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made, and plans and report furnished as to the best means of dealing with it. Copies of these have been sent to the Waitara Harbour Board for their information, and to assist in carrying out repairs. Approaches to District Roads from Mountain Road. —Seven of these have been duly formed. WAIMATE PLAINS AND ADJOINING DISTRICTS. Main Road. —For convenience of description this has been divided into two sections, Stony River to Opunake and Opunake to Waingongoro. Stony River—Opunake (length 22 miles). —Fifteen and a half miles have been cleared one chain wide. Of this about one mile is through bush, the remainder through fern, flax, and scrub. Fourteen miles have been graded and formed, including nine passable fords to the larger streams ; seven dry rubble culverts with timber roadways, varying from 5 feet to 7 feet wide ; five dry rubble culverts from 2 feet to 4 feet wide ; and sixty-nine sets of stoneware drain-pipes ; also two temporary bridges of 20-feet span and one of 15-feet span, where fords could not conveniently be made; also 8 miles of single sidedrains of standard size. Six and a half miles have been gravelled, of which 54 chains are on the old road between Stony River and Werekino, and the remainder'between Werekino and Pungarehu. This completes the road from Stony River to Pungarehu, except at the river crossings, where the permanent grades cannot be completed until the bridges are erected. This section of road traverses generally level country, involving no very heavjr works. From Stony River to Pungarehu, 83: miles, the road is in first-rate order for any kind of traffic. From Pungarehu to Umuroa, 10f miles, the road is open for coach and dray traffic, but in places is rather rough for light vehicles, and being ungravelled will in wet weather be muddy, but not impassable. Two miles near Opunake have been put in good repair, and two bridges repaired and refloored. This length is part of the old road, 3 miles, between Umuroa and Opunake. Sixteen and a half miles, the length of the new part of this road (Stony River-Opunake), have been surveyed with compass bearings and a longitudinal section taken. Oputiake-Waingongoro (length, 22 miles). —This section of road had, some years back, been all cleared, formed, and bridges and culverts built. General repairs have been executed both to formation and bridges, eight of which have been refloored. The approaches to bridges have, as a rule, been improved by flattening them to 1 in 15. Seven miles have been gravelled, in continuation of the same work done last year, making a total continuous length of 9f miles from the Waingongoro River to the Otakeho Village site. Another mile has been gravelled at Oeo, making 3 miles in all, or \\ miles on each side of village. The whole of this length is now in good order for all kinds of traffic; but where not gravelled it becomes muddy in winter. Normanby Road (length, 6 miles). —The part of this road under construction lies between the Manaia Road and the Waingongoro River; 2f miles are completed as to forming, draining, cuttings, and banks, including about a mile of side-cutting. It is all cleared. The bridges over the Waingongoro and Waiokura Rivers have been let by contract: the work of erecting them has only begun. The road can how be used by horsemen. Manaia Road (leading northwards from the township to edge of forest). —Two miles of this road have been formed, and it is now in good order for traffic. Cape Egmont Lighthouse Road (length, 3 miles). —This lies in a direct east-and-west line, between the main south road, near Pungarehu, and the site of the lighthouse, on the coast: it has been cleared and roughly formed, with temporary culverts at stream-crossings, and is now used by drays, but will require a good deal of work to finish it. Stratj"ord-Opunake (24 miles in length). —This is a pack-track, lying in a nearly straight line between these two places, and, with the exception of about \\ miles at the Opunake end, entirely through dense bush. The work was completed so far as to make it available for horse traffic in February. It crosses ninety-five watercourses, varying in width from 1 chain to 2or 3 feet; none of these are deep, and the larger ones have hard boulder bottoms. Where practicable, fords have been made, in other places rough bridges and culverts of round timber and "pongas." Where the ground was boggy the track was "corduroyed:" about 2| miles are thus treated. Single side-drains to the extent of \\ miles have also been cut. Twenty-one miles of this road were roughly surveyed and the lines cut during the year, Roads North, of Auckland. —These are under the supervision of the Chief Surveyor, Auckland, Mr. Percy Smith, who has supplied the following information, viz. : — Great North Road: The line is now open as a carriage-road from North Shore to Wellsford, a distance of 55j- miles. The works for the past season on this section consist in filling up gaps and widening out the former bridle-road, involving the building of three large bridges of a total span of 740 feet. From Wellsford to Waipu : Part of the road through the Gorge has been widened out to a carriage-road through heavy rockcutting, and two contracts are still in progress on a new portion of the road, the completion of which will open it as a good bridle-road from Auckland. From Waipu to Whango.rei two contracts are in progress, which will open that section as a bridle-road. Whangarei to Kawakawa : Works consist in widening old road and constructing an entirely new line on good grades. Two contracts in progress, and two more ready to let. Kawakawa to Whanc/aroa : Two bridges have been built, and a survey of some deviation, ready for contract, completed. Whangaroa to Mongonui: Two bridges in course of construction. Mongonui to Awanui: One contract of 2i miles, and one bridge overTakuhe, completed, whilst five contracts are in progress for 15i miles, which will make a carriage-road from Mongonui to Awanui. Altogether, 40J miles of road have been completed, or are nearly so, of which 5-j miles have been metalled, 57 miles engineering survey made, and 37 miles permanent survey. The cost up to the 30th June, including inspection, surveys, compensation, and office expenses, is £19,564 Bs. The works proposed for the ensuing season are principally in filling up gaps in old road and widening out bridle-roads to cart-roads. On their completion a first-rate bridle-road will exist from Auckland to Awanui, a considerable portion of which will be available for cart-traffic. A good many delays have arisen through Native opposition.
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