“A WONDERFUL TRIP”

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 18, 12 April 1927, Page 11

“A WONDERFUL TRIP”

INTO THE UREWERA THOSE WHO WENT Auckland motorists, who use their cars to take themselves afield for a week or two each year, holiday bent, have done most of the stock tours — Rotorua, Taupo, the Caves, round the island, and “up north,” and are looking for pastures new. These have been opened up by the fortunate motorists, who returned last week from the A.A.A. trip into the Urewera country. Over ground traversed previously by only half a dozen cars, the party penetrated into a country of wonderful scenery, and virgin forest. The members came back filled with glowing accounts of a trip worth while—and convinced that next season would see a large number of camping parties driving that The route taken is a more or less straight one from Rotorua to Wairoa, and the road finishes a few miles short of Lake Waikaremoana—one of the grandest of the world’s inland waters. The road surfaces are good, but there are some good climbs, and confident drivers are required. The Ruatahuna Gorge is described by some as considerably worse than Taurangakuma, on the Taupo-Napier road, and there are a few places where one looks the better part of 1,000 feet down the side of rugged mountain sides. Several members of the party intend returning to the Urewera next summer. “WHO WENT” No official record of the party that made the trip was kept, but it included: Mr. and Mrs. N. A. White, Mr. and Mrs. J. B. King, Mr. T. J. Julian, Mr. H. Tindall, Mrs. J. Hollinrake, Mrs. Kavanagh, Miss Dawson, Mr. J. Henning, Mr. G. S. Casey, Mrs. Hugh Maguire, Mrs. Gwen Paul, Mr. Holloway, Mr. and Mrs. R. Champtaloup, Messrs. W. K. Alexander, W. Piper, A. Smith, E. Netimagen, W. Neumagen, Fletcher, S. S. Clark, W. T. Pakes (A.A.A. Rotorau agent), H. M. McPherson (interpreter, of Te Whaiti), and E. T. Hutton (interpreter, of Muripara).