THE IDEAL MOTORING HOLIDAY

Southland Times, Issue 23648, 25 October 1938, Page 14

THE IDEAL MOTORING HOLIDAY

Take the Lake Road to Queenstown Return through Sunny Central Otago

BHEN the road between Kingston arid Queenstown was formed it opened a route which has captured the admiration of every motorist who has travelled over it—the sunshine route through the Lakes District of Central Otago. it is a route which must appeal to everyone. Those who follow it see ™ a Jest peaks towering above the unplumbed depths of Lake Wakatipu, distant view of snow-capped ranges, the leafy lanes and quiet happiness o . Queens own, the rugged splendour of Central Otago with its cavernous cliffs, its outcropping roc s ju ting from the hillsides in mighty buttresses, and precipitous gorges with their tales oj hidden gold. No greater variety of scenic attractions is to be found on any other route in New Zealand; no other route can offer such a wide appeal to those who seek the perteci holiday. To drive from Kingston to Queenstown is a delightful experience in itself. Motol ?sts will be as charmed with their drive along the eastern shore of far-famed Wakatipu as they will be satisfied with the safety and good surface of the road. Queenstown, nestling in a sunny bay of the lake and appearing to the traveller as a gem in one of nature’s finest settings, is on the border of romantic gold-mmmg country. It was not far from here that Fox and his party worked for months in a hidden valley up the Arrow, accumulating unheard of quantities of gold from the river gravels and making nocturnal excursions to replenish his stores, until one day he was followed and the r became a gold miners’ Mecca. The country round here is the scene of other stories equally as rorriantic. Those who find pleasure in delving into the past will be amply satisfied by what inquiries into Arrowtown’s past will reveal. From Queenstown, the motorist travels along the tree-girt flank of Lake Hayes, and from there the road runs parallel for miles with the Kawarau Gorge, which still guards its wealth from the prying hands of man. On either side craggy cliffs tower skywards and strange rock figures on the skyline reveal nature as a sculptor with fanciful ideas. Cromwell, the living heart of Central Otago, is an illustration of the successful application of scientific irrigation to what was before barren country,, and is rivalled m its fertility by Alexandra and the surrounding districts. Between Clyde and Alexandra a new dredge is operating with gratifying success to the company that owns it, while another dredge below Alexandra is also winning gold from the bed of the Molyneux. Once again the bank at Alexandra is handling gold in quantities that compare with the amount that flowed into the township during the dredging boom early this century. The road to Roxburgh follows a general course, and eight miles from Alexandra lies the rich farming district of Fruitlands Glimpses of the Molyneux gorge revive more memories of early gold-mining days, notably the exploits of Hartley and Reilly. Roxburgh, another rich fruit-growing centre, Millers Flat, and Raes Junction complete the Central trip and at Raes Junction the motorist begins his homeward run for Invercargill after passing through a district in which the past and present are blended to make an interesting study for all who care to see.