NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 2, 4 January 1932, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

High Tide at Muritai. There was an exceptionally high tide at Muritai yesterday, and driven inwards by the strong wind, the waves reached right up to the sandhills, making it very difficult for bathers and others to walk in the vicinity of the beach. No further damage is reported from the spots where erosion took place during previous storms. Unaddressed Air Mail. On Christmas Eve a, number of balloons were released by an enterprising retailer in Dunedin, each balloon containing an order redeemable at the store for a stated value in goods (states the "Otago Daily Times"). Several of these orders have already been returned and honoured, but great was the surprise of the managing director, who is spending a holiday in the AVanaka Lake district—he was playing golf at the time — ib be confronted with one of his own orders which had been picked up on the golf course. The finder happened to be a Dunedin man, -who demanded cash, (and received it. too). Otira Tunnel. It was not to bo expected that traffic through the Otira tunnel during 1931 would bo equal to that of the previous year, which was a record, states the |' Christehurch Press." The prevailing slackness in trade has had an adverse effect on railway as well as other classes of business, and naturally there was a considerable decrease in the traffic through the tunnel, which has now been opened for eight years and four months. During the year just ended the tonnage amounted to 445,232 tons, a decrease of 174,767 tons, as compared with the freight dealt with the previous year. Fiiio Hock of Plamingoos. The two flamingoes in the Auckland Zoological Park have been joined in the last few days by seven others, a shipment recently urrived from England, and the collection has now become one of picturesque interest, states tho "New Zealand Herald." Four of the new arrivals are of the European variety, to be found in Northern Africa, in Asia, and in Spain, the remaining three birds being the rosy flamingo, whose habitat is the Atlantic side of South America and the islands off the .South American coast. The birds arc in excellent condition after their long sea voyage, and the large crowds that, visited the zoo yesterday wero greatly attracted by the ornamental appearance they give to the flamingo pond. The two original occupants of the pond have taken a friendly interest in the newcomers and the flock appears to be a very happy family. New Track Via Cone. The first trans-Tararua track ran from AA oodside, in the AVairarapa, over Mount Beeves (2949 ft) down into the Tauherenikau valley (1120 ft), and up agaiu to Bull Mound (3320 ft) and Alpha (4467 ft). The dip into the Tauherenikau Valley, between Beeves and Omega, has always been regarded as too much down-and-up. Quite fifteen years ago people talked of avoiding this big dip by running an alternative track round the Tauherenikau Valley mPWN CT<, (3547ft> and Noi" (3725 ft), and thus up to the main Tararua divide. This has now been done thanks mainly to the practical enthusiasm of some Tararua Tramping Club members, as explained in an article in this issue. But it is demonstrated that while the new Keeves-Cono alternative track avoids the big dip, it has dips of its own. It probably will not become the main route, but a useful alternative. It brings trampers closer to the Waiohine, and as tne Waiohinc Valley is already penetrated by a track (Kaitoke-Tauherenikau-AVaiohinc) that crosses the new track at Cone Saddle a huge area of bush, as well as of abovo-bushline country, is now opened up to trampers. The Cone track avoids the Tauherenikau upper erossiri" bridgelcss since last Easter floods. "'