THE WAIKATO ROUTE TO ROT0RUA.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1810, 12 February 1884, Page 2

THE WAIKATO ROUTE TO ROTORUA.

Ir is a matter of much satisfaction to notice that the tourist public travelling in the direction of the wonderland of Rotorua have, since the opening of the new Rotorua road, adopted the Waikato route to a very great extent, in preference to that via Tauranga. There are many consideration 1 ' which tell in favour of the new route, and doubtless these ha\e much influence in giving it its present growing popukuity. People who have come from a distance by sea, from the South or the Australian colonies, bent on seeing the Lake district, are generally tired of the sea when they anive in Auckland, and an overland trip through a .strange country being somewhat of a novelty, is generally always embiaced in preference to dodging round the coast in a very average steam ciaft. Again, theie are many tourists who come here with the object of combining business with pleasure, and being desirous of judging of the nature and quality of the land in the interior, and its adaptability for settlement pui poses, ai c only too glad to be able to take an overland route, paiticularly when, as in this case, the route leads through the principal tract of settlement country in the province, and the much spoken of Patetere Block. Almost every day batches of tourists arrive in Waikato, en route to Rotorua, a matter of no small congratulation to the district. The entire cost of the trip from Auckland to Ohinetnutu, by rail to Hamilton and coach to Cambridge, including hotel expense?, is put down at £3 7s 5 , certainly a most reasonable figure. Again, the hotel accomodation, which both Hamilton and Oanibiidge afford, is of a character which, we think, cannot well be excelled, and should in itself be a source of atti action to tourists. Should parties prefer private conveyances to travelling per coach, their wants, can be well supplied in this particular. Buggies can be had on easy term 1 ' from Mr C. R. Johnson, of Hamilton, Mr W. K. Carter, a-id Mr R. Khkwood, of Cambridge. But, notwithstanding, there is still something which those catering for the Rotorua tourist class in this respect must yet effoct if they wish the Waikato route to become the route par excellence. The thing must be done in a more businesslike and more systematic way than at present. An agency might easily be established at Auckland, where through tickets, including all travelling and hotel expenses might be obtained, together with all necessary information. It makes a great difference to tourists to be able to buy a ticket at the starting point of their journey which will carry them right through to their destination without any further trouble or expense, instead of having to start out and arrange their own mattets «i they proceed, withoutthe remotest idea of what it will cost them before they return.