ACCESS TO FLAGSTAFF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21612, 6 April 1932, Page 4

ACCESS TO FLAGSTAFF

MOTOR ROAD TO SUMMIT VALUABLE CIVIC ASSET MOTOR CLUB’S PROPOSAL During the past few years Flagstaff has become increasingly popular as a rendezvous for picnic and tramping parties, hut it is unfortunate that the glorious view obtainable from the summit of the mountain is denied to visitors and others who are precluded through lack of time from making the climb. Some years ago a proposal was on foot to have a roadway constructed to the trig station, and so make this magnificent vantage point easier of access, but the project lapsed although some of its more enthusiastic supporters did not lose sight of it as a future possibility. A CIVIC ASSET. Realising that such a road would not only make the summit of Flagstaff one of the most popular'' scenic attractions within easy distance of the city, but would also prove a valuable civic asset, the Otago Motor Club has again revived the proposal, and in the near future, if its plans come to fruition, motorists and pedestrians should be able to travel over a well-graded road right up to the . trig station. A PIONEER ROUTE. It may bo news to many of the residents of the city to learn that years ago the road to Waikouaiti ran over Flagstaff, and it is along this route that the new roadway would be formed, commencing at the junction of the. Longridge and Whare Flat roads. The old formation is still in existence, and at least two well-known local engineers consider that it could be followed without difficulty. The idea is to construct a dry-weather road in the meantime, and the consensus of opinion among those interested is that this would be a comparatively easy task.

AN INEXPENSIVE UNDERTAKING. From the turn-off from the Wliare Flat road to the top of the mountain is a distance of approximately a mile, if a straight lino is taken, but as this would entail a gradient of about 1 in 8, it is considered that it would be preferable to take the road around the eastern slope. This route would add only about quarter of a mile to the length of the road, and if it were followed a much easier grade (about 1 in 15) could be obtained, in addition to which visitors would have an uninterrupted view over the whole journey. On no section of the work would there be any heavy cutting or filling —nor would any bridges or culverts be necessary—it would all be plain pick and shovel excavation, so that expense would be reduced to a minimum. Of course, if it were decided to metal the formation, the cost would be fairly heavy, but it has been suggested that the boulders that lie in abundance over the whole line of the route might be utilised, in which case they could be hand-spalled and napped with a consequent considerable reduction in expense. PUBLIC BODIES CO-OPERATE.

It is proposed that the work shall, as far as possible, be carried out by unemployed labour, and allowing that the Unemployment Board will grant the necessary funds, the Returned Soldiers’ Association might consider expending a portion of the Poppy Day funds in helping the work along. Representatives of the Motor Club, the Returned Soldiers’ Association, the Otago Expansion League, and two prominent local engineers have already held several conferences with regard to the proposal, and already there is an indication that support will be forthcoming from other bodies. On Monday Messrs J. L. Passmore, P. W. Breen, and \V. Sutton (president, vice-president, and secretary respectively of the Otago Motor Club), Mr G. J. Errington (president of the Otago Expansion League), the president of the Returned Soldiers’ Association (Mr W. F. Forrester), and Mr F. J. Williams paid a visit to the locality, and as a result of their investigations it is probable that a move will very shortly be made to have arrangements finalised. The total cost of a metalled road would be about £I2OO, but a 14 foot clay road would involve the expenditure of only about half this sum, and its construction would keep 30 or 40 men employed for two or three weeks. MAGNIFICENT VANTAGE POINT, The value of such a road as that suggested is exemplified in Auckland, where roads to the summits of Rangitoto, One Tree Hill, and Mount Eden carry thousands of visitors every year. As the accompanying sketch plan shows, the summit of Flagstaff, from which can be viewed one of the most glorious and varied panoramas in New Zealand will, if the Motor Club’s scheme is adopted, be brought within half an hour’s easy drive of the city, and motorists will be able to park their ears on a wide level plateau of sufficient area to accommodate hundreds of vehicles. Moreover, if the City Council finally decides to take over the Crown lands on the mountain as a reserve, and plant them in trees, a road would be of very real advantage as a fire break.