ANOTHER FEAT ON THE BICYCLE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 483, 16 April 1909, Page 5

ANOTHER FEAT ON THE BICYCLE.

i ii:>*"■.■ >l -v:" BY ME, F. BIRTLES. v. JKLANI) TO WELLINGTON, . thesis. isiti l>?Mr. frauds Birtles:i'idescribing his.latest,bjole ttip, from' Auckland to Wdlingtony Ahd fiueh jit: rtalljr; Was./- IK. Birtles started from .Auckland at I.SO p.nli 1 611 Saturday,' Rftd throughout - the 1 trip ■' eneoun-. teted obstacles : Which, 'except to .'a Mali iVised to 'bicycle, tfaVdltng'Over ro'tlgh country, -woiild have proved insurmountable. -On the first day .of the ride. Tiiiii' eonitadhced; and hfeliig -logged at.Meroer tho cyclist had to shoulder his lfta* tmIKS Ulitl Walk sohto distance. 1 t)n Sunday he reatihed Ateairmri, and, atler testing for a short titrife' to get his clothes dried, lie went On to v Leaving .'.'there; ho met ' with'. swollen fclld mibridged iiVets, to cross oho of.' Avliiph he, hid toi go ' about , three-quartets : of n mile MStfWMi . Rlld push his Way, Back : through . tti&gldu, ecs.ubi .On- another' occasion, when, no Was. lOfdliig ft'/rlfef; the stick /which hi! was Usltijf Steady 'hifflwlf with broke, and he/ nad to' diop his'.bicycle' and struggle hard to' ■t<6(un' ft' footing./, Me was' sfrept about half a' iiiile, down- the streAm,': but eventually got to the bank, and. later, refcovered his if.achine. he had to cros3'.a, river ou eluy boulders, thatwere slitfliing irom 5 under his . {Aetrtill,,the . Oni. night,., after filling sotne tlnle ill the dark, he got to Tokaanu, only -to/ find the accommodation house tliere full Ui). He obtained a; few/hours' feat, and ftarteu ttgiun early/nest .morning, There the 'night, and his Alotheif,; M'hleh had beeii soaked through on . the. jirriviotis .day,' .Were ; Alnibst, frozen: tin hiia, vhilo lis had to keep his hands ftour being linmbed. by 'holding them over his bioyclo latnp. Otolng Ijast NsfturuhoO. lie had a splendid view of: the smoking Mountain, niid also of snow-oapped RuapeMi. , /The land about that part struck hiin as ibein? very like the great ■ dessrtj' save that thes is .ho Water! ; On ' the 'Australian barren area.' Waiouru he found a fair rival to Wellington for windiness, but from. Taihape down, the going was fairly , good, and llh ljlrtles was able to Wach Wellington about 5.15 p.tn, on Wednesday. His ; journey' of,: 529 ;nii!es had Occupied 00-J hours, inclusive of the, time taken in obtaining rest , and; fo6d.'. .'Ono, of.'the/great difficulties which " hi /encountered was, obtaining 'meals-, at the' small townships, . •• "Mlpwirig ls a short description of the road travelled,, which may be .useful to motorists : or byollsk contemplating the!trip, Froin Welil'® »ijTiilhalie there are £ood mds, but from. 6n. to: J'anmaninui, the way is i tooimtiiuious,! and there: are a great many uri. | bridged, creeks. . The .-track finishes at Onga- , rnhe, -past Tamnnruniti, but starts again nt To 1 ftnd .runs right fin:to,Auckland. -Near Auckland the; roads are rough and stdny, but in other Parts , they are of olay, and everywhere they . 'Ste bad for /cycling. , From; To Kllitl.there'ls a road branching Off to New Plymouth.On the downward' trip, Mr. Birtles ■ followed another route, via Taupo mid • Toka(inu As far us .Mercer this road is good, but i there |h6re Is . a boggy 12. tnllesi': After that "• I 1! m Junction the. roads lire sandy. . At lirau, past Catnbndge, a short .cut can bo made by going to Atemnuri, instead'of ltotoriia I'fom TlfiiU to, Ateamuri the road is hilly . and sandy, and thefice on to Taupo it is clayey Ngaruhoo there is ft bad ; 'ihfte .Miles.,of ' sandy hillookj, . For ahygofse:;south alter, this■ point it Is better fii- ? i 66 ® li'ong tli6 Mattbn Eoad , (wbenoe n f.i short'oUtvfiait he fnade to Bulls), instead of •/ going by Cheltenham. '