OPOTIKI TO MOTU.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1966, 24 January 1914, Page 19

OPOTIKI TO MOTU.

FIRST COACH THROUGH. ' ' A description of the first coach jour- ■ ney througli from Opotiki, on the Bay of Plenty, to Alotu, tlie terminus of the Gisborne railway, was givei.i to the "Poverty Bay Herald" by Mr. J. W. Witty, treasurer to the Gisborne Harbour Board, who returned home from Kotorua this week by tho new route. Tho trip across the country, Mr. Witty informed a reporter, was a most interesting one. After leaving Botorua. howovcr, lor the first 30 or 4u miles theroad was very dusty. At times they could not see tho leading horses, and when coming to a bridge or culvert the driver had to pull up until the dust cleared, so that he could see to drive on the bridge. When within four or five : miles ol Whakatanc there was a [ change. One coach went on to Whakatane, and one went to Ohiwa. Leaving J the coach there thoy crossed tho arm of the sea in a motor launch, and then ' joined another coach. Tho drive fiom s here to Opotiki was a »ery enjoyable ' one. "For the first fifteen miles after | leaving Opotiki," said Mr. Witty, "the [ road is dead level, and provides a nice drive, excepting for about three m : les, where tho road crosscs the sand lulls. Then the road commences to rise." When they left Opotiki,' he explained, tho arrangement was that the driver, Mr. Kell.v," should try- to got- right ■ through" to Motu, but ho- only gtiaran- ■ teed to get within eight miles of that • place. . "If that -was as far >.s he could have got," remarked Mr. Witty, ' "I intended to walk the eight miles. However, wo got through. This is . the first coach to get from Opotiki to Motu. There were many difficulties encountered when travelling along the 12 miles of widened track, owing ' to landslips and papa rock, the latter making the passage very jolty. W" had a four-horso coach with a 6ft. :• 6in. axle, and as the -road was only 7ft. wide, there was not 'much'room to spare. However, we had a good driver, and got along all right. The. road will want ' a vast amount of improvement before it will .bo anything of a road, and there ■ will always ho an clement of danger on. accounts .of .the slips. Just now," added ■ Mr. Witty, "the settlers along the loute are burning bush, and we had to' ' pass through a bip lire. Ono of our leaders got a hit singed, and he began to give trouble, placing iis in an awkward .position. By careful handling, however, the driver got the horse going again." The scenery between Opotiki and Motu ho did not think could bo rivalled in New Zealand. They rose 1500 ft. above Motu, and looked over a:i expanse of about 25 miles of country. on each side of the leading rango. There'\va's'most magnificent bush, and some. fern, trees lie should imagine hundreds of years old; any amount of them. •'lt's a very lovely ride, if only the 1 roads were good," lie said, "and when tho roads aro improved any amount of pecple will conic back from Rotorua that way, and it will be agood thing for Gisborne.*' Mr. Witty was the only passenger right through to slotu. Some distance back they had put down a survey party wlf!) were going to cut up a big block of land. • He explained that the. coachman usually drove to within 12 miles of Motu. and then packed the mails and hired horses to passengers. -The future arrangements, he learned, were to be thus: Mr. Lovell, the driver between Matawai and Motu, is going to make the 12mile trip, going there and .hack to Motu in ,a day, and Mr. Kelly is: to come from Opotiki to the 12-milo point, t aud return to Opotiki tho same day.