MUCH-TRAVELLED CYCLIST

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 71, 10 April 1937, Page 14

MUCH-TRAVELLED CYCLIST

H. K. MCKENZIE GOING STRONG. PLANNING TO MAKE FRANOE . AND BRITAIN. H. K. McKenrie, probably the most noted of afi rpund-the-world cyclists "has wsrjtten to Australia to tell of his re.cent ride through New Zealand. He was in Afielaifie, fhen in Melbourne, npw in New Zealand. This is his iGttCf * - rf "I have jusfc completed a rup through New Ze&land, and my cyclometer teljs the following story:— South Bdand. Mar, 15: Bluff to Dunedin, 156 miles. Mar. 16: Dunedin tp Timaru, 127 miles, Mar. 17: Timaru to Christchurch, 112 miles. Mar. 18: Christchurch to Kaikouri, 121 miles. Mar. 19 : Kaikouri to Picton, 104 miles. Total miles for South Island, 620. North Island, -Mar. 20: Wellington to Wanganui, 129 miles. Mar. 21: Wanganui to New Plyimouth, 102 miles, Mar- 22; New P)ymouth to Te Kuiti, 108 mfies. Mar, 23: Te Kuiti to Auckland, 130 miles. Total miles of North Island ...... 469 Grand total in miles 1089 Time of journey 9 days According to McKenzie, the roads were good in the North Island, where bitumen was iaid for long stretche?. Roads in ihe South Island contained a fair amount of gravei and were dusty. Cycling jn the North Island is booming, and still further interest is expectefi during the next few months when important road races will be decided. For the Centenary celebrations of 1940 a road race along the McKenzie trail of nine days is now a possibility, and favoured. In his letter he states he wants to make the New Zealand Centenary, for, as he very modestly puts it. "I was at the Toronto (Canada) event in 1934, the Victorian celebrations 1935, South Australian 1936, and will be at the New York Worldwide Exhibition, 1939, and the Paris Exhibition 1937." Presumalbly, if he getg time, he will be ■m g^dney for 1938!