LONG MOTOR TOUR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 May 1939, Page 9

LONG MOTOR TOUR

♦ NEW ZEALAND TO ENGLAND. AN ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY. Recently arrived in England by the regular cross-Channel service from France, Mr D. N. Strang and his Humber Snipe had covered a. good deal more ground than the average motorist returning from a continental tour. Their journey had, in fact, originated in New Zealand, and no fewer than 21,000 miles were “on the clock” as a result of the trip, says a recent bulletin from England. Mr Strang’s story of the run scarcely emphasises the adventure and hardship which he experienced, and when he broadcast in the 8.8. C. session “In Town Tonight” he modestly made the joui'ney seem almost a picnic. When one hears about it in detail, however, one begins to realise how pluckily both he and the car must have performed in order to win through. Especially meritorious was his performance on the latter half of the trip; as he was then single-handed owing to his ertswhile partner being obliged to return to Nev.' Zealand.

The route lay from Auckland via the South Island—a preliminary 1,000 miles undertaken to “run in” the car (which was a 1938 model Humber Snipe saloon, purchased, new, from the New Zealand distributors in the ordinary way of business) —and then to Sydney. Here the long run across Australia to Perth was commenced, involving the long, weary trail across the desert beyond Adelaide, on which for hundreds and hundreds of miles the only sign of habitation are the widely-separated sheep farms. From Perth. Mr Strang took the boat to Colombo, and crossing to India, drove up through Bombay to Delhi to the North-West Frontier. Traversing the Khyber Pass, he entered Afghanistan, but, after covering a great distance, he was prevented from proceeding as he- had penetrated a cholera-in - fected district. Retracing his tracks to India, he headed westwards again, this time following a route through Baluchistan. He was now successful in entering Iran (Persia); made his way across that country via Teheran, 'and so into Irak. Reaching Baghdad, the next stage of his journey was over the Syrian Desert to Damascus and through to Beirut, where he shipped—to Istanbul. There remained but 2,000 miles to cover—none too easy through Bulgarian mud swamps, but Mr Strang and his Humber reeled them off with ease, and arrived in London little the worse for their long trek. A very meritorious drive indeed, and one that reflects the greatest credit on both the driver and the car.