REMARKABLE MOTOR-TRIP.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1613, 3 December 1912, Page 4

REMARKABLE MOTOR-TRIP.

—« .. , ■ THROUGH THE KING COUNTRY. "THE ROUGHEST ROADS ON RECORD." Over roade which in many cases wer* littlo more than roads in- name, ana which, are in the ordinary scriso oi the word utterly impassable to motoi vehicles, a little Ford car, driven by Mr, B. Richards, for the Colonial Motor Com. pany, has just oompleted a most trving and dangerous trip to Auckland. There are fairly easy ways of driving to Auckland, but no car had ever previously ventured to follow the road which runs fol most of the journey along the side of the, Main Trunk railroad through the King Country. The car left Wellington on themorning of Friday the week before last. .Ever since then it has been pushing its. 'way through the worst back-blocks' mud and over some of the roughest roads-in New Zealand. On the first day, iu eevea hours, 157 miles were covered quite comfortably, but on some of the other daja the progress was very, very much slower. In one long day, for instance, only seven miles were covered, and over a great part of this distance the car had to be dragged through the mud and over landslips by block and tackle. Everywhere north, of Taihape the unmetalled roads, full of yard-deep ruts, were difficult always, and very often dangerous. Even the I'ain Trunk Public Works Road, built at great expense, and made very good, was a wreck—ruined by five years of heavy traffic and neglect. All the way from Taihape to Taumaranui the motoring party had to faco all the difficulties :>i' wilderness travel that could possibly bo met with in a motor trip. Last Friday evening it ran into Hamilton, tho engine running as strongly as ever, and the mudbespattered motorists and the mud-cover-ed car with its queer equipment attracted the notice of tho peoplo of tho W.aikato town. In tho "luggage" which the car carried was a muddy rope with blocks and tackle, and also spades, axes, ond a motlock. All these implements lad been, needed in tho course of tho run, and needed very badly. The run from Hamilton to Auckland was made over a good road, and n long journey or 492 miles was completed—a record rrvgnroad trip, with the littlo car going fanw ously at tho end of it.