WITH TENT AND CAR

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 150, 21 December 1929, Page 28

WITH TENT AND CAR

A ROUND TRIP

V £EDE X'OASTS TO AUCKLAND

By "Trip."

(All Eights Reserved.) The majority of those who have written for information about motor camping are people with.short holidays who wish to go as far as possible in the time at their disposal. They have ten days or a fortnight's break, and by taking the car they1 want to cover a great deal of ground andicram into their all-too-brief spell from work as many and as varied experiences as. they possibly can. Most of these articles, therefore, have shown how easy it is to get quickly from place to place, and how to concentrate on seeing the most interesting thing* only. A letter just received, however, shows that there are others with more time, who want to drift along, going by unusual routes, but who iind difficulty in getting just the information they need to feel secure before starting off. This writer wants to travel, as, far as is possible, right up the East C6ast to Auckland, and then down the West Qoast, aiiid he wants to see everything to be seen along these roads, omittipg Rotorua and Taupo, where he has previously been. Time does not matter greatly, as he can spend up to sis weeks

• at. was while thinking over his letter that it struck me that this coastal trip offers a great deal of variety to those who iiaye already visited many of our principal tourist *sorts, and who are anxious to spend a few weeks in the great outdoors with tent and ear. By coastal trip, of course, I mean the routes that run nearest the coast, for it is not possible to skirt the coast either way. It has always teen my contention that there are no uninteresting roads in New Zealand, mainly tecause they are so varied. Travelling by iskrJ° Uvn' whlch + firts right round the »M .* y /^through every conceiv. bpmt^ e KO£T, farmlns co™try, through S'f-* °ver r»gged mountains, beautiful «f' Ee, e,some of the most oeautitul of our coastal scenery •iJ ™*f rou? d tri? such as it does ]etvlol^£s cial tourist attractions of the North ?t wa£ tao ny s °n n% makingi? first tour would' SiitJ^^-^c^t^ Sr'*^ too. yMotor fam P s irotv^ CtlT ]ly every Wairarapa town trom Featherston onwards, and the rn-uV order b t0 W°°dviU« ** «Md Vr w S *£ I great Xtent b;t«mini S ed. irnnHl W°Ol| vllle t(? NaPi<* the road is good also, and camping can be had here at numerous places such as Waipawa Wai pukurau and Hastings, where there is a specially good place.

FROM NAPIER TO TAURANGA. The second stage of the journey is from papier Gisborne, and'on this stage the road does follow the coast at a number of points, and, especially after leavW Napier, you get some very fine views of the sea coast. The road between Napier and Wa:roa is steep in places, but the road surface is in excellent condition, and it is an all-weather road. Here, of course there are no small towns en route as with the earlier stages of the journey, and you must perforce camp by the wayside. There is no hardship in that, however, for there-are plenty of suitable spots, and at Wairoa itself there is a good campinground close to the river. Prom Wairoa a run; can be made to Lake ■ Waikaremoana and back.

Between Wairoa and- Gisborne there are more steep hills that require careful driving, and it is on this section, soon after leaving Wairoa, that you come to the Jlorere hot springs, set in delightful surroundings amid native bush. There *s a good camping.place here close to the river. ,

borne day it/wilt be possible to go northW*i ? £ om 110 aloD B the East Coast, and follow right/.round- the coast to Opotiki. At present the road ends do not join- so that anyone wanting to go up the East Coast from Gisborne must be prepared to double back on his tracks. The main road from Gisborne to Opotiki runs up through Matawai and the- Motu gorge a narrow but well surfaced road. There has been a very bad stretch on this road near Otoko up till this season, but winter metalling has.relegated that to the background, and you can now get through in all weathers, although there are still one or two,creeks that give trouble after veryheavy rain. From Opotiki you run out through Whatakane to Tauranga, one of the most beautiful, little places in New Zealand, and fast becoming a., favourite, liolidy resort for Aucklanders.. Roads in this vicinity are bad, but to .Tauranga at lea.st .they are metalled, which is more than can be said for some stretches beyond. THROUGH WAIHI TO POKENO. Now, i£ the weather were very bad at this stage of the journey it would be advisable to make to Rotorua by the metalled road, and thence run up to Hamilton; if the fine weather hoJds good, however, carry on beyond Tauranga to Waihi and then cut in to Paeroa, and across 'to Pokeno, or else go up through Thames, and back to Pokeno,. which is a better road. These are rough roads with unmetalled stretches, especially in the vicinity of the Kaimai. The run from Pokeno to Auckland is made over a splendid highTray, and will present no difficulties. There are plenty of places for camping at Auckland, and a specially -well-equipped motor camp is available to members of automobile associations. MAKING TOWARDS HOME. Most of the country over which you travel on the homeward journey has already been described in previous articles. You would make back through Hamilton and Te Kuiti to New Plymouth, and then run down the coast to Hawera and Wanga-

nui, finally returning to the starting point down the coast road over the Paekakariki Hill. There are very good- motor camps at places like Hawera, New/Plymouth, and Wanganui, and if you haven't been to the Waitomo Caves you can see theseby turning in from Hangatiki, near Te Kuiti. They are just a few miles trom the main road.

Beaches there are in plenty on this southwards journey, one of the best is at Opunaki. Near the jlokau there are splendid places for motor camping, and New Plymouth, of course, is one of the prettiest of our provincial towns, with much to interest yisitors. You could spend a \'ery happy , two months on a journey like this, particularly if you took some of the side routes that lead into the mountains or out to the coast. Few of us have the opportunity of long holidays such as this, but most of the ground could quite easily be covered in three weeks, though it would be rushing it rather to attempt to do it in much less time.

Motorists who desire further information regarding roads or motor camping should write to "Trip," care P.O. Box 1178, Wellington, enclosing stamped addressed envelope for reply.