A RECORD RUN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15169, 7 December 1912, Page 8

A RECORD RUN.

AUCKLAND TO WELLINGTON BY MOTOR.

AVERAGE OF 21 MILES AN HOUR [BY telegram —special correspondent.] Wellington, Friday. A ekcord was established by the Ford Pioneer motor car, which, covered the journey from Auckland to Wellington via Taupo, Napier, and Pahiatua, 496$ miles, in two days seven, hours. Messrs. H. Richards (who had driven the car from Wellington through tho bush to Auckland), G. F. Hendry and'E. Gilling, passed the Government Buildings exactly at noon today. Tho car, which after eight days' j hard running from Wellington through the roadless Main Trunk country, arrived on the return journey in fine order. "Wo left Auckland at four o'clock on I Wednesday morning," said one of the party, describing the trip, "but were delayed at Pukekohe for 20 minutes through a big nail geeting into one of the tubes. The "Razor Back" at Bombay, the place whore the motor cycling hill competitions arc hold, was safely negotiated, though the red scoria through which we passed was in a very bad state. Huntly was reached in time for breakfast. By 10 a.m. we had got to Hamilton, and thence onward good weather favoured us with dryroads. A stay of an hour and 25 minutes was necessitated at Cambridge through a leakage, but we had a clear run through Tirau, Piitaruru, Lichfield,, Atiamuri, to Taupo, a journey of 169 miles from our starting-point. We left Taupo next morning at 5.25, going (straight on to the Rangataiki, 205 miles. A start was then made for Tarawera, where we arrived at 9.15 a.m. The Titiokura hill, nine miles, was a stiff climb, but we got over without the employment of horses and made Napier at 1.15 p.m. Good roads favoured us through Waipawa, Dannevirke, and Pahiatua, the latter place being reached at 8.20 p.m. We had thus' covered the journey from Taupo to Pahiatua in one day, a fine run. We left Pahiatua, at 6.5 a.m. on Friday, but two miles out from Masterton we ran short of petrol, and this caused a delay of 25 minutes while a fresh Bupply was telephoned for. It was 10.12 a.m. when the party got to the foot of the Rimutakas, but we had climbed to the summit with a high gear by 10.32 a.ni. Wellington was reached just at 12 noon, a distance of 498£ miles having been covered in 23 hours 30 minutes, deducting stops, which makes an average running (speed of 21 miles an hour from Auckland bo Wellington. The engines have been sealed' up so that an expert can make a thorough inspection to prove the accuracy of the test.