AT WAINUI

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 37, 13 February 1930, Page 10

AT WAINUI

COUNCILLORS' DAY OFF A DELIGHTFUL OUTING THE TUNNEL LIMITED Up till'five, or six years ago, City Council and staff picnics to the WaiBui waterworks,, one of tlie most picturesque bush areas within many miles of Wellington, were annual affairs, but since the opening of the Orongorongo tunnel, in 1924, there has been :no Wainui picnic until yesterday, when, at the Mayor's invitation, councillors and headß of departments and their wives made.a day of it. The doubtful look of the weather first thing- in the morning led to one or two cancellings by councillors, but there was.: a very good muster, and a procession of cars left the Town Hall at about half-past nine. A stop was made at the top of the Waiwetu hills for a bird's-eye view of the harbour, the Hutt Valley and the Wainui Valley, soon to be developed in a new residential suburb, and all under bright sunshine. Wainui-o-mata Valley, where are the two main reservoirs, the old dam of twenty million gallons capacity, and, half a mile further up, the Morton dam, of sixty-two and ahalf million gallons, was reached at about 11 o'clock, and the cars then went on through the bush a couple of miles to the tunnel mouth. A good many of the picnickers preferred to walk this.bush track, for though the growth is not so dense on the Wainui side as beyond the tunnel, the bush is still, magnificent,- and splendid trees border the track. THROUGH THE TUNNEL. By^ the time the walkers arrived at the:tunnel, the first "tunnel express" 'had got away. There is nothing o the de luxe, sleeper or the lounge car about these Orongorongo carriages. While the two-mile tunnel was being driven through the hill, they were, in fact,, plain "muck trucks," and have since- been fitted with plain—and very hard—wooden seats. There are no springs; and when the tunnel roof drips —as? it does all the time and most of the Hvay—it just drips. The express is- oie-horse power, and very reliable. The-trip itself is rattle and bang and drip, for twenty minutes or half an hour:, Avith occasional bumps for those ■who:'fail to keep their heads and elbows well tucked in.. That is to say, it is just the sort of trip that is quite all right for a picnic, but would raise an lawful fuss at any other time. Everyone walked on along the narrow bush hillside tracks .to,' the OrongoTongo intake. Here there is no ■ dam, nor can there be a dam, on account of tho: narrowness of the valley and the immense quantities of shinglo which are' carried down by every flood. The intake chamber is. really an elaborate filter, designed to turn aside or trap shingle and sand, and to allow clean water, only into the 21-inch steel pipe line which carries the water direct to the Karori Reservoir, from which it is distributed through the city mains. Back along the bush tracks, the two express parties got aboard again, and rattled through the tunnel. As on the out trip, extra wet patches in the tunnel brought forth extra long shrieks from kite ladies: they made a thorough job, of enjoying themselves. ; COUNCIL AND STAFF. A marquee luncheon was very welcomel "by the time the cars got back to Wa.inuij at half-past 1. There were to be no speeches, but Councillor W. H. Bennett broke the rule and expressed everybody's warm appreciation of the Mayor's proposal and tho admirable way in which it had been carried out. In xeply, Mr. Troup said he thought such, 'outings had a real value over an,d above the pleasure they gave. Councillors and staff on such occasions came to know each other better, to the advancement of their work and the city's interests. Every member of the council greatly appreciated the excellent service that had been given the city by the officers, than whom, he believed, "no more loyal and capable staff coiild be found in any municipality in the; Dominion. It was well that that should be so, for the business of the Wellington municipality was the biggest business, apart from the railways, in New Zealand. Other cities had established water boards, transport boards,, and pbwer boards, but Wellington, very wisely, had elected to keep the whole of the city's business under one control. One result was that people readily invested their money in Wellington City debentures, and loan moneys had been raised consistently in Wellington at a quarter per cent, less than in Auckland, where there were, in addition to the . City Council, borough councils and control boards all operating in the same greater city area. In Wellington ratepayers and investors knew where they stood, for the City Council controlled the whole of the city's services. Wellington was to-day a fine city, but its future was brighter still, and to a great extent that future must depend upon the continued loyal and capable service of the city officers and a real understanding between councillors and staff. An hour or two was spent by the picBicMera in roaming through the bush, and afternoon tea, the cars getting back to town at about ,6 o'clock. In every way it was a delightful day's outing.