LYTTELTON AND SUMNER ROAD.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19140, 25 October 1927, Page 4

LYTTELTON AND SUMNER ROAD.

AN HISTORICAL HIGHWAY. OVERCOMING TRANSPORT J DIFFICULTIES. The road laid off by Captain Thomas to connect Lyttclton with Christchurch, via Sumner, finished at the Sumner end at the top of a cliff -loft high. That state of things had to be altered. The committee set up by the Society of Land Purchasers to enquire into the best means of impruving communication between the port and City recom- , mended the completion of the Sumner I road. The formation of this road had been put in hand by Captain Thomas. John Robert Godley, when he arrived at Lyttclton on April 12th. IS-30, found | that a certain portion at tho Lyttclton end had been completed. The committee estimated the total cost I of the road at £30,000. This included j £0224, the cost of the then completed portion; £17,000 from Lyttclton to Evans's Pass; £SS9O Evans's Pass to Sumner; £3OOO Sumner to Heathcote ferry; bridge over Heathcote £2OOO. Provision was made also for a complete and expensive system of drainage, to cost £3700, to ensure the durability of the works; and also for a stone parapet wall, to cost £2300, to be erected for a great part of tho line.

Original Line Departed From. To -void the expenso of rock cutting a wide deviation was made from Captain Thomas's plans. This involved the construction o* the Zig-Zag on the Lyttelton side. Mr Edward Dobson, the Provincial Engineer, took a now line starting from PoIMIFs Bay, and got a nearly flat gradient to the foot of Evans's Pass. He then proposed a tunnel, about 15 chains in length, under the saddle, which would have brought the road out at the top of the Sumner Valley. The tunnel was not adopted, and in order to provide access to the top of the saddle the Zig-Zag was constructed as a temporary expedient. The Road Opened. The Provincial Council passed the Sumner road Ordinance in 1800, hut not till August, 24th, 18.57, was the road publicly opened. On that date four gentlemen—his Honour the Superintendent (Mr J. E. Fitzgerald), and Messrs C. Bo wen, R. Packer, and J. Marshman—drove a dog cart tandem from the Heathcote ferry, through Sumner, to the top of Evans's Pass. Below them lay tho road in a series of zig-zags, and down went the dogcart, his Honour still driving; the others of the party preferred, to negotiate the zig-zag on foot.' "It is reported, too," writes Mr Johannes C. Andersen, "that his Honour, though an excellent whip, was not averse to allowing the dog-cart to he let down easy with ropes. 'Ho was still driving, but like a Governor under responsible government, he ruled in the leading strings of Messrs Bowen, Packer, Marshman and Co.' "

The Procession. Another account of the opening ceremony states:—"On August 24th, the road was opened with all the state and ceremony that those early provincial times rendered possible, by his Honour the Superintendent, the late Mr J. E. Fitzgerald. The entire population of the plains formed a procession, headed by Mr Fitzgerald : driving tandem in a dog-cart. Vehicles : of every kind and all the horses available were pressed into the service, and the holiday-makers started on their march to Sumner headed by a 'brass baud' (so denominated in the local paper of the time) composed of a violin, two triangles, and a drum made out of an oil barrel. The party halted for lunch at Day's Canterbury Arms, Sumner (a small cottage opposite the tram viaduct, which was destroyed by fire in 1901). Here a triumphal arch had been erected. As many as could have luncheon inside the hotel did so, while the rest picnicked on the hills round about. It was a creat day for Sumner. After luncheon tho procession re-formed and started for Lyttelton. At the top of Evans's Pass it was met by a procession, from Lyttelton and the two ioined forces and entered Lyttelton, there passing through another arch. They then drew up in and around Heaphy's Universal Hotel, where a big d.inner was held, tho Superintendent occupying the chair and Mr Bowen being vice-chair-man." In Later Years. About 1914, owing to the necessities of motor traffic requiring the removal of the gradients and sharp turns of the Ziz-zag, it was decided to improve the road. So far as the deviation on the Lyttelton side was concerned a compliment was paid to Captain Thomas's judgment by adopting the line he pegged out in 1849-50. This deviation passes the Signal Station on a better grade higher up the hill and by the time the Zig-zag was reached it was 50ft above it. Thus the Zig-zag, always a troublesome bit of the road, was eliminated and a level grade to the saddle at Evans's Pass was secured. Approaching the saddle from the Sumner side there was a difficult and dangerous hair-pin bend. Here another deviation was decided upon, the grade was made easier and a wider curve was provided doing away with the hairpin bend. An easier grade also was provided about half way down the hill to Sumner, and at different points, where necessary, the road was widened so_ that at the time of writing, there is no part of the road where two motor-vehicles cannot pass. The road for irs distance from Lyttelton to Sumner has a rock base and a splendid gravel surface, and nowadays is much used hv motorists. In 1924, during the strike of railway employees, it may be said truly that for the second time in C'pnierbury's history the road proved of the first importance-, and during the continuance of the strike it was used for the conveyance of passengers to aivl from tho Lvttelton ferrv steamer and for the transport of goods urgently needed. i