A NEW COACH ROAD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 12956, 15 January 1913, Page 5

A NEW COACH ROAD.

MOTU TO OPOTIKI. SHOULD BE OPEN KIvXT SUMMER. It is almost Inconceivable that two old-established districts like Gisborne and- the -Bay or Plenty .should still, at this. stage or* the country's development, remain disconnected by* dray or coach road. For many years commimica.tion across the high broken range of hills that separate the salubrious Bay of Plenty country from the richer and' more progressive Gisborne district has . been dependent \ipOn A narrow winding track that penetrates the bush-clad highlands, and. hewn out of the solid rock, skirts the fringe of many a ■ precipice. This track will shortly be a thing of the past. Next summer should see a driving road opened up, -.the :scenic 'attractions of which will certainly be unrivalled on the East Ooast. ■ ■■ . , Motu is located at an altitude of about 1800ft, amidst the chain of hills close up -to the fringe of flats thirt" encircle the Bay of 'Plenty at Opotiki. About 41 miles will separate Motu from Opotiki by the new coach road. Klrie thousand pounds was A v oted last 'session (to cover liabilities and cost of, construction from March 31 ' last) v and about 60 men are at present employed, working from either end on the cd-operative contract system. There is about 7} to 8 miles to make, and if the work is curried on with the present progress, the road should- be "through" next summer. As it is, two drays have already passed over, but the existence of a mere ledge in places necessitated one befog carried over with the aid of planks and • ropes, whilst the second one was dismembered and conveyed over in sections. Passing as it does for the most part over a- hard slatey rock, the - new. road should maintain a splendid travelling surface: Several routes lay -between Motu and Opotiki, comprising ; the' Pakihi road, the old Motu road, and the Moromoko h-oad. The coach road, which was ; selected a year or- two, ago as tihe shortest: to complete, comprises -a combination of the, Pakihi and old Motu roads. Front Opotiki the road follows eastward along the beach for several miles (the road being metalled for most of the distance) ; and striking inland through an historic native settlement, it eventually climbs the Meremere hill to a height of 1200ft. The grades vary from 1 in 20 to 1 in 15, with good curves. Descending into' the Papamoa Valley, an old-settled locality, where dairying is being profitably carried on in a stretch of .favorable country, the road then ascends the Papamoa hill; where the work of widening the old track is proceeding, under the direction of Mr W., Waterson, district road engineer, of Opotiki. The old track is beirg deviated^ from ,at several- points; effecting a considerable shortening' of distance. -Just .ybeyond -Tpatoa there is a fine stock reserve, and it is* to this point tftie mai} /. conttjactbr .At- Resent drives his coach from Opotiki, making the rest of the journey with 'houses. He proposes to erect, a small accommodation house for travellers. .. _ .

About four miles further on, over Uie newly-constructed section, the coach route reaches a .point whei'c it deviates from the old Motu road that passes through Whitakau. :and Jloromdko, coming out through Whinniy Park 'at the Mota Falls bridge. A connecting link of about a mile forms a junction with the • Pakihi road, and ascending a<rain to, another- high altitude, -the road leads down over Anderson's hill to Motu. There is probably a little over ' a niile of the Pakihi section to complete. 1 , and this .portion, coming; in the Gisborne distinct, is under the supervision of .Mr W. Brook, the- Crbvei»ment road eugineejr .of Motu. Foi- a short distance the road passes round the face ;of a- high, precipitous bluff, .out. of which, the road is being- hewn. ,. Until the deviation was opened travellers 'sealed~down. .the. Povon:goliau' saddle oil tw the old "track.-. At the lecent depvitatioli at Opoliki, it will be .remembered, a protest was lodged by certain settlers against the expenditure- of .money on the top end of the coach road, which is the Motu endof the Pakihi. They claimed that the money should have gone to, the extension "of the road down the v Pakihi to junction with the extension from Opotiki. Had this been done, however, the opening up of the coach road -would have been- indefinitely postponed. jThe work down the Pakihi* is through. rough, expensive country. ' " V . There is another road th^it .branches off from - Toatpa',, tihtbugh Wiltoiris and ;6n" tb. Morompkoi ' ; The survey shoy.-s a 'favorable 'Hne> : ancl passes throu'ilv the settled portipn' s of the Whitikau block 'and a new block shorty to be . opened up. There is no doubt this road will ultimately nave tio be opened : up, >>uit :the larger amount of work entailed preclad<x3( * its adoption as the first 1 road.) For Over twenty miles the' new coach road passes almost ■ tViroug'h virgin country, and some splendid scenic attractions exist amongst the^ high,bushclad ranges. Some of^ls fa. so steep, that ,it woU'l-d, scarcely p^ay to-. clear, aad.in the'-intfer'es'fi of future generations it is to be' sincerely :. hoped; that the Lands Department will set aside substantial areas for scenic and meteorological purposes.