TRANSPORT TO TAUPO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21999, 4 January 1935, Page 11

TRANSPORT TO TAUPO

- AUCKLAND CONNECTION

PLEA FOR BETTER SERVICE

TOURIST DEPARTMENT VIEW

Can a charge of negligence be laid against. .Auckland with respect to the development of Taupo? That issue is raised by a Taupo correspondent, who claims that, although Taupo is within the Auckland provincial borders, existing transport services give it more affinity of interest with Hawkc's Bay, and particularly with Napier. "We pleaded for a railway," says the correspondent, "lyit> the Government, in all good faith and, no doubt, rightly, thought a railway was not warranted. However, I beg to suggest that the transport services to Taupo should be such that the townspeople and the travelling public should be fully catered for. Our mother city, Auckland, must see to our wants, and our primary want at the moment is transport—a regular daily, or, at least, tri-wcckly service between Auckland and Taupo. "As we have no railway, our appeal is for:—(1) A perfect transport system between Auckland and Taupo, which will meet the growing trade between those two terminals; (2) services from Hamilton and Rotorua to Taupo to cater adequately for our own people and for visitors." Facilities Considered Adequate When the correspondent's complaint was referred to the Auckland oflice of the Government Tourist Department yesterday an assurance was given that the scenic and holiday attractions of the Taupo district were always brought under the notice of tourists, but that the present transport facilities seemed to be adequate for present needs. Taupo is only 98 miles from Napier, but is 178 miles from Auckland via Putaruru, or 198 miles via Rotorua. Thus, the department pointed out, it was not to be wondered at that the tendency should be for Taupo to have closer relations with Napier than with Auckland. Present Facilities Nevertheless, it 'was not admitted that existing transport services accentuated that tendency. Some time ago there was a daily motor service both ways on the Auckland-Taupo-Napier route. However, lack of patronage made it necessary to divert the route via Rotorua. There is a daily service, including Sundays, on that route, which thus gives equal facilities for Taupo residents to travel in either direction. In addition, visitors to Taupo from Auckland may proceed by rail either to Putaruru or Rotorua, making daily service-car connections for Taupo at either point. Transport Board's Attitude

Actually, there are two motor services daily from Napier to Taupo, but -as they run with an interval of only threequarters of an hour between them, very little extra advantage is thus given. From Auckland the two services are combined in one, leaving the city in the early morning, reaching Taupo in the mid-afternoon, and arriving at Napier in the evening. Doubts were expressed whether the Transport Co-ordination Board would be willing to allow more frequent services between Taupo and outside districts in view of the belief that traffic needs are adequately met under existing arrangements.