Motoring in New Zealand

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 4, Issue 8, 1 February 1926, Page 38

Motoring in New Zealand

'Ey H. R. PEARSON, Vfawke’s <3 ay

THIS TOUR, TAKEN IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY LAST, IS ONE THAT HAS MANY AND VARIED ATTRACTIONS, AND CAN BE MADE A MOST ENJOYABLE HOLIDAY. NAPIER IS THE STARTING POINT, BUT SECTIONS OF THE ROUTE MAY COME IN TOURS FROM OTHER CENTRES, AND SHOULD, THEREFORE, BE OF INTEREST TO MANY MOTORISTS,

JUST twelve months ago during the last week of January, to be exact, I made a very enjoyable tour of the eastern cape of the North Island, starting from Napier and travelling via Taupo, Rotorua, Opotiki, and Gisborne back to Napier. There were eight of us in the party, and we had two cars, a sevenseater Buick and a three-seater Dodge. We left Napier at eleven o’clock one Wednesday morning, with Taupo as our destination for the day. For the first thirteen miles the road is very good, and is mostly level. It passes through a splendid farming area, which is closely settled. The village of Askdale is passed, and after a few more miles the road becomes hilly, and some sharp corners on down grades call for careful driving. A further sixteen miles brought us to Te Pohue, the last village to be passed till Tarawera is reached, twenty-five miles farther on. A few miles from Te Pohue is the Titeokura Hill, where we climbed for two miles and reached a height of 2550 feet. Then comes a descent of some five miles, where the utmost caution is needed. There are many sharp corners, and both brake and horn are needed constantly. The Mohaka River is crossed at the foot of the hill, and then comes another short climb. Two miles of fairly level going bring one to Te

Haroto. a small native settlement with a school and post office. Here a second large hill is found, Taurangakumu, which is even worse than Titeokara. For several miles we climbed, till at last the highest point between Napier and Taupo is reached, 2770 feet above sea level. The view from this point is very fine, and the rugged grandeur of the mountains of New Zealand can be fully appreciated. The land is very poor, of course, and wild horses seem to be the chief inhabitants of the locality. Here comes another sharp descent, three miles long, in which we fall 1350 feet. I) Y this time it was almost one o’clock, so we stopped for lunch. Splendid water was found in a stream at the foot of the hill, so we boiled our “billy” and lunched by the roadside.

A few more miles brought us to Tarawera, and our journey was half completed. A mile or two past Tarawera is the boundary between Hawke’s Bay and Auckland provinces and very shortly after crossing this we began to climb again. For nearly ten miles we passed through beautiful bush, climbing steadily, then descending, and climbing again. At last the Runanga creek is crossed and the barren Kaingaroa Plains are reached. For nearly twenty miles the road is almost level, and fair speeds can be attained. The surface is pumicy, though and very dusty. Deep ruts are often found on slight up-grades, where heavy cars with chains have been ploughing along through the winter mud. As Taupo is approached the road becomes very bad, as the heavy traffic is in no way catered for. Spring leaves are threatened at every

yard, and slow speeds are necessary for some miles before reaching Taupo. We stayed at “The Terraces” Hotel, which is found two miles before Taupo village. This is a very fine hotel, and excellent accommodation is provided. The hotel is situated near the edge of an awesome valley, from which rise dense clouds of steam. Hot water runs down this valley, and care is necessary when visiting the bathhouses. Well defined paths are laid down, however, and if these are followed one can have a splendid bath in the commodious houses provided by the hotel. The boiling water is cooled by running along troughs, and is then turned into the bath buildings, which are sheds about fifteen feet by twelve. The water is kept at a depth of about four feet, and a most refreshing bath can be had at all times. AX the following day, Thursday, we travelled some fifty miles along the main North Road, which goes right through to Cambridge and Hamilton, and on to Auckland. At first the surface was little better than that of the preceding day, and the country was still a desolate manuka-covered waste. Wairakei was passed six miles from Taupo, and Atiamuri at twenty miles. Here the

Waikato River is crossed, and a splendid view of King Dick is obtained. From here, the road becomes more interesting, and occasional patches of pretty bush are passed, Two miles from Atiamuri a road to Rotorua branches off to the right; but we kept on to the left, and after a further twenty miles, arrived at Tokoroa. Some years ago the Matarawa Land Company bought a large acreage of this land, and by careful management transformed it from a useless wilderness to a highly fertile and productive area. This is now divided up into small farms, and dairy-farming is being carried on profitably in the district. Here we spent a pleasant afternoon, returning to Taupo in the evening.

our third.day, we set out for Rotorua, fifty-six miles away. On this day we explored the wonders of the thermal regions, and the beauties of the Waikato River. The first pretty spot is found just past Taupo, where the Waikato flows under the traffic bridge. On looking up-stream, towards Lake Taupo, a very pretty view is obtained. Then, after a mile of dusty road, one sees the Karapiti Blowhole, which is recognised as the greatest and most wonderful steam blow-hole in the world. This is some distance from the road, and as “Trespassers will be Prosecuted,” we viewed it from a distance. Three miles bring us to the Huka Falls, which really pass description. The Waikato River rushes down a deep passage hewn from solid rock, and roars over a magnificent fall, in a mass of foam. Above the fall is a series of rapids, ending in the mighty, roaring cataract of the Huka Falls. The swing bridge which spans the rapids, above the falls is very interesting because of the multitude of names that are carved or written on its railings. AIRAKEI is reached in three * V miles, and here is the Geyser Valley, perhaps the most wonderful place in the world. There are over thirty distinct sights, including the world-famed Champagne Cauldron, the Prince of Wales Feathers Gey-

ser, and smaller geysers, and boiling mud pools too numerous to mention, Another mile brought us to the Arateatea Cataracts, the largest and most beautiful in the Southern Hemisphere. The mighty Waikato River passes through a fissure cut through solid rock, so narrow that one could almost leap across. For some chains it roars along, over mighty rocks, under rocks, and between rocks, till in a mass of foam it escapes into the wide riverbed below. From here to Rotorua is about fifty miles. The road is bad; bumpy, dusty, and uneven, and thus the journey is necessarily tedious. We lunched in the shade of a large plantation, and rested awhile before conturning on our journey. Before

reaching Rotorua the State Forests are passed, where a provident Government has planted thousands of acres of pines of various kinds. Two miles before reaching Rotorua is Whakarewarewa, which is Rotorua’s Wonderland. We did not stop, however, as most of the party had visited the town before. Rotorua and its wonders need no description here. Its attractions must be seen before passing on. That may take whatever time can be spared on the tour. our fourth day we went from Rotorua to Opotiki, a distance of ninety-eight miles. The first twen-ty-five miles are along the shores of Lakes Rotorua, Roto-iti, Rotoehu, and Roto-ma. The road is quite hilly in places, and chains are necessary in wet weather. The scenery is very beautiful, and the pretty lakes set among bush-clad hills form a very pleasing sight. About twenty-six miles out Roto-ma Hill is reached, and the climb is very pretty, through beautiful virgin bush. The descent is some three miles long, and the bush scenery with the plains below very fine. The Tc Tcko plains are then reached, and Te Teko township is found about forty-two miles from Rotorua. Fourteen miles from Te Teko is Whakatane, a small farm-

ing town. Near here we lunched by the roadside, and after an hour or so continued our journey. The road to Opotiki is undulating and passes through splendid farming country. The semi-barren thermal area was left before we reached. Rotorua, and the change from pumice roads and clouds of dust was very welcome. The roads round the Opotiki district were very good, and except for the Waimana Gorge, fairly fast time could be made. The Waimana Gorge was reached a few miles after leaving Whakatane, and was very pretty. A keen look-out for approaching traffic is necessary, as the corners are often very sharp, and passing places few. The last few miles of road leading into Opotiki are very pretty, as the road follows the coastline, and passes through beautiful bush. The keen sea breeze was very refreshing after so many miles of travel inland. S~\ UR fifth day dawned wet. It rained heavily during the night, and all through the morning it was showery, with fog in the valleys. The road was level for the first twelve miles, but then we reached the famous Motu Bush, and began to climb. Hallam’s cutting, nearly two miles long, was passed, and then began the five-mile climb of Meremere Hill. The road is very narrow, and the corners are sharp. The utmost caution is necessary, as a precipice of hundreds of feet in height marks the near side of the road. The descent to Toa Toa is five miles long, and brakes need to be in excellent condition. The road is so narrow that if a mistake is made an accident can only be averted by prompt and efficient application of the brakes. More heavy climbing is then met with, and Papamoa is reached thirty miles from Opotiki. A steep descent to Motu is then made, and, after a few more miles of travel to Matawai, the bush is left for the day. We lunched just past Motu, but the weather was still inclined to be showery, and we did not delay over the meal. For nearly thirty miles from here the road was hilly, with a clay surface, which is almost impassable in wet weather. The rain had kept to the mountains, however, and we got through without trouble. The road

from Waikohu, where the clay ends, to Gisborne is very good, and the twenty-five miles were covered in about an hour. We were nearing the East Coast, and the land was very good, all being extensively farmed. Gisborne was reached about 4 p.m., and we had a little time to see the town. Gisborne is a very fine town of 14,000 inhabitants, and is well built, with very wide streets. T TNFORTUNATELY the rain • followed us, and we completed our tour with a 150-mile run to Napier in the rain. Eighteen miles from Gisborne we commenced climbing the Wharerata Hill, which is a fairly heavy climb, of considerable length. The road is excellent, as the Public Works Department has taken it over and thoroughly metalled and tarsealed all the road passing over the hill. Then after many minor hills, we descended to Morere, forty-two miles from Gisborne. Here are hot springs and Government baths, which are well worth visiting. We did not stop, however, as it was raining, and we thought it wiser to push on as fast as possible. From Morere to Wairoa the road was mostly level, and a high speed could be maintained. We had dinner at a Wairoa hotel as it was too wet to picnic, and then continued on the last stage of our journey to Napier. The road was level for a few miles, but became more hilly as Mohaka was approached. Mohaka village is not visited, as a new deviation has been made, which offers a better grade, and is several miles shorter. There are several miles of wellgraded hill road after leaving Mohaka, and considerable care is necessary, as the traffic on this road is very heavy. Waikare is then reached, forty-two miles from Wairoa. A further twenty miles of undulating road brought us to the Tangoio Valley, which is very pretty. The road travels down this for a few miles and at last the sea is reached. The road travels along the beach for some distance, and at last joins the Napier-Taupo road. A further ten miles brought us to Napier, and at last our tour was over. We had covered 660 miles, and had been away six days. The Dodge suffered one puncture that was our only mishap.