OUTLET FROM GALATEA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19780, 29 October 1927, Page 8

OUTLET FROM GALATEA.

NEW ROAD TO WHAKATANE. 'OPENING FERTILE DISTRICT. ENGINEERING DIFFICULTIES. CUTTING THROUGH SOLID ROCK. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. § WHAKATANE, Friday. Fair progress is being made with the Construction of the road from Whabatane to Galatea, along the eastern side of the Rangitaiki River. It will become the main and direct outlet for a large fertile district and the main highway for all traffic between this district and Tanpo, Hawke's Bay and Wellington. The road will also connect at Murupara with the Rotorua-Waikaremoana Road, the construction of which is being undertaken by the Public Works Department. The new road will tend to remove the isolation of the settlers of Galatea, a district which forms part of the Whakatane County, and will make possible the development of extensive tracts of good country. The road has been constructed for a distance of about 12 miles from its junction with the Whakatane-Te Teko Road, and a free grant of £2OOO has been made available by the Government to the Whakatane County Council for the continuation of the work. The distance from the end of the present formation to the Waiohau Valley is only about a mile, but the construction work on this last link in the road connection with Galatea presents the greatest engineering difficulties yet undertaken in connection with road work in this district. The river here runs between two sheer cliffs, about 300 ft. high, and the intention is to cut a roadway through the BoJid rock round the bluffs. A portion of the road has already been (constructed round the first bluff. Viewed from a distance, there appears to be a narrow ledge cut round the face of a precipitous cliff, bat when approached a well-formed road, which is safe for all classes of traffic, opens out. It leads through Bome beautiful bush scenery on the one side. The Rangitaiki River is on the other. The first bluff on the uncompleted section is just over eight chains around, .while the second one is only about half that distance. The land between these points lends itself to comparatively easy road construction, and the rest of the route to connect with the Waihou Valley Road is practically level. It is doubtful, however, whether the money available will be sufficient to carry the work out to completion. The road should not be an expensive 50no to maintain, for the nature of the country, Tarawera ash, pumice and rock, ;will obviate the necessity of spreading metal on the formation. It may confidently be expected that in the near future traffic will be running through from tWhakatane direct to Galatea.