THE OPTIKI NEWS Monday, December 19, 1938. OPOTIKI WHAKATANE HIGHWAY

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 124, 19 December 1938, Page 2

THE OPTIKI NEWS Monday, December 19, 1938. OPOTIKI WHAKATANE HIGHWAY

Despite tlio assurance ol : the Minister of Public.AVoulcs, Hon. It. Semple, that lie would jiotj spend sixpence on the '■ construction of a main highway from Whakatane to Opotiki, via Wuiimi, a fresh agitation, which lias obviously been inspired! by Whakatnno people, has broken out for the construction of a new highway , between the two towns, and ignoring the Wnimana route. It will be remembered that a. year or two ago, Minister after Minister visited the Bay of Plenty and were very cleverly taken over the Wainui road from Whakaiane to Opotiki. Those, who. did travel over the present highway did the trip in the. dark and thus had. very little idea of tlici cornu try they passed through. Wlkmi it was found that the Minister of Public Works had upset the little plan, a new sugges--tioui. was mnd'e that the road should travel directly along the. coast and cross the Olijwa harbour right on the coast. A survey: of this route was made lull, the result was not made public, mud, it would appear to be obvjiolus that Wlmkatane has bad information that the harbour bridge route, which was strongly condemned by this paper, lias been found to be pmpraetieable owing to the tremendous cost of a huge bridge across Obiwn harbour and the; necessary protective works.

Another move by Whakntaue was to have flics railway brought along the (’oast but this was also rejected hy thy (hnvcriimciit as being too costly. As it would appear that Wliakatanc was about to rejmiin in its present position oil the direct main highway between (1 isborne and Auckland, a despairing attempt is being made to have a new highway brought across Wainui’ but ('merging at Kutarcre instead of at the .Matakerepu bridge, on the. present highway.

The first indication of the fresh agitation was, the appearance of a lengthy article in the Auckland Star, written by a retired Public Works engineer, who prefers to hide his identity. The article is complete with drawing of the suggested route, and the writer urges the people of Opotiki to condemn the railway from Taneutua to Opotiki and to petition the Uovernment to construct the suggested highway.

The article is lull of exaggerated figures 'ul estimates of cost ol rail and. road, and makes the hold statement that the estimated number ol motor vehicles which would use the suggested highway would he (>()() daily. Omitting tin 1 horn's ol darkness, this estimate would mean that an average ol nearly one motor vehicle a minute woflild pass between Opotiki and Whakataiie. When 1 this tremendous volume ol' traffic passing directly between the two tioy'ns "ill come from no one knows, least ol all the writer ol the article in question. What the retired Public Works engineer is ■ obviously! in ignorance 01, is tllei fact that by lar tin* great preportion ol’ road-users on the present highway between Opotikti amt Wliakalaue via Waimana, are residents from the Waiotahi, Kutarere, Nukifiiou, Waiimana, Kuatoki, and Taueatua-dis-tricts and that in any east 1 these settlers "'ill still hi 1 compelled to use tins present state highway. Besides this the present road is used lor nearly all stock travelling from tin; (tishorne and Hast Coast districts, and by service ears, and heavy traffic Irom and to the railhead e.t 'lanentua. '1 he direct trallic between Whakataiie and Opotiki at the present time is negligible, and such a costly new highway is entirely uncalled! lor and would he a shocking waste ol public money. As the? present highway will always carry, the greater proportion ot trallic, it. is only right that it should he brought up to a decent standard instead ol being leit. in it s> present neglected state. The present, road travels tln-ouel, fertile cnimtiT while the suggested route would pass through a very poor ami sparsely settled area. The wlioile idea at the hack ol the plan to secure n new highway via Waintii is to endeavour to divert, trallic, particularly tourist. trallic, Hi rough the' town ol \\ hukntnnc. At ■present, unless travellers wish to actually visit the business part of the township of Whakataiie. they are by-passed by a. short cut to the \\ hakatam> bridge.

Most people who are aware of the road, in travelling' between Opotiki and Rotorua or to Tauranga, now use (he White I’ine bush road from Tan-

eatua toi Awnkcri. This saves about eight miles on the journoy to. ltotonm and omits the long loop to Whakatane. •

The impression is gained from following the Whakatano agitation chat all roads begin and end at Whnkatano and much is made of the great saving in distance by constructing a highway] via Wainui. The saving in distance is greatly exaggerated as it is,.at present possible ,to save eight miles in travelling from Opotiki to Jtotorua by Rising the' White Tine bush. road. .Important .points like this are very carefully omitted* in urging the necessity o<i; a new and shorter highway between Opotiki and WhaIcatane.

The people of Opotiki will most certainly hot petition the Government to abandon the rail extension to Opotiki and ask for a. .highway' via Wainui. Opotiki people and Opotiki local bodies have never yet in any way asked for a highway, via Wainui as it is realised that, such a road would not serve the people of the district hut would lie purely a luxury road, which would be little used, except, perhaps by tourists, who are in a hurry to get from one place to. another. Some years ago the beauties of tin*. White I’iue bush were loudly extolled by the people of Wliakatane. but since the road was, made and put’ in good erdor and it was seen that traffic was being diverted, the Whakatiuie paper lias maintained a very noticeable silence about this rente. The proposed Wainui highway offers very little compared with the present A\ nimnnn and White I’iue hush routes, from a, scenic point of view, the l present. road being far superior in this respect. •

There is no question that the Waimauu, gorge road is in need of widening and .straightening ami tliis could he done by using the same methods as adopted in the -Maimwatu gorge, and also in the Waioeka gorge, where the road is being built outwards hv the use of concrete work, instead oi cutting further into the steep hillsides and bringing down, many slips. In the article in the Auckland Star the writer states that the rail route will travel over much rough country, whereas actually the route is practically a level out*, for the whole distance, the only, really difficult section being through the Waiuuuia gorge, where it is now proposed to take the line on the opposite side to the present highway. The idea of a highway right on the coast from a military point of view is hopeless, owing to the vulnerability of such a road and this was probably another reason why the Oltiwa harbour bridge route lias been dropped. Without any great expenditure the present highway can ho made into, a iirst-elass road and in conjunction with the railway would serve the interests of the settlers between 0potiki and Wliakatane. A great deal of the route proposed hy the, retired Public Works engineer would pass over arms of the Oliiwa harbour and this would require the building of lengthy causeways. According to the Opotiki Comity engineer Phe noun try around •Oliiwa harbour is sinking and this is shown hy the numerous occasions on which inrm lands, at Wainui are flooded during high tides. Such a highway, with lengthy causeways would he liable to severe damage, in the event ol a heavy earthquake owing to tin* eeimtrvj being of ‘‘soft.” formation. The district, has always been subject to earthquakes, and is as likely to receive a major shake as Hawke s Hay. It is to he hoped that the authorities will acquaint themselves with the facts (onceming the new highway agitation atnl remember that only one side of the ease has. and is still being put. by a few Whakatano residents who, have an exaggerated idea oi the importance ol the town ol Wliakatane.