PROPOSED NEW HIGHWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19328, 15 May 1926, Page 12

PROPOSED NEW HIGHWAY.

A SHORT CUT TO WESTLAND.

TOURIST LEAGUE'S SUGGESTION

The desirability of a highway connecting South Westland with either Otago or Canterbury has been brought under the notice of the Otago Expansion League arid the Canterbury Progress League bv the New Zealand Tourist League. It is stated, that in addition to opening up a new tourist route of exceptional scenic attraction the road would provide a popular short cut. At present when visitors' and' in-otorists lmve reached the Franz Josef glacier at Waiho, and desire to sec Mount Cook and the Southern lakes, they have to double back on their tracks through Hokitika. Otira, Springfield and Timaru. This means a total distance of over 300 miles, whereas the air line distance between Mount Cook and Waiho is not more than 30 miles. When pepple are travelling by car and time is a factor, long traverses like this often preclude them from seeing one place or the other. It may be found more practicable and expedient to work further south in Westland and cross over the comparatively low Haast Pass and down to the end of Lake Wanaka, than to work a shorter distance over higher passes into the Mount Cook region. A similar mountain highway has just been finished in the Canadian "Rockies, where a circular drive of 500 miles has been made from Banff to Windermere, which crosses a number of passes up to 5000 ft. high.