MOTOR CARS AT MOUNT COOK.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12903, 14 February 1906, Page 5

MOTOR CARS AT MOUNT COOK.

THE PIONEER TRIP.

Light slec-pers among ihe visitors at Mount (."'..-.J. Hemrit-sge were surprised last Thursday morning by an unwonted sousd. of them rerognned and thought he had become lunstic. as he .snpj-)oscd there was no: a nioior car within a. hundred mile.--, and when they got up exrW to see the glow of sun-rise "on Alpine snows, the scent of petrol in the Hermitage verandah vra.s mistaken by ote of them for an «]. factory «!Tect ot the beautiful vision. At any rate so the story goes. -The surprise referred to faeejine general, at sight of a couple of motor cars garaged under the splendid skies of a tine morning at the Hermitage. How they got there is a. storv worth td:jng. It is a tale of friendlv einahttion. . "

Mr WjcTey, whose 61 h.p. De Diou car is familiar on* onr j*«ds. had to so to Tekapo to attend to his traction-engine, wool-carting business. Mr J.cLn Rutherford, jun.. just acquired a similar car. and it was arranged that, they shoujd run up to tJ 3e Hermitage together—jt»t to break in the •new car. ytr Wjg ey bnd as companion I)r Eric Marchaat; Rutherford had two younger brothers with him: and both cars carried pwags and tents, as thev to camp oat. a?*l spttre ge.tr and a coil of rope. They left. FairJie on Monday evening. February sth. and Mr Wigkv having business to do there, thev staved at Teiapo till midday of Wednesday. Then thev *ci off for the Hermitage * Leaving Tefcapo after lunch, they arrived at Pnfeaki in time for tea, and then at 6 p.m. started towards Mount Cook. They purposed to go on during daylight and then camp, but a>- a matter of fact, t.hovgb. not «ne of them knew the read, they went on and on at slow speed, asd "taking it ea.sy."' very| easy ind«i-d, through the night, till theyi reached thfi Hirmitase about- A a~m. Thev had to £>-. -N.-alv. i«e:ns ignorant of the ioa.l. -=nd the "_llevr/s Kllxiw*' gave them.: a_sjars. Tlxy had to rope the cars out of eight creeks, and stop once t«« t'epsir *i nuaicture. and m'.re than once t« "Ixd! the billy." This jo-ir *-v apv*ear-- u> b<> an in<isr?tso.7 ,;;.-:: lU -r.-A -.■ r.l>-T all not a Vf-y T.,,1 .to T2--? ]..-■-■ -1-,v.-1 a 1 ihe Dii.ht. a:,,; :.;; a-.,;n .-•. 6 ■ V.f. -<i-,l VridaV : m< 7-jy-'c. ''«•-..]:= •-: •:,; --wnrht ua ..f c-nrsc. j ' , <-',- nv.-.':: :-,: ;.;<- T!,r-1 the o-jl-! ■■"■■'••l "tii-. :"..■ ■!i'-:;r.(!- Ticinc cov.. ' r * < " - -"-i *:r. *..■-:•.. -rr-biding an. iv:s-"v j.-jlt T'-r ".--v akfa•••. Thev ; " r,, ' ;: ' ; .' ; ; -.. :- f -J- : - -^ 5 V-'vii.2 i-t'u ".' 1: '- ;■*'«:■•■<"■ T't.'-- , ; " 7 :■.•:••!. "11 f»;;iTnr. ■•"• ."-ii<-r '- ".;.': -t':-: "~< • b:...jrr-s*. Mr- I r ' v i'- 'l.'v ;«':.:-;,*.»■' -.- F- : -bc -.n. 1 ! .-Ii 7' '■'■- - : '- •...::- *«•' .-...,.-. tl i. NT ; ' '<•'< .-.n.'-v. M-. Wiekv ;„ bis j ';"'» ••■ C *V~'>-'- t'« '■■■■<■ 3.ad n, :hc <"'i»ih: as Karris", the r : : v<r wj»- J,: C h | tbe car had 10 Ik i.aalc' tfirorch. but j through it and to gc. 1

Tne excursion, it will be admbted. was somewhat of a bold vci.turo. in view of Iht clrcumPl'3rj:t:*'. that lie worst of the !•<■;!'l u,w faced it; iLi r.'ght. by meti wbc# k.i<l never been »A«' :l beJ re. and under l.boc (ircumstan-'ev i;.i time occupied in the upwaid 'rip li-',;n I'"l;al;i to l])e Hermitage va* jjiii :•«, „;] • xcje.vsive.

In <'t.ii\«'K;i.t)!.;■! -wi:. ♦•ome member* of tin- party, a " Vi< ::>i' i " : cpj i"~erita.tive wais ass-ared that tU: -<:-C .- " not too bad" for nioloril){T. ''',-'■, r :..C SfiiHß aWbwaJ'd <re<l:s, bill rifte;: < r ••;a ,<:«:; rtnall bridges between Fan lie ;<->>>] *:.t Hermitage would <bviate these a 1: '"r"!:!. ■;». There are also jn the 'asi 40 aj:ik .:.. j;c. many very narrov.- gutters iicrn.v ;](. ...5. which require

easing or filling up ."together, and these prevent a. good p.-i-t bei-p hepi up. liven a* the road is r,r,-.v. ears can go tbiough wh'.t f'..i■.-:'.!*;'. .f provided with rojHS land tachV for : :». curs. lor crossing the bigger (■;<<•]..'. :.zn klentally. they mentioned that the -.;■: ■.'Mm engines lined i« woo] hauling fiom >.. tori's 3'hh.i-. have immensely improved -.1.< roari lor motoring. by crushing down iln ••■•r, all boulders that. projected above the m'.:x. as they still do beyond Kimotfs l'aty, tin.' limit of the c?yi;ie traffic. Vutli all ibe exist-big draw-ba«-];s. an average of 22 miles- an hour could easily be made by ,-• motor car. which ujcurf about 8 ]/mhi jvxi Fairlie to the Hermit age. Mr Wigky w:e, tl.e !;;-t to labea »»tor car to Pul;al;i. a:.'! r-:-; l-;p buy been *lhe pj«.v.eer of moioib-.g f> Mi-tint Cool;, a. fact which will be"i<rt: s -kd at the Het'm'itagc bv phot <' tbf earn in front. of she boieL lite visiters tben I staying there at the iisr;-c were • tcrested in. ibe succcsfi-jl inrasion of the Alpine regions by the motor cur.