Tourists Travel by Luxury Car to Rotorua
With thanks to Don Stafford's 'The new century in Rotorua' for the following information.
In 1902 it took just 2 days to drive from Auckland to Rotorua by car, the road conditions were deemed acceptable, with the stretch of road through the 'Oxford Bush' (now Mamaku), which had been cut up with the timber and fire wood wagons, being the only exception.
Mr Edwin Robertson's coaching company was the biggest private employer during the early 1900s, by 1903 his company was taken over by a group financed by two Auckland businessmen and two other men who had also been in Rotorua coaching circles, William Carr and Thornton Walker.
The new company was titled "Rotorua Motor Coaching Co. Ltd" By 1908 R.M. Coaching Co. had a fleet of cars as well as the coaches, however the condition of the roads between 1910-1919 was of greater concern for those using motor cars than it was for horse-drawn vehicles. Unfortunately by 1918, the R.M. Transport Co. was in dire financial straits and folded soon after in 1919, at that time the last coach ran also.
In September of 1920 a new company by the name of Rotorua Motor Transport Co. was formed that also took over the Hot Lakes Transport Co. as well. During 1922 the Kusab's transport company became "K Motors" from this time the new players in the transport industry grew and Taxi companies were formed and later Bus companies began operating between town's making travel that much easier albeit a little bumpy! and sometimes the roads were impassable too.
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From "Wises New Zealand Post Office Directory" 1898 |
One of the first ever transport companies in the Rotorua region.
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| c1910 Map of Hot Lakes Transport Co. Trips around Rotorua. From the Rotorua District Library Collection |
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| From : Papers Past, article in 'Auckland Star' 3rd September 1937 |
