GALATEA PROGRESS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 96, 14 December 1931, Page 6

GALATEA PROGRESS

DEVELOPMENT VVORK RUGGED TASK ON WAIOHAU BLUFFS ROAD WELL ADVANCED FENCING AND ROADING One of the most diffieult and interesting pieces of highway engineering which has been carried out in New Zealand — the cutting of a road round the solid mass of the Waiohau bluffs, •above the swirling green torrent of the Rangitaiki River — is now taking definite shape and the day when this last link in the southern access road to Galatea will be eompleted, has been removed from the realms of improbability into the proximity of the next few months. Since the beginning of August, slung above the river gorge, on the sheer rock face, men have been blasting and hewing tons of rock from almost inaccessible crags to make a short mile of road — short in distance, but one of the longest, hardest miles which determination and engineering ingenuity, have built in New Zealand. Throughout, the work has been one of peculiar difficulty. When the road was begun, the cliif fell in a steep craggy face 300-400 to the river gorge below. The road had to be cut out approximately 120 feet above the water and to cut back the clilf face, meant the removal of thousands of tons of rock. Since August, load after load of rock, and the small avalanches caused by continuous blasting operations, ha^e sw.^fpt down into 'the gorge, narrowing the torrent of the river for over a mile below the cliffs. In one place, so great has been the volume of rock displaced that it has forced the river through a narrow defile over half a chain in width, where previously it had four chains for i passage. Here the green torrent sweeps through with irresistable power to a depth of over 20 feet while behind the defile its widens out into a temporary dam caused by the penning up of the water.

Rugged and Picturesque The gorge at this point, passe. through particularly rugged and picturesque country. Opposite the bluff s the hillside falls in a sheer grey clifi to the water's edge with the dark shades of native bush above. Before work on the bluffs commenced; these sheer rock faces also were relieved by the green of hardy native trees but under the down-rush of great boulders and tons of rock, only a few stalwarts and battered specimemnow remain. One huge totara on the edge of the gorge waves torn and broken branches with its trunk scarred as though by intensive shell fire. The grey face of the bluffs with the many figures of men upon it, and the intermittent-boom of up-flung de bris of dynamite charges present.-: a sombre contrast to the undisturbed natural fortress of the cliffs oi the opposite side of the river. Experienced Rockmen At both the Te Teko and Murupara end of the bluffs are camps, and the men are working in from either end along the cliff face. Even now, although the road is taking definite shape, progress round the face is onr - of considerable difficulty to the uninitiated. It appears to present no difficulties to the men, who have becom. used to their environment by hard usage, but even among them the work is an extreme test for nerves and endurance. All of the four gangs working on the cliff are experienced rockmen, a number of them holdinr quarry-masters1 certificates. Alreadj two fatal accidents have marred thc progress of the work. In one case a worlcman had his arm so severel; crushed by a heavy boulder that h died from his injuries and in the other a man fell from high up Pn the •cliff face on to the broken rock bc low the road level. All possible preeautions are taker. to safeguard against accidents, but a high element of risk is present ir .the -work and the experience of the men must be their chief protection The men are working in four contract parties under very experienced foremen and are paid on contrac4 rates by results. Over a period of th? work, 60 men were shifting 30,000 yards of hard rock a month something which is believed to approach a quarrying reeord. Different prices are paid for the rock according to its height up the cliiff face, but the average price per yard averages slightly less than 2/-.

In addition to the mile of rock quarrying round the bluffs, how.ever, a great deal of equally valuable if less spectacular work has been done in bringing on the access ■roads from the Te Teko and Murupara ends. The road from the south_ern boundary of the estate to thr Murupara side of the bluffs is entirely new formation and is now in -excellent order, while although the road from the Te Teko end had been , brought as far as the cliffs by county council work, it has been considerably widened and improved by the Publir Works Department.

The intemal roading of the estate ■is in itself a very considerable work and is being pushed forward very rapidly. Internal Roading Thirty miles of roading is to be eonstructed inside the estate and al' of this is well forward at the present time. The main road from the south,ern ooundary to the Murupara gatc ,1s a centre of activity with fencing gangs working at intervals all along ■its length and a busy traffic of lorries feeding the metalling gangs. Excellent roading metal is being obtained from the Horomanga stream or> .the estate, and by means of a moderr excavating plant, is being brought tr ■the road very rapidly and at the low cost of 3/- a yard. The main road conneets up with the road from the bluffs which w?T be linked un with Te Teko when the road round the cliff, s is eompleted. Between the bluff s and the southern ■ boundary of Galatea, the road givec access to 15,000 acres of undeveloped ■land which lies outside the estate. and which will undouhtedly receive r considerable impetus in its development when the work at the bluffs is eompleted. Extens.'ve Fencing Fencing is another very hnportant work, aud its extent can be guaged from the fact that altogether two hundred miles of standard stock-proof fences are to be erected inside the

estate. A start has already been made and twelve miles of boundary fence on the main road is already eompleted. Contract gangs are hard at work continuing the fence lines and everyw,here there is a scene of activity. A stream of post lorries is bringing huge supplies of totara posts from the Te Whaiti bush, 23 miles away, and all along the fence lines are large "dumps" where the posts and battens have been unloaded to supply the gangs. Fencing also is being very economically carried out. The posts are landed on the estate at £3 14s per 100, and the fences are being erected at 22/- per chain over all. The actual ereetion cost is only 4/- a chain, which must be considered remarkably low.

Shelter Belts Along all roads running east and west shelter belts will be planted by the Forestry Department, and in preparation for these the Public Works Department is superintending the construction of double fence lines to shut off the trees. These shelter belts necessitate the ereetion of an extra 30 miles of fencing. In addition to the extensive internal roading and fencing a considerable area of light scrub has already been cleared. For a considerable distance it has been cut back from the fence line where it passes in the vicinity of scrub. Other small areas have been cleared in preparation for cultivation, but the major part of this work will not be carried out till the fencing and roading is eompleted, when it is proposed to transfer men from the latter works for scrub clearing. Classes of Soil. A tour of the estate provides an interesting survey of the varying classes of soil which are to be found over the wide area of Galatea. The soil varies from heavy river silt to light pumice, with all the intermediate grades, while one large area of - swamp land is at present being drained for cultivation. The heavier land is along the foothills below the Urewera hills, and on the flats adjacent to the river where it passes through the estate.

The estate will pass out of the 'iands of the present owners in March of next year and will probably be open for election about 12 months from April of 1932. In the meantime, ,vork is being pushed forward very rapidly; as soon as the fencing and ■oading is eompleted the Agi-icultural Department will proceed with the preiiminary developmental work, which •annot, of course, be commenced un:il the land passes out of private ownership.