A NEW ROAD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18949, 21 February 1925, Page 10 (Supplement)

A NEW ROAD.

TE KUITI TO TE WAITERS. OVER THE POMERANGIS. One of the finest motor runs in the Audiland Province has been made, available to motorists this summer for the first time, by the completion of the metalling of the road from To Kuiti to Te Waitere, on the southern shores of the Kawhia Harbour, fhe distance is 76 miles, and the road runs through some of the finest, kill and forest scenery of the King Country. A motor service has been established this year, and is p.'oving a great boon to sellers all along tho route. The new road is practically unknown to tho ordinary motorist, but it- is certain that when its beauties become more widely known, it will gain a popularity approaching that of the new Awakino Valley Road, which has opened up new possibilities in tourist traffic between the Auckland and Taranaki provinces. Tho principal advantage of the new road is that it gives access to Kawhia all the year round. There are several oilier roads, but these are not metalled, and are practically closed to motorists during tin; winter. Tho trip to Kawhia via Kinohuku and To Waitere must be completed by launch, but this is not a long run. After leaving Te Kuiti, the road runs for several miles through the beautiful Oparure Valley, then mounts the. hills until tho Pomerangi Ranges are reached. There is a littlo house well up in the ranges where morning tea can be obtained, also liquid refreshment for the. radiator. The crossing of tiro Pomerangis opens up vistas of unparalleled beauty. The road zig-zags round innumerable sharp curves, and finally swings into a long downward stretch that ends in the fertile Kereteheri Valley. Then comes the steep climb of the Waipa Hill, and, on the crest, a glorious view of the ocean. Down below is Marokopa, and another long run of many miles up the beautiful Marokopa Valley. The road mounts the ranges once more, and descends finally to Kinohaku, on the shores of the Kawhia, with a branch road leading to Te Waitere, a picturesque and charming little hamlet cocupving the site of one of the early Church of England missions. Motorists who have "done" the more popular runs again and again will be well advised to have a look at this one ere the summer closes, although it should be borne in mind that the, road is essentially one for capable and experienced drivers. lIOWICK-PANMURE ROAD. EXPERIMENT IN MAINTENANCE. The scheme whereby the Auckland Automobile Association proposes to pay half the wages of a surfaceman on the Panmure-Howick Road is under renewed consideration by the council of the association and the Manukau County Council. The county engineer, Mr. J, R. Page, has communicated with the association, intimating that the county council is prepared to appoint a surfaceman to take charge and work continuously on the section of' road, amounting to about 4,j miles, between the Panmure Bridge and the Howick town district boundary, under the terms proposed by tho association. It is suggested, however, that the experiment should be for a period of three months instead of twelve, as desired by tihe association. The engineer states in his letter that the county council considers a suitably skilled surfaceman could upend three months very profitably upon that length without requiring any material in addition to that already lying upon and about tho road. After three months have elapsed probably further metal supplies would bo required and tho matter of carrying on or otherwise could then be considered and discussed. The object would be to koep an evenly-turned surface upon the road, to give proper attention to drainage, and to repair defects immediately they occur. It is hoped in this way to demonstrate the efficacy of proper maintenance over a given stretch of road. Although the original idea of the A.A.A. was that the experiment should be given a trial for one year, the county council's suggestion that the period be limited to threo months is being accepted, as it is realised that the financial resources of the riding through which tho road runs are very limited. The position now is that the A.A.A. has agreed to a three-months' trial, provided that the county commence by scarifying the road and rolling it in order to give the surfaceman a reasonable chance to keep the road in good order. ON THE MOVE. : San Francisco has evolved a unique method of fighting reckless driving and speeding. This plan, which was originated through the combined efforts of the police department and the California Automobile Association and the press, consists of sending seven motor-cycle officers, entitled the " flying squadron," front one district to another, moving as soon as improvement, is noted. The whereabouts of this squadron is at all times unknown to motorists and this has done much to further the elimination of reckless speeders from the streets of the city. The plan has proven so effective that it will be continued indefinitely.

Incorrect alignment of a side-car causes undue strain on a motor-cycle frame, and prematurely wears tyres. The Championship of Auckland hill (limb will be hold on tho site of the proposed speedway at Mangere on Saturday, March 14. The event will be conducted vy tho Sports Motor-cycle Club. H. Millar, on his o.h.v. Norton, secured jui easy win in the motor-cycle races at the Kaltaia Motor Sports. lie was by far the fastest machine on the beach and conceeded big starts in the handicap he won. Litest, advice received contains a report stating that several English riders arc obtaining 160 miles per gallon on Budge motor-cycles; 123 miles per gallon has been obtained on a 1200 mile tour locally. The Nelson Motor-cycle Club will hold a race meeting on Saturday, March 14. £145 prize money is offered for eight events, the big race being the Nelson handicap of 12 laps for a first prize of £2O. Entries close on March 2. Since the. Melbourne Motordrome lias opened some very fast times have been established. The racing is of a high order, and the visit, of the American racing riders, has helped to boost the sport. In the first right meetings held A.J.N, machines won 26 firsts, 21 seconds and 16 thirds. Riding on Ballina Beach, Australia, Cononlty, a local rider, established, for the first time in Australian motor-cycle records, a speed ot over 100 miles per hour. Riding a h.p. Douglas ho covered half a mile in 17 4-5 sec., a speed «>f 101 m.p.h. The previous fastest tunc was 00 m.p.h. Several attempts at world's records were made on Brooklands track just, prior to its closing for waiter repairs. Eight world's long-distance records up to seven hours in the 500 c.r, and 750 ac. classes were made on a 490 e.c. Norton, and two short-dis-tance records were put up by V Horsman on a Triumph, who covered the, flying five kilometres in Imin. 56.55ec. The first and second places in the Sports Club's reliability test, were very close, only half a point giving Young premier honours. The disastrous part of tho outing was the heavy rain which fell on Saturday night and it was a sorrv-looking party which started to pack up close on midnight to make for shelter. Another weekend camp is to be arranged shortly after the;hill climb. Since the early days of the motor-cycle it has always been one of the first, aims of designers to achieve as low centre of gravity as possible, consistent, with accessibility and adequate ground clearance, the object being, of course, to provide greater .stability for the two-wheeled machine. This has been obtained generally by tho use of a dropped top tube, permitting a low saddle position, in some instances frames of unorthodox design being employed. To-day, especially among the sporting class, this object has been fairly well achieved, although in many cases saddle comfort has been neglected. The 'English designers do not seem to bo able to realise the conditions under which we ride, and it is being left to local importers to specify special fixtures on their machines to adapt them to our roads. A speed contest or hill climb is probably the most attractive fixture on a motorcycle club's programme, but in the present season there has been a dearth of these events. Committees are faced with ttfe difficulty vof catering for riders of a]' classes of machines, and at the same, time keeping the entries in each class sufficiently large to be interesting. The 350 c.r.. class is now demanding that the o.h.v. machines should be chissed separately from the side-by-side valve engines, and so fresh trouble arises. The American type of hill climb consists of an ascent of an abnormally steep hillside, so steep in fact that no machine could successfully scale it, the winner being tho rider who succeeds in reaching tho highest point. This is a type of contest, more suited to the American mentality, and while it doubtless appeals to tho youthful and enthusiastic, the damage caused to the machnes is too great to be worth while, and it is scarcely likely that it has any future in local events. MOTOE-CYCLE RACING. It is quite evident from the attendance at the motor-cycle races during the past season that the sport has not grown enough for three meetings a season to be held. Under the old arrangement one meeting was a success, and the public flocked to see the racing. None of the three meetings held this summer have been a financial success and to encourage the riders to secure new and fast mounts, it is essential that bigger prize money should be offered. Really the only solution of the difficulty will be the making of the proposed speedway where racing will bo able to be indulged in without the heavy expense entailed by the use of a grass racing track. The absence of serious competition to Coleman has, of course, robbed the racing of some of its interest, but next year there is the prospect of Coleman, "Stratton, Managh, McCready ;ind Shakespear all being on fairly even terras with new engines, and, if this eventuates, the sport will boom again, and the racing will be well worth travelling miles to see. FREEDOM. The greatest joy of motor-cycling is the freedom it brings. If the going is dull, one can put on speed until the scenery -•hanges, when you can slow down to a crawl. If one town is devoid of hotels which look inviting, it is au easy matter to move on to the next, or to be thoroughly modern, a camp by the waysido can be pitched wherever the fancy wills. All riders are riot " hustlers." But the speed is there if you want it, and it is sometimes very useful. Probably the most peacefully minded person is the fisherman, yet the fishermen are now using motor transport as a means of searching; out new streams.