The Wild Waioeka

Seven racehorses and five men plunging to death and injury in the Waioeka Gorge early this month (see pictures elsewhere in this Issue) served once again to emphasise the failings of Gisborne's highway connections with the outer world.

"One of the most treacherous, dangerous, and steepest roads in New Zealand", was the description given to the Waioeka Gorge highway by Mr T. A. N. Corson, who is to approach the Minister of Works on behalf of the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce to see if the work of modernising the road cannot be speeded up.

A visit paid by "Photo News" to the gorge as soon as the weather cleared after the recent flood revealed something of the enormity of the problems facing the Ministry of Works and its staff on the project.

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The high road and the low road at one of the Wairata bluffs. But that's not Loch Lomond there....it's the wild Waioeka, eating away at the ramparts of the old highway (at left, passing round bluff).
At flood's height, engineers had to make decision to abandon the old, low-level road, routed traffic over uncompleted highway at right. Many cars had to be towed through.

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Earlier picture shows typical section under reconstruction, and emphasises difficult nature of country.