AN "OVERLAND" TOUR.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12708, 20 March 1911, Page 2

AN "OVERLAND" TOUR.

OVER THE RIMUTAKAS. E FROM WELLINGTON TO WANGA- , * NUI- >o A DELIGHTFUL RUN. J: (By J. B.) g Three o'clock p.m. Throe cars halted J i-i front of the Royal Oak. Threo cars, j ciK-h different to the other, yet all bear- r in-<» the "Overland" birthmark of kin- ( shtp. Only the day before they had been liberated from the yawning hold , < of an ocean liner. They had been , brought leagues oversea, but their , name signified their destined sphere ot , action to bo the highways and' by-ways , of the earth. Their present purpose, was j Ito justify their right and title to recog- 1 nition as something o.ut of ths common, ■ us the typo par excellence of economical • automobile perfection. Spick and span \ they looked, resplendent .in all the . polish and glitter of ur.soiled newness . And perky, too! They seemed to say, "Yes, we" are. from America, but, by your leave, there's nothing shoddy about us. We're the genuine Uncle Sam. the full four and twopence to the dollar; we're good for anything. Just put us up against it!" And they did. Mr xV. S. Burgess knew his " Over-j lands." So did Edmonds, his expert. They had not advised A. Hatirick and Co."to go nap on the agency without knowing something definite about tb& brand. So'-Edmonds said "Wellington' to Wanganui, viu tiic Rimutaka." His chief taid '' Right•!" —and tlis thing was fixed. Carter, of Bulis. elected to pilot ' car No. 3, a privileged half-dozen w»il- I lino-]v undertook the role of passengers, 'ancl 'then—" All aboard! Toot-toot!" ' and they were off. Off, playing hide and seek with the traffic of the city, stopping for a draught of p,etrol at the* headquarters of Standard Oil, then on along the sea-girt road with the breeze, gently fanning in over the- dancing wr.VL'itts of Wellington harbour; toot, loot! tcot-tcot! Hi there, loqik out! and a road hog, boorish and obstinate, jcluctfuitiy made way for our plunge into the delightfully picturesque valley of the Hutt. Still on, on to the fcothills of the giant Itinrutakas, on, up, | toot-toot, a weary roadman stands aside and glances at the cavalcade^ looks up towards where the towering peaks are throwing wind-kisses back to the flaky clouds, and slmigs his shoulders, doubt- ! fully. But tho Over lands are confident. A fig for the doubter. They give him a whuff of their petrol and all thei dust they can raise, and a moment later! they are round an upward winding bend and hidden from his view. Threading miles of foothills, following the tortuous ever-twisting road, on they spaed, laughing at the child's play and scaring the wits, but of the stairtled birds in the waj-sido bush. Then comes a dip, a- tantalising preliminary to the ' big climb, and just ahead, as the narrow road seems to throw itself over the steep Jiillsicle, an excited stockman spurs into view, followed by the* advance guard of an angry, wild-eyed, frothing mob of cattle. Swash! crack! swish! crack! The long whip speaks viciously as the sun-bronzed rider tries to hold the mob in check, the while he shouts vigorously to-the motorists to stop. The lending^ eair creeps close in to the hillside, the others follow suit, and tho hum of their engines dies away into silence. Then the stockmen get busy. Such a shouting and a cracking of wlu'ps, as the frightened cattle plunge forward clcse to the cars! On© brute* breaks away/into tho thick growth on the off side, and tho drivers, their vocabulary sadly shortened by the nrefcenoe of ladies, do their best with'the lpgulation King's English and their eloquent whips. .Tho runaway breaks back to tho road.1 th<> stream of "tossing terrified flji'imak Hows past the" cars, pantjug, paShiug, swerving, threatening, but fortunately doing no damage, and the exciting incident closes with the distant sound of the whips and the occasional bellow of a bullock. Then on again, carrying with us an evermemorablct experience of Mungaroa Hill, and with the excitement of the .Riimitnkas right in front of us. The Overlands are in their element. They ' come of a *tock that has conquered the Rockies, and they see no barrier in tho towering rampart of the " Wairarapa. tp! Up! s\mding, twisting, turning, an! tins indeed is hill climbing. Up! up! and still "Excelsior!" No'picnic fur nervous weaklings hem Fvery bolt must hold, every spring stand the tension of bump and jerk and strain, tor n full seven miles of steep and tortuous ascent Death lurks on the off-side. In places a " skid, ot a dozen inches or the slightest latch in the steering gear would mean a fall over tho edg? of Eternity' Yet it is glorious. Tho sensation of peril is overborne by the majesty of the scenery. The sun is taking a lingering farewell of the mountain tops; the shades of evening are beginning to play upon the verdant treasures of the yawning gullies; a wandering sunbeam rests for a moment on the spreading crest of a j giant punga, and turns the lovely fern into a glittering emerald—a gem set down, deep down, in the dizzy deptlis of the valley; a bird drops from skyward and becomes invisible long ero it reaches its homo tree at the bottom of tjie abyss. And still the "Overlands" crawl upwards with nea-er a pause, tho twenty-live, thirty and forty horsepower engines with which they arei respectively equipped merely pulsing a ! little more insistently as the grade- ! ■steepens. Clearly the task is to their liking. The engines keep on softly '. humming to themselves: "Thus job has ! td be done and 'tis well it were well done." Well done it is, for at last, in good time, hi good order, and with a non-stop record, the three cars draw up on the summit of tho road. Edmonds jumps out to review them. He is more satisfied than ever. His verdict: "Everything Al." Carter emphatically endorses the verdict. Rangi and Hpoiroa "Warnmaru, two fine fellows and themselves the owners of an "Overland," smile unqualified approval. The ladies, ;;s is their habit, say nothing. Burgess is decidedly pleasod with the cars, and. truth to tell, with himself as well, for the roa&on, subsequently disclosed, that it is his first unaided attempt to pilot a motor-car, over any considerable distance. Tho best part of a hundred and fifty mik:s, embracing two such adventurous tit-bits an tho Rimutakas and the Mannwatu Gorge, is admittedly a h:rge order for a novice, and'i its succctssfuL accomplishment affords ample justification for self-satisfaction. It says sonic-thing, too, for tho remarkable simplicity of ths mechanism of tho "Overlands'." As it happens, I have certain domestic obligations, and I am not at all sure thnt I should have consented to motor with Burgess as chaffeur if ho had made his confession Before instead of after crossing the mountains. When T did learn the truth I felt mov-p<l to pay tribute to the "Over- ■ lands" :— ! '•'Overland!" skimming the» mountains, ■ Lauiihmjz at hills by the way; '• Churning th-3 streams into fountains, I And merrily mocking tho spray. " Overland !" scoffing at distance. ; Shaming ilia owls in their flight; I Darkness affords no resistance— j Silent it glides through the night. " Overland!" Headlights all gleaming, ' Turning black night into day; Engines at work, though but seeming To treat the long journey as play! "Overland!" Perfect in action— \ Truly a car for a king; Drivers with full satisfaction The "Overlnnd's" merits all sing. "Overland!" Pledce of i>c<rfection.

Model of all that is best: i Veely I name my selection— Tho car that outshines all the rest! Jut to get back to the summit. The. k-seent had to be made, and made it >ossible before nightfall. Thei run lown the Wairarapa side js for the most *art a replica of tha upward journey, ini&hing with an awkward turn, a nasty Irop into an unbridged stream, much ipluttering of the offending water, and i stiff pull over the rocky bottom and mto the level road. Then comes Feathcrstoh and dinner, followed by a, light run to Carterton, supper and a iveieome bed at the Marquis of Nbrmanby, an unwelcome serenade by the 'Droppers, 3' pler.sa.nt sl'imber in th:l ' \voe\sma' ■'ours," a good breakfast, ami ■x morning of glorious speeding over the admirably roaded plains. We halt for rm hour'or so at Masterton, lunch at Eketahuna, drop in at Pahiatua, pay Jin afternoon call at WocdviUf), glide- through the* beautiful Manawatu Gorge, ana slip into Palmerston North in good time for dinner at tho Grand. Next day, an hour before noon, the "Overlands" .'live up for the last stagp, which has been mapped out to include, stoppages at Feilding, Bulls, and Mar ton. The run home is as pleasant as it is uneventful, and the three ''Overlands,'1 after dropping their passengers at their respective . domiciles, run into their Wanganui garage look- ! ing as fit as the proverbial fiddle, Bound in. wind and limb, and requiring only to be dus-teid in order to present as scick and span an appearance as they did a couplo of days before', when they were brought straight out of their packing cases and asked to tackle the Rimutakas. "Not bad, <?h?" says Edmonds, as he carefully tucks them, away for the night. "Didn't I say they wei'e beanies? And beauties they ara. They're as good ns gold. Goodnight, sir, I hope you've onjoyad yourself. Good-night."