TAURANGA TO MATAMATA.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 69, 14 February 1918, Page 3

TAURANGA TO MATAMATA.

■jThi'oa.sgh the Kainiai. The following article was contributed to the Bay of Plenty ".Times" last week. "As I had lMard much of the Kaimai road, to" the railway at Matamata I took the opportunity recently afforded me of riding through - this route, and the impressions gathered by one who is interested in tho dovolopnunt and progress may be of interest to.your readers'. Having plenty of time I took every opportunity of observing the country I was passing through, and or hearing the'opinions of the settlers with regard to matters relating to their welfare. First and foremost, I shall refer to the road itself, which is destined in the near future to form' an important highway of communication between Tauta and the Waikato district, distance from Tauranga to imata is thirty-five miles, and'of this Ihe twenty-one miles from Tautanga to the twenty-one mile peg is a good summer road, and should present no serious obstacles to regular traffic even in winter. The greater portion of this section is under the administration of the Tauranga County council and reflects credit on their management. I understand that the council purposes putting on the grader immediately, and if this is done, so as to give the road a chance to set before the winter, a goM. winter road will be assured/ There are no bad grades, the water tables are kept clear, and the bridges and culverts are in good order. One peculiarity I noticed was that in the decking of some of the bridges the planking is laid lengthwise, and in these bridges there is much more decay than in those where the cross dacking has been adopted. For about five or six miles beyond the twenty-one mile peg, on the Matamata side, the road is made through rocky hills, arid it is this portion of the road which badly needs, and is now receiving, proper attention. For the greater part of this section the road is studded with huge rocks and as one side of the road is an ungraded precipice I should not recommend a j winter motor trip to of weak nerves, However, there is compensation in mcst things, and these rocks which formerly rendered the road dangerous, will now that money i is available, be utilized in making a permanent highway, very little < haulage being necessary. In the past, owing possibly to lack of funds, the method was to fill up around the rocks with soft mul- ' lock, which was washed out with the first downpour. I Now the boulders are being removed, the road rounded up, and the rocks will be broken up and replaced, making a satisfactory and permanent job. I under- ' stand also that it is the intention of those in charge to : fence all dangerous corners with concrete blocks and wire rope, so . the portion of the road which is now the bugbear of motor drivers should, before -winter sets in, be the safest, as it is certainly the I most scenic, portion of the journey. Beyond this stage we have a run of eight miles to the railway and this portion offers no difficulty, passing as it does through flat country, and much I of it being metalled. i From a farming point of view ''the land through the Kaimai has immense possibilities, and I pre- j diet that it will become one of our most valuable dairying and i fattening areas. From the splendid crops of red clover which are seen all along the route, it can be easily laid down that any one faking up land to work it need have no fear of the land reverting to fern after the bush has . been felled, the qualfty of the soil ' affording a rich pasture upon , which sufficient stock can be run to render the fern menace negligible, while in addition , ample reserves of winter food in the way of clover, hay and turnios can be grown. We can therefore look forward with confidence to a continually increasing production of butter and fat and store stock from the Kaimai district, and a prosperous career for the settler who takes up land ' there and is not afraid of work. While on this topic, I must mention what I personally consider is a mistaken policy in reserving the "Maungatotara block for timber. This fine block lies withrn easy access of the through .road,-and, if brought into use, would support numbers of settlers, ' as it contains 5000 acres, all good ' easy country. I understand that millers have inspected the bush with a view to securing the timber rights, but so far no business has resulted. It woldd.-be difficult to overestimate the importance to Tauranga of this road. I was struck •with the many enquiries I met with during my stay in the Central Waikato townships, as to the attractions of Tauranga as a and health resort, and

the opening of the Kaimai road must result in an increased influx of holiday visitors. The scenic beauties of the Kaimai route will render it a favorite one for tourists, and the many natural trout-streams, which I understand are boing stocked by the local branch of the Acclimatization Society, will be an additional attraction.