LINDIS PASS ROAD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3957, 14 January 1930, Page 69

LINDIS PASS ROAD.

ROUTE TO LAKE WANAKA. FROM CHRISTCHURCH IN A DAY. “ One of the finest scenic resorts in the South Island within a day’s run of Christchurch is Lake Wanaka. Otago, but an otherwise good road leading to it is marred by a bad stretch of about 20 miles through the Lindis Pass,” said the president of the Canterbury Automobile Association (Mr F. W. Freeman) to a representative of The Press. Mr Freeman, who has just returned from Pembroke, the settlement at the head of the lake, said that people in Christchurch did not generally realise that it was not necessary to approach the lake from Christchurch, via Dun edin; if they were made aware of this, there would, he felt sure, be a greater number who would avail themselves oi the opportunity of visiting the resort than was the case at present. The distance between Christchurch and Lake Wanaka, via Geraldine and Fairlie, was about 268 miles, a saving of 30 miles being effected by omitting a call at Timarn. A MOTORIST'S PARADISE. There were scenic resorts in the South Island which were par excellence, he said, and Wanaka was one of the best of them, the whole district, in fact, being a motorists’ and tourists’ paradise. The roads generally were in first-class order with the exception of the section he had referred to. This was part of a Govern ment highway, but in its present state was no credit to the authorities. Some of it was unformed, and in wet weather was a source of danger, chains being necessary to get over it. In some instances slips had occurred, and the ser- | vice cars of the Mount Cook Motor Coini pany had simply gone over the top of ! them, leaving them in a bad state.

There was one particularly dangero 7 « point. That was the black bridge over the Lindis River, and only by great caution was it possible to get an ordinary car over it without mishap. The super structure bore ample evidence of its in adequate width by the manner in which it was marked by the mudguards of cars which had crossed it. Service ears could not use it, and it was customary for these to ford the stream. The bad approach to the bridge could, in his opinion be remedied by the expenditure of a few pounds and the use of a stick or two of gelignite.

There were about 130,000 motorists in the North Island, and it should be the object of the South Island to induce as many of these as possible to visit this part of the Dominion. By travelling to the Otago lake district via the Canterbury lakes, by the Lindis Pass route motorists would lie enabled to come back through Dunedin and Timaru, thus obtaining the advantage of an alternate route, but it was absolutely essential that the section traversing the pass itsel* should be made safer than it was at present, if the trip were to be made a popular one. TWELVE HOURS’ JOURNEY. It was possible, said Mr I reeman, to go through from Christchurch to Wanaka Tn a day, even under present conditions. One could accomplish the journey in about 12 hours, allowing all but 20 ot ; 30 miles to be covered at an average I speed of 30 miles per hour, the remain ing four hours being set aside for the rougher portion of the road and for stopl- - refreshments. If one did not desire to go so far in a day, one could break the journey at accommodation houses or hotels situated at Geraldine, Fairlie, or Omarama, or at any other spot favoured for camping. Mr Freeman said that he hoped even tuallv to see the road completed between Lake' Wanaka and the Fox Glacier, via the Haast Pass. He understood that about 150 miles of the route had still to be loaded. When this was accomplished, motorists would be able to make a round trip from Christchurch by way of the cast coast, the north ern portion of the island and the West Coast, to Wanaka, returning to Christchurch through the Lindis Pass or Dunedin, and he thought that there would be few, if any tours in the world to compare with it from a scenic point of I view. With the projected construction ’ I of the road over the Lewis Saddle from Canterbury to the Maruia Springs and Reefton, the journey would be appreciably reduced, while at the same time . taking the motorist through equally - beautiful scenery.