattle any other way being impossible, Mr. Gilmour therefore had to wait until the creek was reached. The or was then put at tho Rangiriri hill, where, by the way,, a lot of automobiles came to grief It was in fairly good order except in a" few places. Mr. Gilmour advises motorists however, not to tackle these hills in wet weather unless they are provided with a rope to tie round the tires and enable them to grip. From Rangiriri right through to Huntly tho roads were splendid compared to those previously travelled. The on'v thing was that there were a few big water holes here and there. The first night was spent at Huntly. and then for a few hour* next morning it rained. The journey was resumed to Cambridge about eleven" a.m. and Ngamawahia was reached about noon. ■Here Mr. Gilmour learnt something that others making the trip will do well to profit by. He had to wait for an hour for three trams to pass over the bridge, the gates being closed at both ends. It apnce.rs that the latter is used for train and'vehicular traffic, and the train has first say when it comes to a question ol precedence. The possibility of such a delay may be obviated % adopting Dr. Pl,rcha s' plan of branching oti at Taupiri and going round the other ; way. Right up to Cambridge Mr. Gilmour found ample water in plenty of places. Hamilton was reached at a quarter-pan two p.m., where the travellers dined and stayed an hour, arriving at Cambridge shortly after ' four o'clock. They motored round CamI bridge and then climbed tho hill to the sans- : torium. This is the first time the feat has ; been accomplished in a motor-car. Mr. Gilj mour did the trip four times. On the fir*t j occasion he negotiated the ascent after some ; heavy rains, and on getting up about a j quarter of a mile found it necessary to tie | a clothes-line round the back wheels before i they would grip. There are three miles of hills, and the first trip was done in 25 minutes. It is a good run of three and a-quar-ter miles up to the hills, and the whole I journey occupied 40 minutes. The best time . made from Cambridge to the sanatorium 1 was 29 minutes. Mr. Gilmour spent about j r.vo weeks at Cambridge, during which he . motored to Te Awamutu. He found a ; swamp to cross, which was at tin* time, dry ! but would be nasty after rain. He loft for Rotorua at twenty minutes past four a.m. I and ran out 20 miles or so before getting to water. Waimukariri, some 25 to"30 inile, from Cambridge, he recommends to steam motor-ear drivers as a good watering-up place. From here he had good running through undulating country for a few miles, and then was on to the Mamaku hills before ho expected them. Not having filled up with water he had insufficient, but by luck happened to get about enough from a waterhole on the road to carry the ear through to Mamaku. From here to Rotorua the roads were rather sandy 1 in places. Two trips to Wainiaiigu were made, the 174 miles being cut out in one hour 10 minutes— not bad time. The geyser played on the. second visit to a height of 300 ft, and struck the motorists as a marvellous sight. HORSES NOT SCARED BY MOTORS. Talking of the point of view from which horses regard the motor-car, our representative gathered from several of the motorists seen that the horse has come to look upon the automobile—noisy or noiseless as the case may be—with quite commendable equanimity. Mr. Gilmour illustrated this fact by

relating two little experiences, both of which show that some human beings are more easily scared than is the horse. When making the best of a good bit of road on the way to Rotorua, .Mr. (jilmour reached a nice, gradual carve, where he came upon a waggonetto drawn by two horses, and coming towards the car. tie was rather astonished to see th" occupants of the vehicle ahead suddenly throw up their hands, and signal to him to slop. In the meantime he, observed two ladies scrambling out at the back of the waggonette. The motorist approached, and the fears of the other party were allayed when they found that they had only met an almost noiseless Locomobile. Their alarm was net shared by the horse*, who stood quite undisturbed as the tar was driven slowly past them. This passivity on their part extracted a blend of admiration and sarcasm from their driver, who was heard to exclaim upon the fact that ir was the ladies who were frightened, and not the

" blooming gee-gees." The second experience was with a Maori. The motor-car was going down a hill at a good bat, when tie* travellers saw a native on ahead, jogging along on a hardy little nag. As they came nearer to him Mr. Gilmour commenced to sound Ids bell vigorously as a warning. What the Maori imagined was going to happen will probably remain a mystery for all time, for he did not waste a single second of time in reflection, but tied like a striken deer as fast as Ins steed would carry 1 im. He never even looked behind to see what, had seared him, but. cleared cut as though a cyclone had struck him, and gallopped lard and clean out of sight through ;ne tea-tree at the side of the mad. No doubt his scare was very real to the native, but to the onlookers in the car it was a highly amusing episode. NAPIER TO ROTORUA. A well-known Napier gentleman ami his wile (Mr. and Mrs. Henry Butcher) have been enjoying a pleasant trip. They set out from Napier in two Oidsmobile ear-, each driving one. Their pleasure was at one stage in danger of being marred by an accident which occurred to Mr.-. Butcher. Between Napier and Taupo this lady was travelling along at about 30 miles an hour down hill when a gust of wind curried her hat off. She raised her hand to catch at it, and at the same instant the wheel of her car bumped into a rut, the handle was snatched out en iter hand, and the car dropped over a 6ft embankment into a tree. It was fortunately one of Mrs. Butcher's lucky days, for she came out. unhurt. The car was badly damaged, and had to bo repaired for the trip to Auckland. On arrival here both cars were left, and two others taken for the trip to Rotorua, which was accomplished on the. next (by (December 30). The distance was covered in good time, Mamaku being reached at half-past six p.m., after leaving here at five a.m., and stopping nt various places en route. Rotorua could not be made that night, as it was discovered at Mamaku that a joint had blown out, and was leaking water into the cylinder. The car was fixed up, and next day the rest of the run was completed in an hour and 20 minutes. The whole trip from Napier to Rotorua was practically done in two days. Mr. Butcher doscribes the roads as very bad in some places. and the grades between Napier and Taupo as terrible. OTHER TRIPS. Amongst others who utilised their motorcars for pleasure trips during the holidays, Mr. Humphrey Haines toured the Rotorua district. He achieved the feat of making an ascent of Ngongotaha Mountain on his ear. Mr. 11. P.' Parry, of the Waihi Gold Mining Company, visited Taurauga, breaking the record between there and Waihi. Ho also motored through to Rotorua and Atiamuri, and did some fishing. Mr. Henning was another who negotiated the Hot Lakes trip, whilst Mr. H. Adams, jun., of th* Mahara Royal Gold Mining Company, motored from Tapu (Thames) to Rotorua. He there sold his oar to Mr. Kusabs, arid purchased another from Mr. Butcher. The latter, by the way, passed through Auckland yesterday, and bought a fine, tip-to-dat* auto-car from Messrs. Ryan and Co., paying £600 for it. POPULARITY OF MOTORING. There is not a doubt but that motoring is becoming more and mora popular. Although the. sport or pastime is still young so far as this colony is concerned, it is a, notable fact that one firm here have a car that has to date travelled 14,000 miles. The Auckland Automobile Association has now '17 members, about 30 of whom intend on February 25 to motor through to Rotorua for the carnival week. They will take the requisite touts, etc., for camping out. Some 12 or 14cars will make the trip. It may be of interest to add that the association has affiliated with kindred associations in Great Britain and other countries, and the Christchureb body has approached the Auckland Association with a view to amalgamating. The public mind may be reassured as to the capability of members of the association to drive, by learning that certificates as drivers are issued to members, who have to pass an examination to gain one. The governing body has also stringent rules against breaches of the traffic regulations. Motoring may well be popular under such wise provisions for the safety of the. public. That it may also claim regularity in the sense of offering unusually agreeable means for holidaymaking has been one of the main objects of this article to show.