THE NEW RANGIRIRI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19008, 4 May 1925, Page 10

THE NEW RANGIRIRI.

OPENING OF DEVIATION. A WAIT OF SIXTY YEARS. MOTORISTS' CELEBRATIONS. NOSEBAG FOR OLD HORSE. At last, at, long last, the "Hangiriris'' are a thing of the past. Landowners will stoutly contend that their acres have not taken wings, and that the Rangiriri Hills are rapidly becoming highly fertile under cultivation. But the term "Hangiriris" never implied anything but a piece of mud road that in winter and in. wet weather barred the southern highway. It. is not surprising that the 'public should always have known what was coming when anyone i mentioned t/be Hangiriris. Men have been born and grown grey during the clay age ori this stretch of the road. Now that the deviation has been made and metalled, providing road communication between the,city and the Waikato at all times and in all weathers, it becomes more than ever astounding that the Rangiriri Road should be the same mud track in 1925 that it was when soldiers made, it in the early ' sixties." Enough of past regrets, however. Certainly they had no place in the celebrations of Saturday held to commemorate the opening of the new road to traffic and the laying of the last load of metal on the whole length of load from Auckland to Wellington. The function was organised by the Auckland Automobile Association, and jubilant motorists arrived in hundreds to rejoice with settlers over the event that was really of national importance. About 300 cars assembled at Rangiriri township, and about 100 went in procession from Mercer to Rangiriri. A Procession of Cars. The Minister for Public Works, the Hon. J. (L Coates, who was unable to be present owing to a prior engagement in the South Island, was represented by Sir James Parr. Minister for Education, who led the procession and "broke the tape" at the Mercer 'end of the deviation. Although the new way has fir'ill to consolidate to some extent, and the metal to be "blinded" in parts, a splendid surface stretched out before the cars, some of which touched 30 miles an hour as they sped over it. After ascending the one easy rise to the point where the old route is met, the motorists seemed to relish, recording past adventures. These were suggested by the many places where the metalled line leaves the old track. " Remember that hole ?" a driver would remark. " Remember the night we cut at least ten tons of tea-tree to fill it. and how we left the formation and tackwi about through the scrub?" "There is the old double water jump," /mother would chuckle. " Still full of water. That's where 1 broke two springs and was pulled out by the old grey horse." .These reminders of former adventures were quickly passed and the cars swept into Rangiriri ahead of time. It had been arranged that a party of Maoris should "attack" the procession from the site of the old redoubt above the township. Thanks to inetal and easy grades the first dozen cars had passed before the warriors . could make their sally. One of the first cars caught sight of the war party doing some practiced beyond a hedge. However, the party issued forth and held up the remainder of the procession with bloodcurdling hakas. At < the township the gathering numbered about 1500 and the first entertainment was provided bv a band of Maori belles, who, in suitable costume, sang sweet Maori melodies and performed the ,poi dance. Where the First Makers Sleep. The formal speech-making was done in the open air. Mr. J. H. Potter, who acted as host for the local people, welcomed the visitors, and the spirit of the day may be - gauged from the fact that the sound of distant hakas formed an accompaniment to his remarks. He said that the village had gathered a muddy reputation, that, was a thing of the past. He touched a more solemn note when be remarked that no more suitable place for the ceremony could have been found, seeing that many of the men who had made the first track wero sleeping the sleep of soldiers. Sir James.Parr said he had the greatest pleasure in being present to represent Mr. Coates. Who desired him to convey his apologies for absence. He also had been asked to represent the Government, which had been responsible for the construction of the new work on the ilo-ul. The cost of the new formation and the whole of the metalling had been £(2,00. The Public Works Fund bad found £37,000, the Main Highways Board had contributed £34,000 and the Huntly Road Board, £IOO3. The work was finished and a, reproach and by-word of half a century no longer existed. " I don't suppose that any other six miles of road in New Zealand have heard more profanity than this section," continued the Minister in jocular tones. " Certainly it could not be said that it. was holy ground. However, the cloud of profanity has rolled away." Sir James compared the excellent road's of the South Island and parts of the North Island with those of Auckland and emphasised the need for their improvement. Mr. J. A. Warnock,' president of the Auckland/Automobile Association, thanked the local residents for the excellent arrangement that had been made for the function. Alluding to Sir ".fumes Parr's statement that the Rangiriri Hills could not be called holy ground, he saifl that the last time he carne through the road had been verv holey indeed. (Laughter.) He congratulated the Public Works Department upon the magnificent grade and splendid .surface of the road. Ho also thanked the Maoris for the entertainment they had provided. The bad roads that still existed northeast and west of the city were mentioned by Mr. Warnock, who gave as a motorist's j . 1 ext "Work ' deferred niaketh the car j stick." He claimed some credit for the Automobile Association for the Rangiriri work having. been put in hand. Engineer's Tribute. Mr. L. H. f"ampboll, district engineer of the Public Works Department, said he had been connected with the work for six months only. He paid a warm tribute to the local engineer, Mr. T. MeFarlane, and his staff for their achievement of the last week. On the previous Monday he found that there was a stretch of 43 chains still unmetalled. Jn four days this gap had been iqctalled. In thai time the men laid 10Q0 tons of metal. !t. was a very creditable performance. He would not say the road was completed. The metal in many places still had to be surfaced | with chins, /oiled and consolidated. New ! •bridges had to be erected in place of I hi | one at Rangiriri and the one over the I Whangamarino near Mercer. Then' had I been' some delay over the work since it was started 'in August, 1022, one of the , reasons- being that its scope was extended oil two occasions until it embraced 17 miles. Road-making in New Zealand had come into its own. There was a lli;;hwavs i Board, special funds were being a< cumii- ' lated, chiefK' from the motorists, and j engineers wore being given sufficient i money to make a decent job, whereas for- | merly they usually had onlv half (he j nmount of moncv they required. Mr. M. H. W'yiivard, a member of the Main Highways Board, said he would like to read thenv a description of the Rangiriri Road as it was in 1064, that had been written by Sir John Gorst, "From the termination of the-metalled road made by the troops to the Maungatawhiri stream .through the Hiuiua forest," it ran, "the Jand route lilv along the western hank of the river, but this has now been abandoned for an easier road—("Ye gods!" exclaimed Mr. Wynyard)—on the opposite

shorej and the old truck is choken lip with fori). Five nniles of low, swampy country, with deep crocks to cross and thickets of dense jungle unci flax interrupted by an abrupt hill on the liverbank, called Kohowa, separate Mangatawhiri from,, the village of Moreuiere. At this place the track leaves the river and crosses 12 miles of barren, undulating fern country sometimes skirting clumps of forest and sometimes passing between vast swamps to the village of Rangiriri, where it again meets the Waikato River. | At Rangiriri a rampart and ditch have been made to stop an invading army, but nature has then placed an obstacle much more formidable in the dense flax swamp to the south of it." "As It Was in the Beginning." The description of 1864, said Mr. Wyn yard, was a true description until that day. And it was such things that had brought thi! Main Highways Board into existence. He touched upon the programme of the board already made public, lie hoped and belioved that they wouid not be disappointed in the board. All it asked for was a fair field and no favour and a little time for its work to be tried. Other speakers were Mr. T. \V. Rhodes, member for the district, and flori Herowin i, the local Maori chief, who is a brother of Major To Whcro, a tried friend of the pakeha in the Maori War. The old chief was not interpreted, but his eloquence found opportunity to make allusion to the fact that pakeha and Maori that day joined to celebrate the opening of a road, (he driving of which had led td a war tlm.t had made the graves of British soldiers in the cemetery and the unknown graves of Maoris in the swamp:;. The ,most amusing event of the day was the presentation of a nosebag filled with feed to a horse that has pulled many a car out of the Rangiriri ,nuid. The most famous horse that had been used for this job was a grey one, but owing to years and perhaps heart strain it died on the previous Monday. Its mate, a mere youngster of 20 years, was brought along for the occasion, and it arrived at the place of assembly dragging a mud bespattered car. in which four coat less men represented the typical distressed motorists of the past. Horse and the Oats, J)r. Brewis, chairman of the Hamilton branch of the Automobile Association, maoi: tlu: presentation. He said that the first horse he knew anything about was Pegasus, a remarkable animal that could fly as well as travel on ground. The present horse could hardly claim such ability, but it was rather good in a combination of two elements—earth and water. (Laughter.) In amusing fashion he discussed the passing of the horse, and then hung on the nosebag, from which I the animal at once started to feed. A medallion with a blue ribbon was hung around his neck, and then he was invited to pull the car out of the way. lie pulled a certain distance and then, ihitiKmg that it must now be clear of the nudliolc, stopped and started to enjoy the louts once more. He rather resented further persuasion, and getting his leg over a rhain, kicked lustily at the car. After afternoon tea, which was provided by Mr. Frank Rodgers in a large, marquee, a number of the cars went a mile further on. where the last load of metal was dumped. A lady tipped the drav. and Messrs. M. H. Wynyard, G. \Y. Hutchison, ,1. A. W'arnock, (1. Henning and a number of others spread the load. Then a tape was put across, and Mr. Warnock drove over. So ended a very pleasant and •memorable day. Among the guests were Dr. Wake, president of the Franklin branch of the Automobile Association, and Mr. J. Fow, Mayor of Hamilton. Mr. ,1. A. Young. M.P.. apologised for absence. The general arrangements of the day were in the efficient hands of Mr. R. Champtaloup, service officer of the association.