RECORD MOTOR TRIP.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12490, 17 March 1909, Page 4

RECORD MOTOR TRIP.

Dr". Neeley; who left Christchurch on March. 9th with the intention of travelling to Hokitika in twelve hours by motor, succeeded in accomplishing his task and establishing a record for the journey. He left Christchurch at 7 a.m. by train with his motor-car on a truck (says the "Lyttelton Times"), and travelled to Broken River at 10.10 a.m. The. roads were in good order, and Dr Neeley had an excellent trip to the Bealey. Horses arranged for failed to meet the car, but it negotiated the! Bealey ford after much "st'eeplechasing" on its motor po\ver. Then came a magnificent trip through the gorge, the car being the first to pass over from east to west. '. "We endeavoured- to negotiate the Otira river, which was two feet deep, on motive power, but stuck, and required the assistance of horses," states Dr Neeley. "We then found the cylinders to be filled with water sucked through the carburetter and lost ninety minutes in . remedying this. We stopped. twenty minutes for refreshment at the Otira Hotel. The trip from Otira to Hokitika was magnificent. The roads were excellent, but are crossed hundreds of times by small 1 streams, necessitating much gear-changing. The road is exceedingly winding, travellers at no time being able to see more than a quarter of a mile ahead, and we narrowly escaped going over an embankment through "-suddenly meeting a waggonette and pair. Our total stops were : Traffic stops 47 minutes, taking five photographs 50 minutes, stoppage at Otira ford 90 minutes, luncheon 20 minutes, leaving an actual running time from Broken River, of shrs 23 mm. The time from Christchurcli to Broken River was 2hr lOmin, and the total journey from Christchurch to Hokitika took twelve hours."