RANGIRIRIS BY NIGHT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18294, 10 January 1923, Page 8

RANGIRIRIS BY NIGHT.

CAR'S VENTURESOME TRIP.

JOURNEY IN HEAVY RAIN.

UNENVIABLE EXPERIENCE.

Darkn«sa adds to most difficulties, and certainly to essay the crossing of the Rangiriri hills at night-time, when the roads are known to he bad, and torrential rain is falling, is" a venture few carowners would care to make. 'A correspondent who recently crossed the .bills about midnight supplies the following account of his Yuletide motor trip, and, the difficulties encountered:— .. "We went south over these roads on .phristmas Day," he writes, "and found the roads, in fair order, the worst part being between Mercer and the foot of the hills, a distance of a mil© or so. Along this part of the road one has to crawl as slowly as possible, about five miles an hour. "We passed through Hamilton on the return trip,at 9 p.m. on December 27, in drizzling rain and after negotiating a tree that had blown right across the road, reached the Rangiriri Hotel about midnight. By this time the rain was falling in torrents, and continued to do so while •we were making the trip across. We put chains on the back wheels .before striking the clay road, and eventually arrived at Mercer sibout 1.30 a.m., "after about one hour .and a-quarter on the Rangiriris. We had not even a spot light, but just relied on our two headlights for illumination. We had a full complement of pasi sengers,' namely, three ' ladies and two ' men..

"I think few cars have made the trip across at' night-time "under such adverse conditions. I Bincerely hope that by this time next year the deviation road will be finished and metalled } as I do not wish an experience like this to fall to my lot again.