MOTOR & CYCLING

Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1931, Page 3 (Supplement)

MOTOR & CYCLING

WITH TENT AND MOTOR A VERY UNUSUAL JOURNEY. FROM WELLINGTON TO AUCKLAND (By “Trip.”) A question asked by a South Island motorist who intends coming north for a holiday is principally responsible for this article. He has visited the North Island a number of times, and knows most of the tourist resorts and places usually visited by motor-campers. He wants' to go to Auckland on a roundabout route, touching on the main roads as little as possible, and still to get plenty of interest from his camping. It struck me then that there are probably a good many motor-campers similarly situated, and as it is possible to link together a route which goes far off the beaten track, over which I have been in various stages, I am giving it, together with alternatives at a number of : different points. This route takes you out on to beaches at a good many places, provides excellent camping, and gives you a very fair idea of sheepfarming on the larger holdings. It includes, some very fine scenic stretches, and takes you close to other beauty spots which can be visited. Camping places there are a-plenty, but as you pass through far fewer towns than on most routes, your camping spots have to be selected, and have not the facilities so often provided on the betterknown motor routes. UP THROUGH WAI'RARAPA. The first stage of this journey takes you-, up oyer the Rimutakas to the Wai•rarapa, and you., make up through Featherston, Greytown, and Carterton, going out on one of the roads that leads through Gladstone. You can leave the main road at several points, all of which are well marked, and as easy a way as any is to take the road that leads-off to Gladstone, between Carterton and Masterton. You will not touch main. roads again until you are only 50 miles from Napier, but at various stages will pass country stores, so that the provisioning problem is not difficult. From Gladstone you make down to .Te Wharau, passing over a fairly steep range of hills,. and run to Homewood, from which point there is a road to Flat Point, right on the coast. From the main road to the coast is about 25 miles, the road passing through interesting farming country all the way. From Homewood you will make-northwards to Tinui, on the Alas-terton-Castlepoint road, and from here can run down to the coast again at Whakataki, reaching Castlepoint, which is a favourite’ beach resort of Wairaraipa people. The road over which you have passed so far is all metalled, and although there are one or two stretches here and there further on which' are unmetalled, they can usually be avoided should the weather be had.' .UP THROUGH HAWKE’S BAY. From Castlepoint you will have to make back a few miles to Tinui, at which point you will take the road to Alfredton, a distance of about 25 miles. Here . you have worked back close to the main road again, but now are back towards the coast. The road runs oiit through"the little township of Pongaroa (at. which point you can replenish stores) and then you take the Aohanga road, -branching off to Akitio, just before Aohanga itself is reached. ' During the summer the car can be driven right onto the beach. Akitio is well known as the homestead of the Armstrongs, owners of the big station from which Akitio takes its name. The routes may be taken frqm Akitio,' one leading- back on to the main road at Dannevirkc, and the other further north to the 'beach again, and thence to Waipukurau. The foimer route takes you through beautiful scenery, but the latter gives more of the beach life which you probably enjoy. Taking the latter route, you will go to Ti Tree’Point, and then double back on your tracks, making towards the coast again, reaching it near Porongahau. From there you make back to the main road at Waipukurau, but need travel on it for only five miles to U aipawa, leaving it again there and going on out through Patangata and Elsthorpe to Hastings and Napier. Here again you are passing through excellent sheep country—the pick of the Hawke s Bay —and ‘in. some of the valleys there are splendid camping spots, and good swim-ming-in the rivers. ' From Napier to Wairoa you will have to take the main road, but from Wairoa onwards any. number of diversions are possible. You can go through to Rotorua, -and thence to Tauranga, on the new Urewera road, or you can make on through Gisborne.

GISBORNE AND BAY OF PLENTY.

An interesting road to Gisborne from Wairba, supposing that you know the main road well, is through Frasertowii and Tiniroto. ' This road is metalled most of the way, and is slightly shorter than the main road. From Gisborne to Matawai, a distance of about 40 miles, you must go on the main road, but here another alternative io ocered, for von can either make up through Motu and on through the delightful Motu gorge, or you can go through the new Waioeka road, which is a narrow and very winding road running close to the Waioeka river. It is metalled for all but a few miles, but there are certain river crossings which give trouble aftei rain. Its scenery is more rugged than that of the Motu road, but if maxing a first trip the Motu route is preferable; There are many places on the Waioeka road where it is impossible for two cars to pass, so that none but experienced drivers should take this Soon after leaving Opotiki a very fine bush drive through the Stanley track can be made in fine weather, this linking up with the main road again at Taneatua. The run up to Tauranga is made on the main road, which takes you to very fine beaches at diffeient P Tauranga is a great place for a summer holiday, and if it is intended to stop there, it might be as well to dine straight over to the Mount, which is tne beach resort. In a straight line from Tauranga the Mount is but a few, miles away, but the road from the town goes a long way round, and it is easier o run straight off'the mam road to the From Tauranga the most interesting route, if you have sufficient spare tune, is to go‘up to Thames, and have a run along the Coromandel peninsula, then malking up through Pokeno, coining out on the main road to Auckland at no great distance south of the northern ci tv. ... There will be few people with so much spare time for holidaying that they can faakfi ibis tiio iff its entirety.

i for bv its very nature it demands a stay at many points. However, there are many who can touch at some of the places' mentioned, to whom new possibilities may be opened up. riOUR YEARS OF PROGRESS. BRITISH-MADE MOTORS. When during the recent Motor Exhibition, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald and the Dominion Prime Ministers paid a visit to Olympia, they were able to see in a tangible form ths progress that has been made by the British motor industry in its attempt to gain a position of pre-eminence in the motor markets of the world since the occasion, four years before, of the last Imperial Conference in London. At that time the British industry was struggling w }, what appeared to be almost insuperable obstacles. At home, anil in the widei markets overseas, its efforts were overshadowed by the achievements of competitors. Criticism —often unwarranted but none the less damaging—was levelled against the vehicles manufactured ip Great Britain, particularly in regard to the suitability or otherwise of their design and construction for overseas requirements. At the same time i<- was difficult, and in some cases almost impossible, to secure responsible and adequate representation overseas for Bnt-ish-made vehicles. _ Despite this position, however, the industry was even then leaving no stone unturned to make up the ground lost during the war years and those immediately following, and it’eagerly availed itself of the opportunities then afforded of meeting the representatives of the Dominions and Colonics, and full and frank discussions took place on the position and the remedies to be applied. What happened subsequently is now common knowledge. By deputation and by individual visits British manufacturers sought first-hand knowledge of .the conditions obtaining in, and the requirements of, their potential markets overseas, launching at the same time an intensive and sustained advertising campaign at Home and in Australia and New Zealand. Local offices were established there, and in South Africa, while the British manufacturers’, section was formed as part of the international body, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and; Traders, Ltd., but with separate executive powers to take action where necessary on questions which mainly affected the interests of British manufacturers. Through this section the machinery now exists for conferences and discussions as to the best methods of developing the export trade, while through the local overseas offices there exists the means of keeping manufacturers at Home and users overseas mutually in touch with the problems affecting both. No longer can it be said that the 'British manufacturer is indifferent to the requirements of the ' potential customer overseas, even if such a statement were ever really true. That these energetic measures have had results of immense importance to British motor manufacturers is undoubted, and even in a period of somewhat general trade depression there is room for congratulation on what has been achieved and for optimism for the future stability of the British motor industry, a survey of which shows that it is expanding its markets throughout the Empire in particular and in the world generally. For the nine months to September, 1926, when the last Imperial Conference was held in'London, the imports of cars, commercial vehicles and chassis into Great Britain numbered 16,709 to a value of £2,500,474. For the same period' in 1930 the number is 9174, value £1,537,600, a, decrease of over 7500 and in value approximately £l,OOO/100. The exports of British motor vehicles for the period under review in 1926 were 21,529, value £4,939,722, while for the same period in 1930 they are 22,145, value £5,030,704, an increase which, but for the period of financial difficulty experienced by an important market in particular, would have been considerably higher. • _ , The export trade is, in fact, .steadily improving and may now be said to be on a much firmer basis than previously, as is proved 'by the increase of excess of exports of all motor products over imports for the nine months of 1930 as compared with the whole of 1926. Period between January and September, 1930: Imports, £4,737,036; exports, £10,452,199; excess of exports over imports, £5,715,163. Year 1926: Imports, ffiJSTJOO; 1 exports, £13,412,'553_; excess of exports over imports, £3,625,363. It was inevitable, after the war, that the efforts of the motor industry should have been concentrated' , on regaining the home market, for no hope could exist of extending the market overseas until the output for home consumption reached a sufficient volume. The official registration returns issued by the Ministry of Transport show that there is an increasing demand in the home market for British-made motor vehicles.. In addition- branches of various foreign corporations are concentrating their attention upon employing more and more Brjtish material in their products, while there is, in certain Empire markets, a natural demand for British-made vehicles. Markets that were formerly virtually closed to the British motor industry are meeting their transport lequirements from the products of British factories, while substantial agents, formerly almost impossible to find, are beginning to inquire for British lines. The four years’ period in question has also witnessed notable achievements by British-made vehicles, both in the world of sport and in the field of pioneering enterprises in various parts of the world. It has witnessed, also, the creation of a demand in an entirely new field, for the world is finding that the small utility car provides efficient means of transportation at the minimum cost of operation. Whatever may be the difficulties of the future the British motor industry can look forward with the assurance that, there is nothing fundamentally wrong in British motor design; that a certain measure of stability exists in the home market; that a real start has been on the wider problem of exports. BACKFIRING NOISES. NOT A SERIOUS MATTER. Alarm is sometimes experienced bj those who are driving their first ear, to find that when taking their foot oil tho accelerator pedal, while driving along a level road, and especially down hill, they hear a scries of loud explosions occur in the muffler, known as backfiring; and there are probably few car owners who really know the cause, and may imagine that their engine is badly out of tune. Backfiring in the muffler is likely to occur on any car when the foot is suddenly removed ■from the accelerator pedal or when coasting, so that th® cag is “pushing

the engine. Theoretically, what happens is this: The sudden closing of the throttle results in a very high vacuum in th® intake manifold. This excess vacuum interferes with the incoming charge, producing an over-rich mixture, which is not completely burned, and is consequently pumped into th® exhaust manifold and muffler along with the exhaust gases. The heat in the muffler then vaporises this over-rich accumulation, and when, it reaches the proper state it is exploded 'by other charges from the exhaust manifold. This produces the backfiring noises in the muffler. If these explosions occur too frequently, it may be well, of course, to have the carburetter inspected,-as cases have been kjnown where the needle valve is worn and an' over-rich mixture has resulted, leading to imperfect carburation. WONDERFUL SPEED TEST. NO STOP FOR 200 MILES. Whilst most of the highlights of publicity are focussed on the world’s greatest automobile speed records, there are at times many wonderful achievements recorded of which little is heard in this country. Whilst phenomenal speed has its fascination and also scientific value to the industry, sustained speed during which every part, of machine and tyres is under enormous stress for hours, may after all supply experts with data, of even more value, from the users point of view, than astounding short bursts of speed. Take for instance, a recent world’s record, established by the English driver, Mr. J. Dunfee, on the Montlhery track near Paris. Driving a •Sunbeam shod with Dunlop, he travelled 200 miles without a stop, at the average speed of 117£ miles per hour, covering the distance in Ihr. 41 min. 59 sec. Little imagination is needed to appreciate what terrific stresses were imposed on the engine, transmission, and tyres during the drive. One wouid imagine that travelling at that speed for 102 minutes would generate such heat in the tyres that they would melt. That they do not emphasises the fact that Dunlop experts have learnt by laboratory experiments and such speed tests how to so handle rubber and cotton cord that it will withstand almost incredible stresses and heat without disintegrating. SIXES VICTORIOUS. GRUELLING ECONOMY TEST. The economy of six cylinder cars was officially demonstrated in the recent women driver's economy test conducted by the Gilmore Oil Company, of Seattle, Washington, un<}er the auspices of the American Automobile Association, lhe total consumption of the three winning sixes was less than that in any other class.' Twenty-one different makes of cars ranging from standard-sized four cylinder cars to the newest eights were entered in the economy contest. The course extended for ISS miles, from Seattle to Mount Baker Lodge, and included nineteen miles- of detour. Every kind of traffic condition and all types of roads were covered by the contestants. Mi.ss Beulah La Haise, driving the victorious car, covered the distance with an average petrol consumption of 41.36 ton miles to the gallon. The total( consumption ivas 6.7 gallons, or better than 27 miles Jo the gallon. The sixes

which came in second and third, against seven different makes of cars, also averaged better than twenty-four miles to the gallon. Officials of the American Automobile Association checked every car to make sure that it was strictly a stock model, and every gallon of spirit and oil used. An observer rode with every driver to keep track, of mileage, gas and oil consumption. Earlier in the year, the Gilmore company also sponsored an economy run at Los Angeles, California, under American Automobile Association sanction, in which a sii captured first place in its class as wml as winning the sweepstakes for all