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Hokitika Guardian, 3 April 1924, Page 2

There are many interesting drives from Hokitika which is a natural centre whence holiday trips may radiate. There are two additional trips which the authorities should endeavor to see opened up as early as possible, liolii providing novel and delightful exclusions. One is a trip by road round Lake Kanieri, and across the Styx Saddle to the upper end of Kokatalii Valley. This would be a very interesting drive or round trips, affording facilities for passing through pastoral country, then by way of the lake scenery, to the beautiful bush road which taps Lake Kanieri. Such a trip would be a most inviting motor jaunt, and once possible would remain, always popular. Tho second trip is to link up the Hokitika Valley or Wliitcombe Road with tho Municipal road running into tho hills at Upper Koiterangi.. This would mean the making of u comparatively short distance of road round Mount Doughboy and afford another outing specially useful in attracting motor trips. Such a route would enable visitors to do a round trip, and taking either road a visit could be paid to Hokitika Gorge and tlie icturn journey could be made by tlie alternative road. Again, there would be the opportunity of spying out the pastoral country, and becoming better acquainted with the settlement prospects of Westland once some of the large tracts of country are cut up for closer dairying settlement. This second suggested route would be the least costly of the two lines of road proposed, and could be accomplished in the least time. There are no engineering difficulties. All that is required is a matter of road extension till the two routes are linked up. V ith the growing number of motors, and the increasing volume of automobile traffic, it is becoming necessary really to provide additional routes, which at the same time will open up the hack country, and induce settlement to spread ill that direction.

Af, though another section of the Ku-mara-Kapitea road is now under way, the amount of money available for this important road, is far irom adequate if the road is to lie completed in a reasonable time. The road when finished is to serve the settlers along the Hokitikn-Greymonth railway, as well as affording a more direct motor connection between the two towns. Seeing that the railway service is so unsatisfactory in many respects, the need for a good motor service liecomes urgent. If the road were completed between Kunmra Junction and Awatuna, it would afford a very useful purpose indeed. The settlors at Kapitea would have a road outlet by way of Kumara Junction, while the settlors at Chesterfield would have their outlet by way of Awatuna. The road if available would draw much extra motor traffic south over the week ends. This part of Westland has so much to offer in the way of good motor trips, that the patronage would increase considerably as the facilities for traffic were improved and extended. All interested in the work, which means botli communities at each end, the settlers along the line, and the automobile organisations, should unite in a sustained agitation for the speeding up of the completion of the road.