HOLIDAY TRIPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19833, 31 December 1927, Page 9 (Supplement)

HOLIDAY TRIPS.

THE WAIPOUA FOREST* Within a fortnight the road through the W aipoua forest will-be open for traffic and a new field for a three or four day trip from Auckland will be available. It will he possible to mako a circuit through the forest from the Dargavillo approach returning to Whangarei via Kaikohe and Kawakawa. Interest would be added to tho trip if the outward run was made through Warkworth, . Wellsford, Maungaturoto and Buawai and the return down the East Coast through Waipu. The distance to Dargavillo by the Warkworth-Maungaturoto-Ruawai route is 124 miles. The last 50 miles is all metal. From Dargavillo to Kaihu is about 18 miles and Donnelly's Crossing is ireached after another 7 miles. If the Trounson Kauri. Park is to be visited the road to Aranga is taken for a short distance past Kaihu, but a turn-off is mado when Whatoro is reached. From Lor.'-, tho road runs for two

miles up to tlie entrance of the park. The rar must be left here. A walk through the park occupies about 20 minutes. To reach the Waipoua Forest, a metal road is followed for about 3 miles past Donnelly's Crossing. Her© is the turn-off to the road which runs for about 12 miles through tiie forest. After this a run of one mile brings the tourist to Waimamaku from where a metal road leads to- Rawene. The distance from Auckland to 'the end of the forest road at Waimamaku is about 165 miles. At this point the motorist has to choose between a circuit through Whangarei and a return over the same route. If the circuit is made through Rawene, Ohaeawai, Kawakawa, Whangarei, and IWaipu, the return journey from the northern end of the forest road is about 223 miles, made up of 18 miles from Waimamaku to Rawene, 34£ • miles from Rawene to Ohaeawai, 50* miles fromOhae■wai to Whangarei, and 120 miles for the last lap to Auckland. The complete circuit is thus nearly 390 miles —a reasonable run for three days.

CAR WRECKING.

Spare parts are so cheap in America 'that the knocking down of old cars for usable parts is no longer a popular trade. The return often does not justify the labour, and dealers who accumulate) .auge stocks of old cars usually find it move profitable to drop the lot nito a gully. In Great Britain the position ~s different. The car breaker's ideal is to hold a comprehensive stock of spares for all obsolete models. There is one difficulty. Up to 1912 there had been placed ou the market nearer 4000 than 3000 models. As lie cannot buy a different model each time he would probably have to break 7000 cars to get his stock. This is obviously impossible, because on completing the stock it wouH be largely valueless on account of age. The effoctive compromise is therefore for the car breaker and user of ultra-cheap transport to handle only ■well-kuo>vu makei as large numbers of one make arc easily available. The majority of cars cost the breakers between £2 and£7 on scrap value alone; the sale price of parts is not governed by (heir cost but by the cost of selling Mem. Consideration will show that if ono were presented gratis with a couple of acres of spare parts it would still be possible to trade "at a loss, even if 10 per cent, a Vear could be sold. In complete scrapping, wings" are removed with the sledge-hammer, while the body i. j removed, often by breaking the wood from the bolts. The radiator is removed in the usual way, reducedto brass, and the solder run into ingots. The body is reduced to its hair (if a»v), leather, iron, glass, etc., in übout one hour's time. (Minders are removed in the usual way, and a tip on each piston head leaves the crank case and gear box for attention. After the usual disconnections further sledge blows on the bearer arms remove The hammer and sett part the frame, anj.aprings, and the frames are periodically cut up with oxygen._ The final process is the segregation of metals which must be clean before desprttch/ A fire is made of the tyres, body rood, grease and oil, and the crank case and gear box placed on top. At the critical heat at which the metal be.-omes brittle it is removed with hammer and tongs.

SPEED TRAPS UNFAIR.

In his annual report the Chief Con* stable of Glasgow refers to the growing congestion of traffic and suggests that power should be obtained to divert alow nnd fast rn.oving vehicles along different routes. During tho year covered by tho report 1440 cases were reported of motorists exceeding the speed limit, and £2902 18s had been imposed in fines. Trapping, he considers, is " not a satisfactory instrument," and often results in the most careful and reliable drivers being prosecuted. It would be more satisfactory if somo' other meats of checking reckless driving could be devised.