MOUNTAINEERING BY MOTOR

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 88, 7 November 1932, Page 2

MOUNTAINEERING BY MOTOR

HIGH UP ON EGMONT'S SLOPES

NEW ROAD TO PLATEAU OFFICIALLY OPENED SPLENDID TOURIST ATTRACTION FOR STRATFORD A STORY OF PERSEVERANCE AND ACHIEVEMENT

AN event of the utmost importance to Stratford, although one that is overshadowed to a certain extent by the railway ceremony, is the opening of the Mountain Road to the Plateau. The official ceremony in this connection is to be performed late this afternoon by the Minister of Education, Industries and Commerce, Hon. R. Masters. It is fitting that Mr. Masters should be selected to perform the ceremony because he has always been a staunch advocate of the development of this side of the mountain. In former years, Mr. Masters made frequent ascents of the mountain from this side, and at one time in company with some other enthusiasts he made it a practice of spending every week-end there. The road to be opened this afternoon, is surely unique amongst the tourist routes of the Dominion, providing as it does the unusual facility of permitting people to do their mountaineering by motor-car. People are now enabled to proceed by a good road with easy grades to a height of 3750 feet within 35 minutes of leaving the Stratford Post Office.

This road became an established fact as a result of initiative and painstaking endeavour. Messrs A. W. Burrell and G. D. Hunter, of Stratford, were the two gentlemen who realised that it could be done. Mr Burrell was the originator of the scheme and with him Mr Hunter did a great deal of work in mapping out a route which would enable the road to be constructed. True the line of the Present road is not in all respects the same as that mapped out by these gentlemen, but although their plan would perhaps have meant a longer distance, the grade would have been easier. However, that does not matter a great deal, for the grade now provided is an easy one and Messrs Burrell and Hunter are loudest in their praise of the splendid job that has been done by the Public Works Department.

It was in March of 1923 that Mr Buri'ell originated the idea. He and Mr Hunter were camped on the "Burnt Patch" while they were en. gaged in reopening tracks which had fallen into disuse, and in exploration work. They had 'reopened the track to the Manganui Gorge, and cleared the track up to the plateau from the Stratford Mountain House. At that time the latter was in a state of disrepair, to put it mildly, as a result of long disuse and the' attention of vandals. They thoroughly explored the whole area with a view to finding out whether a road with a suitable grade could be constructed and were greatly impressed with the possibilities. Three years later, in May, 1926, they began a further investigation. They obtained permission from the Park Board to cut the necessary lines and ran a traverse down for 350 feet. As a result of bad weather, they were compelled to cease operations for a while, but returned to the attack a few weeks later, just after Easter, but again the elements prov_

ed too unfriendly and work was abandoned until alter the winter. They were camped on the mountain side at the time, and on the evening before they left, a terrific storm came down very suddenly. Their tent was torn from its fastenings and carried high into the air as though it were a toy balloon. They gathered up their belongings as well as they could and commenced to make their way in torrential rain down the mountain side towards the old Mountain House, Difficulties were met with all the way down, a fierce wind blowing against them made their progress* painfully slow and the mountain tracks were soon rushing torrents which became worse as each minute pas&ed. As they neared their goal, all around them were the sounds of falling trees and rocks crashing into the Te Popo Gorge. At last wet through and weary they reached the house but that, in its dilapidated state afforded them scant protection against the elements. They blocked up some of the holes and found the driest spot possible where they spent a night of extreme discomfort

In the early spring they returned to the mountain and continued the work and soon afterwards they were able to report so the East Committee that a grade of 1 in 12 Crom the house to the plateau had been established. Mr Charles Burn 11, a gentleman who has probably contributed more towards the development of the East side of Eginont than anyone eise j suggested that endeavours be made to find a still easier grade, and he financed the carrying out ol the work. Messrs A. '.V. Burrell and Hunter went over it again and finally set out a road with an aV3ragc grade of 1 to 131. In some places the grade was as low as 1 in 10 and 1 in 18 J and the steepest was 1 In I'd, Of, course, this meant ihe lengthening of j

the road and the construction of seven more culverts. In the meantime events began to move rapidly in the history of the east side of Mount Egmoiil. The East Committee under the chairmanship of Mr J. C. Robins proved to be u very live body and in spite of the setbacks thny received from many quarters and often scant sympathy from the Park Board, they put forth great efforts and progressed amazingly. The House was remodelled, and made extremely attractive while the surroundings were generally improved, and an all weather road to the House provided. The East Committee pushed for. ward with the scheme to have a road

Ito tlie plateau constructed and in 11*27 Mr Adams, of the Lands and Survey Department, inspected the route mapped out by Messrs Burrell and Hunter. He expressed astonishment that such an easy grade could have been found and his report was generally very favourable. However, on account of bridges and culverts, the expense was thought to be too great. The Public W»rks Department then came into the picture and using the line mapped out by Messrs Burrell and Hunter as a base the present, road was decided upon, the earlier work being carried out by the Public Works Department and the latter portion by unemployed labour. As is usual in matters of this kind, the road to the plateau was regarded by some wiseacres as a joke when it was first mooted, but perseverance won the day and the so called joke has blosomed forth into on<j of the greatest tourist attractions of which our Dominion can boast.