SOUTHERN ROADS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 127, 21 January 1932, Page 6

SOUTHERN ROADS

VIA NATIONAL PARK CONDITION GENERALLY GOOD, WITH SOME INDIFFERENT PATCHES. SHINGLE CORRUGATIONS. It is a time-honoured adage that a prophet has no honour in his own country; it may be also that the ■merits of a road-maker are not always recognised except by those who have had their tyres badly treated and their springs roused to groaning protest . in other districts. At one time the roads in many parts of the Rotorua district were admittedly not good — in fact, travelling on their variegated surfaces was a progress very mueh like the celebrated curate's egg — good only in very small parts/ Fortunately, however, those rugged days have passed and with very few exceptions the Rotorua and Taupo roads provide, instead of an invidious comparison, a welcome relief from the stony paths of penance that are encountered in some other road districts. Tours of a number of well known North Island highway s reveal the Rotorua-Taupo route as unquestionably the most comfortable travelling surface over a very wide area, and exemplify at its best the advantages of the pumice formation. A windy day, of course, is only necessary to exemplify its disadvantages, for the fine pumice dust is, if possible, dustier than any other dust. But then, dust is not a handicap peculiar to pumice roads and dust with a good travelling sui-face is infinitely preferable to a different grade of dust without one. Shingle Corrugations. Generally speaking district roads are in very good order at the present time. The Rotorua7Taupo route, as already mentioned, is uniformly good and refreshingly free from the corrugations which distinguisK almost invariably -the shingle construction in many counties. This, of course, is not a fault of the construction, but one of the problems of mpdern motor traffic, which invariably, where .'t grows heavy, ruts shingle roads in transverse corrugations. An example of the comparative effect upon shingle and pumice is provided by the respective conditio'n of the RotoruaTaupo and the Rotorua-Hamilton main highway. In the case of this last road, the excessive corrugation for lengthy stretches makes travelling much more wearing to cars and drivers than it would otherwise be, while ■ tfyfere" is always the aecompanying trpuble of accumulated dust and loose metal. National Park Route. The pumice formation is also in excellent condition from Taupo to Tokaanu round the shores of the lake and through the Waitahanui gorge, but bbyond the junction with the Waioru short-cut, requires careful driving. This portion of the road from the junction past Otukai is narrow and ; would be considerably improved by formation and metalling. Over many stretches it is too narrow for cars to pass and the heavy summer traffic , has worn deep wheel-ruts, which give fche road a decided "list." This stretch ; is comparatively short, however, before the papa formation of the road skirting National Park supersedes it. This stretch past tbfe Chateau to Erua ^has been recently graded on the top iend and the metal which has been dredged up makes it wearing for tyres. King Country Roads. The surface from Erua to Raetihi is good, and rutty going is not encountered again until through Raetihi on the road to Taihape. King Country roads have not had good reputations in the past, and between Raetihi and Taihape is an example of what can develop from the use of very heavy metal in formation. Over a number of stretches large stones are projecting, making the surface in places just a little worse than even French cobble-stones. This roughness is particularly bad on a number of the more difficult bends, and for lighter cars makes it necessary to negotiate the - road carefully. Beyond Taihape, however, the surface changes again to finer shingle, but after passing over the high hilly country between Taihape and Mangaweka, presentlv develops the familiar corrugations of a well-used highway. This surface continues through to Hunterville, Marton and Feilding, where bitumen has been laid for the greater part of the 14 miles separating that town from Palmerston North and the road links up with the main Wellington road. From Palmerston North to Wellington, an increasing portion of the distance is being tar-sealed, until at the present time more than half the distance, via Shannon, is bitumenised. The general conditions of the roads for motorists travelling south from Rotorua on the Wellington route is good, with the exception of the more indifferent stretches mentioned. Wanganui Route. The Wanganui route from Raetihi via Parapara is also in good surface, the road inside the Waimarino county area being particularly good. Inside the Wanganui boundary, construction is proceeding on a number of the, bad corners and this requires very careful negotiation. The country along this route is loolcing particularly well at present and from a scenic point of view alone well repays the trip. Additional bitumen work has been carried out on the Wanganui-Palmer-ston North main highway and the Wangaehu Hill, previously chiefly remarkable for its shifting metal on difficult corners, has heen tar-sealed In the neighbourhood of Turakina, construction and metalling is being carried out, but this stretch is comparatively short and the greater part of the route is now tar-sealed. The Wellington-Wanganui route via Foxton is also in good order with the exception of badly corrugated stretches worn by the heavy traffic.