ROTORUA ROAD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22404, 28 April 1936, Page 12

ROTORUA ROAD

TOURISTS' CRITICISM HOLES IN ROAD SURFACE PROMPT IMPROVEMENT SOUGHT Strong criticism of part of the main highway between Hotorua and Auckland is expressed by a party of American visitors who have returned to the city after six weeks' touring in various parts of the Dominion. Tho driver, who has travelled extensively in England and 011 the Continent as well as in the United States and Canada, considered that motorists were endangered by the depth of tho holes and tho uneven surface, which had not been treated with tar. The women in tho party said that the shaking they had received made the trip very uncomfortable, and gave a distinctly unfavourable impression at the end of a most delightful tour. A constant traveller 011 the Rotorua highway, Mr. F. G. Fnrrell, vice-presi-dent of tho Automobile Association (Auckland), stated that ho could not remember a time in recent years when tho highway had been in worse condition than at present. For motorists travelling at night, tho holes which had developed on the tar sealing on tho Tirau side of the Mamaku Hills wero a distinct menace. Although the unsealed surface between Cambridge and tho top of tho Mamaku Hills had been placed in a fairly satisfactory condition before Easter, it was now totally inadequate for present-day requirements. Another prominent motorist said that for a considerable time the condition of the Rotorua road on both sides of Tirau had been a cause of grave dissatisfaction among motorists. He thought that more energetic steps should be taken to keep the road in better order. Representations have been made by the association to both the Matamata County Council and tho Main Highways Board in regard to this section of the highway. The association has been informed that a considerable amount of reconstruction would be necessary before the tar-sealing could be carried out, and that this work was scheduled for early attention. In tho meantime the association has asked the board to insist on improved maintenance.