ROUGH MOTOR TRIP

Taranaki Daily News, 7 August 1930, Page 9

ROUGH MOTOR TRIP

STORM IN MARLBOROUGH. HOOD BLOWN OFF CAR, Numbed by the cold and with the hood of their car wrenched off by a wind whic blew almost with hurricane force, two motorists from Nelson arrived at Kaikoura last week and a nightmare trip ended in Christchurch on the following day. The . motorists were Mr. C. Higgs, a Nelson orchardist, and Miss Valerie Stephens, manageress of an orchard at Stoke. It was announced recently that. Miss Stephens won the Empire prize in London for the best five cases of apples. • The motorists, who described the journey as “a nightmare trip,” set out from Nelson at 11.30 a.m. on Monday and made good time to Ward, which was reached at 5.30 p.m. It was blowing a gale, from which the motorists had a certain amount of shelter until the coast was reached. Then Mr. Higgs found what driving in heavy weather meant. The wind velocity increased and it was with difficulty the car- was kept on a straight course, especially where a greasy surface was encountered. After hard battling the motorists reached near Kekerangu where it was found that the heavy seas pounding the coast had banked up a creek. A detour had to be made inland and the main highway was regained three or four miles below Kekerangu. From this point Mr. Higgs found it i more difficult to steer the car as the wind had increased to hurricane force. One terrific gust wrenched the hood off the car. The occupants thought that ithe car would overturn. In many places ■the seas came right on to the road, ! which was strewn with driftwood and i stones. The motorists were grateful I when Kaikour.a was reached in the evening. The darkness had intensified the struggle to reach the township. A start for Christchurch was made early on Tuesday morning. Snow was still on the road but reasonably good car tracks could be followed. In the Hundalee section the greasy condition of the road caused the car to aide slip dangerously descending the hills as the vehicle went into long skates. In climbing progress was slow because of ■wheelspin.