MOTOR & CYCLING

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

MOTOR & CYCLING

WITH TENT AND MOTOR ANOTHER CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY. WAIKAREMOANA AND ROTORUA.- ' (By “Trip.”) Jlotor-qaiupers who intend going afield at Christmas and who want any information : regarding, roads etc., are urged to eend in their, queries early, as these are dealt .with in rotation, “Trip” is}.'prepared to;Jook oyer itineraries and make suggestions for their improvement. AH queries, should be accompanied by a-stamped addressed envelope, and forwarded to “Trip,” P.O. Box 1178, Wellington... A brief holiday: of absorbing interest that, become, possible for the first time this season is one:embracing both Lake Waikaremoaiiay in Hawke's Bay, and Rotorua.- Tbe< : new road between R«atahuna and: the-.tyke, th© owning of which was: celebrated- recently, puta Rotorua; within very much earner accessed Gisborne, and\makes an alternative route from' Napier, , very little longer than that- usually followed via Taupo. Because of its novelty and its many o-reat attractions,-.‘this particular road will probably.be-more popular than any other short .section' in the North Island this summer. .Traversing the wild and mountainous Ureweya. country' for the greater part of its way, -this road goes through forest the' like, of which can be been in few places; lids comparable m ievery way with the' magnificent scenery of the West Coast of the South Inland, and with the very best that the North island can offer elsewhere. A n additional Attraction of this route, especially to those who have but little time to spend afield, is the diversity offered by two such - places as Waikaremoana and Rotorua.

A GREAT ROUND TRIP. p The opening of LhA new road make? e a. s-reat round trip possible, and al- t though the object of 'these present t articles is to give details of journeys o that will take only a few flays, it is o worth while mentioning foV the benefit a of those who have longer, that, with Napier as a bause, the best way of seeing. 1 this ecetion of the island A to go up v through Wairoa to Waikarcmoana, t thence to Rotorua, and return via c .Wairakei and Taupo/“ • ' Places to •'camp.; At Wairoa, motoi 3 cimp near-;rivet;, at Lakq Waikarc- j moana,. vWr RosleJ-Bay; Rotorua, best i equipped; camping, ground m Noith t Island; Wairakei, camping ground i opposite hothl; ’Taupo, camp m reserve, , near river, or round the chores of the 1 If ke. 7. ‘ ' * Things to see: power 4 Ration; lake outlet, near ; (good camping spot); Aniwaniwa Lake Waikare-iti, with island on which i there is another lake; Whaka, with- • boilin- pools, etc; Sanatorium grounds and gardens; Fairy Springs; Mokoia island; run to top of Mt. Ngongm-aha. for wonderful view of Bay of Plenty; round trip (launch across Tarawera and Rotomahana); Wairakei valley. Assuming that the motorist is inr from file vicinity of either Napier or” Hamilton, which would be the most convenient means of access from north and south respectively, the run tlirougn emild be karemoana (from the south) could ■ be accomplished: in one day. In a it' would be possible to vipit both places, have a fairly quick run round and return home again, so _that the journey ~» an . ideal one motor-campers with, limited tun* a their disposaL . . • : ‘ GREAT CAMPING REGION. , The Taupo-Rotorua region has’ for. years been a great one for camperftjAnd in rush tunes the faeilitie# -. both at Taupo and at Rotorua are excellent, Apart from the camping grounds, however th 6r « JJ® hundreds of by the wayMde where camping made Peasant by Um natural surroundings, .while for fishpi men Taupo is New Zealand s _ Tor those whose holiday-m brief, the: Waikarcmoana - Rotorua combination offers glorious contrasts;- On the one hand you have nature at. .her most peaceful stage, with interesting bush ranbles and launch trips-over the law, while at Rotorua you see; her in moreangry mood. Apai't a]tpgeth^r ; ffrom he. attractions of the run through the Urewera would be .--worth making, for the ecenexy HhereAhitherto reserved for the tramper and; the horseman, is magnificent. . r , Those, who have not been: io Rotorua previously will probably ;want to make that the-principal item-in the: trip, and wifi be content with-'aj;.run: through the Urewera road, and possibly , a day at the Hake itself. ' At Christmas Rotorua is crowded with holiday-makers from every hook and cOrhhr of - both islands, and there is an atmosphere of enjoyment apparent everywhere. A New Years Eva spent at either Rotorua or Wairakei is a thing to be‘remembered. Accommodation is at a premium, of course, and practically every square meh of the large camping ground will be covered with tents. The facilities are unrivalled and include such minor luxur-' 'ies'-as showers and a-- contiriuous supply of hot water,, while . hot baths and various other odds and ends can secured (at nearby' houses for modest Mims. , The milkman, calls at.your tent morning and- afternoon, and there are stores dotted about within a few hundred yards, of where you happen to be, so your camping there will be on a luxurious scale* You can even get hot meals cooked at a canteen just outside the main camping ground. USUAL. AND UNUSUAL. . , ■' I suppose the average. Rotorua visitor .sees . Whaka, has a' run. through'the > gardens . and some baths at the Gov.efnment bath hpus6,.d6es. a round trip, and then flite away with the feeling that he has seen all. I have been to; Rotorua half, a dozen tiipes all told, and have stayed-for varying lengths of time from a' day or'two to a fortnight, and I have never yet failed to find some new place worth seeing. It. te. well . worth while having a run round on any of the roads leading out of Rotorua, for in practically every direction you wilt ... come across something to interest you. The run mP to the. top of. Mt. Ngongotaha (you go out oh, the Fairy Springs read, and turn to the left where you see the road leading towards the mountain) •is. one that comparatively few motorists tackle, but from the trig station at the .top you. get a. superb view of the greater part of the Bay. of Plenty. . The road is narrow and you, have to go carefully, for there is very little.room for two cars to pass, but. any car can mal;; ..the journey, and the smaller the car, the more easy to negotiate some of -the sharpest of' ~ the corners, - Lake Okataina was. another beauty -sDot J did

not discover until I had been to Rotorua several times, but if you want a peaceful day or two by a bush-clad lake you should go there. The full-day launch trip across Lake Rotorua to Hamurana springs and through to Lake Rotojti makes a welcome break from th car, and o- a gunpy day gives you a perfect journey,that is hard to improve upon. These are the unusual things ,th..t are done by the few; the majority merely do the obvious. At Waikarcmoana the opportunities for using the car are few and farbef.,um, and most of the journeys there will be rpude afoot ° r by launch. On the road through from Rotorua there wiT.be endless opportunities to camp, and walk to nearby peaks. The writer has not been, through the Urewera for some years, ■ knows the locality well, am can. appreciate the great advantages opened up. by the new road. Truly this area offers a holiday unique in New Zealand, and if time allows the inclusion of Wairakei and Taupo, it will be even more interesting.

STORAGE BATTERY.

NEW INVENTION ANNOUNCED. A new type of electric battery, which is designed for railway . and othei heavy - transport, has been undergoing a series of tests on the Great Southern Railway at . Dublin recently. An oflr--cial statement on the subject was issued by the British Minister for Im dustry and Commerce, which says: . ' “Thn new battery is a low resist-. ance, alkaline battery of robust construction. It has 50 per cent, higher voltage than existing alkaline baU terios- On account of its low resistance it can be cliargcd and discharged at much higher rate® than existing alkaline batteries. The energy eth* - ciency of the battery is 7ff' per cent., under practical conditions, oi opera--tiop" and the current efficiency is 05 per cent. The construction is simpler than existing batteries, and therefore should be considerably less expensive to manufacture. This makes particularly suitable for operating vehicles on a shuttle service, or for railway operation when charging points can be arranged at .suitable intervals, “The ability of 4ho battery to yield large currents ' without appreciable voltage drop enables it to give accelera. tion rates and maximum speeds suffix dent for the best type of railway sei> vice;” -the ‘Minister said. Rate or acceleration and maximum speeds dm pend partially 1 upon the. size of the motors‘installed. With the new bat. fery speeds of 50 rn.p.h. to 00 m.p.h. may be maintained, _ It is Hot- yet possible to state definitely the. length 0. life of the new battery, but t.he life tests, are proceeding. Evidence afmdy accumulated indicate? that it will have a, very long lifo.” , , . „„ “The rafiway tests have not yet been completed, as the total number of celte required has not yet been finished, -}ie*added. “The tests so far, however,

have' been, eminently satisfactory, and support the claims set out above. Unofficial reports made by inexpert people refer to losses by leakage and danger of vibration. It may be stated that the battery is so constructed that damage by vibration cannot result, and in respect of retention of charge it is superior to existing batteries of siiniinventor is Dr. James Drumm, an Irish, scientist. BAD RUNNING. ONE OF THE CAUSES. It has been computed that about one car in every five loses engine efficiency in some degree owing to petrol vapour forming in the fuel line. The cause of this trouble is usually owing to tfie petrol lead running too close to the exhaust pipe, or the carburettor, or the vacuum tank is overheated owing ™ high temperature under the bonnet; this has a tendency to bbll P £ n d the resulting gas forms into bubbles that interrupt the even flow of petiol. This causes the engine to P°^° r ’ misfire, and even sometimes to stop owin" to fuel starvation. . At° about 90 degrees atmospheric mav climb as high as 230 degrees, 1 whilst the temperature pf the carbure - tor iet may reach 175 degrees. This figure was ascertained during, recent fets at the University of Michigan, where a carburettor made of glass was tested for petrol bubbles, under vaiyin<r degrees of heat. In the tests it was found that the petrol bubbles, at hi iT h eimine speed, were sucked throng tlm iet with little effect on engine mnX but once the revolution, got do.o Ihe’bubMe, inerenned in Sue, .nd chol.ed the small orifice o die J ct ;' When it is pointed out that the volume of petrol gas is approximately 185 times greater tliau an equal WClg of liquid petrol, it will be realised how s.. ip ossible it is for the very ?mall hole througli the carburettor jet to pass suffiSt vapour to enable- the engine tu function properly. This explanation will probably reveal to many motorists why their cars run much better and smoother m qooj weather-' than when the'thermometer !S hi«’ii To cure the trouble is in some cases a difficult matter, but where it is found that the petrol lead runs- cloge to the exhaust pipe 0 r ” G » r the ex haust box, and gets unduly hot, thq exhaust pipe -nay be lagged with ashes S ? - cordf or tire petrol pipe removed to the opposite side of the chassis, A cure has been effected ip J so ™’”; stances by fitting a larger petrol pipe, and cqveriug the vacuum tank with asbestos sheeting. A change of petio will sometimes overcome the trouble, for the more the fuel ja, th® readier it will forip -vapour, A. heavier arade fuel therefore may W 1 ™® matters. It may slightly; affect the starting of the engine, but that tiouble, does not,‘of ten worry motorists dm in o the. summer month?.