CONDITION OF ROADS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 851, 20 December 1929, Page 15

CONDITION OF ROADS

ADVICE TO MOTORISTS NEW HOLIDAY ROUTES Va.uable information for motorists planning tours during the forthcoming season has been compiled by the Auckland Automobile Association. Attention to the advice given regarding roads to be taken and those to be avoided will save tourists possible delay and inconvenience. In the Waikato.—Road conditions have vmy much improved. The HamiltonNgaruawahia section of the main road is, however, very susceptible to traffic aad after a largo number of cars have passed over becomes very ribbed. Loose sand should be watched fox* skidding. A very pleasant alternative to this road can be obtained by turning off at Ngaruawahia and following the route through to Whatawhata and thence to Pirongia and Otorohanga. This is suitable if travelling south to Te Kuiti or New Plymouth, but if going to Rotorua or Taupo it will be shorter to follow the main HamiltonNgaruawahia Road. The Bombay Beviation will not be in use as it is being reconstructed and it will therefore be necessary to use the old Razorback Hills. These aro in good order. Paeroa and Thames.—The Paeroa and Thames roads from Auckland are in good order and conditions on the Coromandel Peninsula are also very fair. Motorist^*

are warned, however, that the shoi't route to Mercury Bay (the road from Taupo through Coroglen) la susceptible to wet weather and chains will be needed after lain. The road from Coromandel to Mercury Bay, however, is an all-weather route. North of Coromandel there are qul?ed a after S ra!n' Vhe w chains will be rex'haSLT’“s “ 5 passing new work. USt Le exerc,sed when Th n a w'J ™a; R ° t ß rua ' Bay of Plenty. Ine H.jmilton-Rotorua road is in ver # i.in* order. Road work is beimr rarrifri c-mA be i V ° n ?i Cambridge, and with rain noTnf s kould also be exercised at this the rmi^ P f P rfi° aCh T, inß: the Bay of Plentv, v* e icmte from Rotorua to Te PukA applies 3 to° thA aII . times and the same fi> Jiff to tho Rotorua- Whakatane road cised h alfout “fin - Ca, i s Ebould be exera”out four miles out of Rotorua S\’ages a^)f ar a nt bA neg:lect zi to re P air the monufs o in . heavy downpour some Quarter ha ®, resulted in about a practicallv of tlie road being piacucaily . a one-car road Waterdown 3 to* ,f'l her fk id e of the road are now row n a de P th of 6ft in places and a eittS ain J e<3 t , Whit 6 is P laoed guklfnce tlle road to sive ra^-a lh Vh^ a w aP f a- -n — Approaching Tanthe \V aihi-Tauranga road is now condUiln‘than i ari ? is ln a mu ch better smi rShfi t ? former years, although 111 P^ aces * Chains will still if thf?e Ys e ,n° ver - Christmas season rVF Ie ls rain. The other approach TCaima^HLUs 1 ’ I ] Slatama t a over the lit Mo* ll 1 ba V aH-weather route, and ir insformerf t ?n/ ilde ° f bill has been Thf£, .i a • wide highway. - J-uuianga side is still a narrow rn;iri and somewhat rough. Between Tau-as'^su-ir 1 P l ,k ?’ the oSmimSn s T tYe , s usual neglected, and chains Hnvo dur?nA eCI t h’l e t» 0n 1,1 is , section of the road exSS-fenled. very Wet weather recently PukQ y tlL s —: n w y C P ,? v f rty Bay—From Te l ™ ea " lurfSSe ,wo d J le 1 ar ¥ atata an<l a Food tMf anrt nS? ? ea right through Whakati^? e Sf e the n the ri Otoko a Hl?I ancTthis sec? travel ”, 16 g?/ should hi 6 oxm U clsed’ r after'lam hiCi As Ca ;n Wa o^,«i^an r e oyaa 0 y aa SvSflabie m fo2 P tYaffl to Mata wal will be aval lame for traffic, weather and other circumstances permitting, from December 20 to January 5. Road sie*n« Sii ltl the C iloari at eithcr end of this road whill larly °v a rned Pe, i;o l Jrot “' iE ts are parUcul if'?her rd 3 ' Vl ? ich wili er not be lelmiaM e surface f' s S 5S‘ a e?Xd hat a P ° rtl ° n o£ Ule tH?r^ a E ?Lr^ ip ro^^ornes dismuch improved travelling, and in ordinfn ry R'T-?f ther “ otori ®te can’ travel through It fs Ua 1 0 ,V a J? tho , Ut . the s,i ehtest trouble, the y aft ? r heAv y fain that any of the streams give difficultv. The road is metalled to Te Araroa and Hick™ Bav s ar ? should be exercised in crossing the first river north of Ruatoria. S Oisborne.Wairoa-Napier. Between «ons° l a?e a Y.e Wa ir° a and N a Pier, condL ™ s ™ generally good. The Morere There i, la n r6r i ata HU ' S are a little rough iheie is a pleasant alternative route from Gisborne through Tinoroto. Hangaroa ami lli ßein?a . to Wair °a. This route presents much easier grades, but there is ?"™” etal W portion which will give rough ' ve weather and is now slightly tht la wes? n rv, e ? u j u ' Ne y Plymouth—On S.V I’T- 0 travelling l and >I th^ < same lie* 0 M oit tt v e r°i s’ ssecl n °very much better conditions prevail. h? , Park - — An immense amount of klim been cari ' led out between Te rim in YiTm 1 '? 1 " , and Chateau Tongaitio in the National Park. It has been roYd il d J ha H the Te Kuiti-Taumarunui heSvvrfiY J 1 route, but, with nea\y lain, tiouble may occur. In wet weather motorists are advised to avoid the route. The other route to the National Park from the North is via Taupe. The and°ve?v T mY. P h '-° ad iS in ex °efient order a Y;| very much improved conditions prevail on the Tirau-Putaruru-Taupo roa— Chatns should be carried, however. From hold P 2lf to - the Pa fY the road should noici all traffic favourably. „ 9* tb .e National Park, all routes are in lair order, there being a metalled thYnii< t i hr r«, e Y Raetihi to Wanganui and h Ohalro and Talhape tQ Pa!m _ erston North Access from Hawke’s Bay to Taupo and the Park Is in good orderl Another route which is much appreciatec; hy experienced motorists is the road from Napier to Taihape via Kurapaponga. This road runs over high altitudes rising to 3,200 ft. above sea level. however, an unmetalled portion winch at present is somewhat rough and would give trouble in wet weather. YYaikaremoana.—Motorists are again reminded that the through route via Lake Waikaremoana will not be available for traffic. Motorists, will, however, be able to travel from Rotorua to the northern chores of Lake Waikaremoana for Christmas, but the road is still wet and soft. At the other end a metal road is available from Wairoa, in Hawke’s Bay, to the southern shores of Lake Waikaremoana. There will, however, still be a gap of 13 miles round the lake which will not be available for motor traffic.

North Auckland.—The North Auckland district, especially the lower north, may present many difficulties. Once Maungaturoto or Waipu is reached, conditions are very favourable. The Highways Board has, however, a big reconstruction scheme in progress, and north of I Eelensville and Waiwera motor traffic will be dependent on fine weather. Motorists are strongly advised to communicate with the A.A.A. before proceeding north, so that they may be directed on to the best routes. Conditions change from day to day, and tyre chains must be carried in the car. Russell is not connected by a motor road, and for this Christmas it will be necessary to leave the cars in the garage at Kawakawa, take the train to Opua, then the launch to Russell, or trvel through Ohaewai and Waimate to Paihia, w*here the car must bo left in the open before crossing to Russell by launch.

The Far North.—The famous route through the Waipoua Kauri Forest and Trounson Kauri Park is in very fair order. Chains should overcome any real trouble. The northern route through Whangaroa, Mangonui, and Kaitaia is in good order, and a very comfortable return journey can be made via Mangamuka to Kaikohe. It is also a good run to bianch off at the Mangamuka bridge, and, travelling via Tutekehua to Kohukohu, to ship the car across the Hokianga Harbour to Rawene, and thence travel south via the Waipoua Forest. The inland route to Spirits’ Bay, via Ilouhora and Te Paki, is very rough, and motorists visiting the extreme North

•will find more comfortable travelling on thd Ninety Mile Beach*