HOLIDAY TRIPS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3846, 16 December 1936, Page 26 (Supplement)

HOLIDAY TRIPS

ROUND A£ IE AWAMUTU. SOME PLEASANT JAUNTS. The holiday maker who is fortunat dnough to have a car need have no worries about choosing a suitable trip—either occupying a half-day, a day, or two or three days. Road surfaces have been improved appreciably dun ng the present year, and now there need bei little worry about choosing a route that will give a maximum of comfort with a minimum of ear wear and tear. THE GREAT SOUTH ROAD. Of course, the Great South Road as it passes through Waipa County has been improved “out of all knowiedgel” There is a sealed highway right from Ngaruawahia to a point south of Qhaupo, and the rest of the joumey’southwai d is well and efficiently maintained. The run between Hamilton and Te Awamutu now only occupies about twenty-five minutes, there being only about seven miles of metalled road in the whole distance not yet sealed. But it is not the same south of T ■ Awamutu, due principally to the. reconstruction work not being completed. Between Te Awamutu and Kihi kihi some deviations —only a chain or two at most —have been in hand for some times but will not be ready for use during the. holiday season However, the old roadway is quite good. South of Kihikihi great changes are- ,ifi course of making. Grades have been eased, curvatures made to conform to modern road-user requirements, and generally the surface ha. been improved. The naw bridge ovt: the Puniu stream has been opened for traffic, and there is now a ver; fine approach to the structure from either end, incidentally reducing the distance and making for much mor ■ pleasant motoring. South of the boundary between Waipa and Otorohanga Counties, the old road surface has been cut in several places, to secure continuance of the new standard of reading. There seems no reason to doubt but that it will be sealed in the not distant future And this should be borne in mind when any little inconveniences along the route are met with. But really there is no need to apologise for the road itself, which is a good metalled one, right through Otorohanga County and well into Waitomo, of which Te Kuiti is the commercial hub. It may bet mentioned, in parenthesis, that there is great activity even further south, in furtherance of the scheme for making a sealed highway tight from Auckland to Wellington, and a recent traveller over the Te Kniti-Tangarakau section says he was so impressed with the number of workmen busily engaged on road improvements. and with the dozens of tents and uufmehts established at various points, that there must be 400—and probably 500—workmen en-

gaged in that section. We cannot vouch for the number quoted, but’ it is apparent that a lot of work is being done/ The reason for this article was, however, not to give details of the Great South Road. The A.A. agencies and patrolmen will be issuing reliable reports as to its condition from day to day prior to and during the holiday season. We have in min 1 some of the lesser known roads that afford pleasurable motor trips within easy distance of Te Awamutu. ROUND ABOUT PTRONGIA. The Te Awamutu-Pirongia main highway will be much used, for instance on Boxing Day, for then the Alexandra Racing Club holds its 72nd annual (non-totalisator) race meeting at Pirongia and that event is a Very popular reAidezvous for motor trippers out,to spend an interesting day. It can be said with equal truth that all the other main roads radiating from Te Awamutu are in fair motoring order, and if anything like reasonable carei is exercised there is no reason to expect trouble. As for holiday jaunts. Well, let us suggest a drive out to Pirongia, across the Waipa River, and then up Sainsbury’s Road to beyond the reservoir of Te Awamutu borough water supply. From there is obtained a really charmings view of the countryside over a wide area. There are nice camping places right alongside the road, too: hut a word of caution: be careful to see that a fire does not spread. If the motor party wants to climb afoot, there! is always the rampart .of Mt Pirongia ahead: and the summit can be reached within about an hour, even by taking the climb in stages. Another interesting trip is from Te Awamutu to Pirongia, along th" Kawhia Road to 'Ngutunui, and up what is called the Pekanui Road. This latter is not a good road; but the new surroundings are interesting and should well repay a visit. The return trip can be made to Te Awamutu via Te Kawa West and Pokuru. Of Kakepuku is ever “in the eye,” and only six miles from Te Awamutu. That would hardly be far enough for a motor trip, but whj T not drive right round the mountain? There is only about ten to fifteen chains ot clay road; all the rest is metal. The over-all journey is about fifteen miles. Another nice run is via Pokuru to the Ourewhero crossroads, then via Te Kawa to the Great South Road and back to Te Awamutu.