A 'CYCLING TOUR THROUGH THE NORTH ISLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9617, 15 September 1894, Page 1 (Supplement)

A 'CYCLING TOUR THROUGH THE NORTH ISLAND.

[BY H. Y. EDMONDS.] No. 111.

At lasb I arrived in sighb of Roborua 01 Ohinemutu ; bub I did nob go on to the township that evening, preferring to obtain accommodation at the Whakarewarewa Geyser Hotel, which is about two and a-hall miles from the township of Rotor Mr. C. E. Nelson is the proprietor, and both he and Mrs. Nelson were very kind and obliging to their novel guest. The next day after my arrival—Saturday—was spent in visiting the township of Ohinemutu and the Government Sanatorium. The Whakarewarewa Maori pa was the next place of interest visited. This pa is generally considered the most representative one in the whole district, and is situated in the very heart of the thermal country. Clouds of steam, boiling wat«r, hot mud, and sulphur volcanoes surround the pa on every side. There is a toll of Is 6d to be paid on entering tho pa, and a guide fee of Is. THE WHAKAREWAREWA GEYSERS. After inspecting the pa the guide conducted us to the great geyser " Pohutu," which sends up a column of boiling, roaring water to an immense height, sometimes over 100 feet. After playing for a considerable timo the water subsides, and then can be heard roaring and foaming below ! To look down on this seething, boiling turmoil is anything but pleasant. Then there was the geyser " Te Waikiti," also very powerful. This geyser has formed a regular cone of sulphur and silica around it, and looks extremely like a crater. We were also shown the various mud-holes, quaddling and s.earning like so much porridge, if it is allowable to compare these wonders to that wholesome food. Several boiling pools and springs were also inspected; and likewise the miniature geysers, sulphur - holes, etc., etc. Sulphur is apparent everywhere. I must nob omit to mention the "Brain Pot," where, in the olden days, antagonistic chiefs' heads were boiled and eaten. It is a perfectly round pot, made of hard stone, and of natural formation. A WALKING TRIP. On the Monday I determined to visit Wairoa, the scene of the eruption of Mount Tarawera, and the now famous earthquake. I endeavoured to induce some of the gentlemen to accompany me; but could not do so, as they all said, "It is too far." The general mode of travelling there is on horseback ; but as the Maori horses obtainable are lather peculiar, sometimes going and oftener not, I concluded bo walk. The distance is about ten miles from Whakarewarewa, and they told me I was the only one to walk the distance foi some years ! It is certainly very rough travelling, over boulders and through scrub ; but it one wants to see the pla«e it is necessary to put up with a few inconveniences. I started at about nine a.m., and reached Wairoa at just after eleven o'clock. On the way I passed for some considerable distance alongside the "Tarawera chasm," formed by the earthquake, and extending for a long way. The ground has been literally torn asunder, and the great chasm yawns widely. Before reaching the scene of the eruption I passed through the Tikitapu bush, which is most beautiful. Then comes Lake Tikitapu (Bine Lake), then Lake Rotokakahi (Green Lake). There is an outlet to Rotokakahi —Wairoa Creek—flowing through Wairoa, and thence into Lako Tarawera. Wading through this creek 1 entered this now famous deserted township, which is surrounded by hills, with Mount Tarawera rearing its lofty peaks in the distance. This ruined settlement gives one an excellent idea of utter desolation and solitude. Nob a sound breaks the stillness of the place, the only living creatures being a number of wild horses, who go slowly and silently about as though they were quite cognisant of the desolate nature of their abode, and did not wish to disturb it by their equine noighs. The ruins of the houses of both Maoris and Europeans strew the ground in every direction, and cinders lie thickly on the roofs. The acacia plant is rapidly growing over everything, and in a short time will blot out most of the signs of the terrible calamity of 1887. I entered the two hotels of the place, which are in a fearful-state of ruin. The walls of some of the rooms are half standing, and some visitors have subscribed their autographs on the walls. 1 aided mine to the number, and then proceeded to inspect the Maori houses and collect a few specimens. After lunching I went onwards towards Mount Tarawera; and, climbing a high hill, saw the lako stretching away into the distance. I left Wairoa for Whakarewarewa at 1.30 o'clock, arriving there at shortly after 3.30 in the afternoon. They were very much surprised to see me back so soon ; and I received much commendation for my speed, which was nothing but a very ordinary performance. *

NORTHWARDS AGAIN. After a final inspection of the baths—of which I had taken full advantage, having tried them all—and another visit to the Sanitorium I said good-byo to Mr. and Mrs. Nelson and my fellow-guests, and turned my wheel Northwards on the Tuesday morning. The Maoris had gathered en masse to see me off and to inspect the machine, mine being the first bicycle ever seen at Rotorua. Their expressions of wonderment and alarm at sight of the strange " creature" speeding over the ground were very amusing. The roads from Whakarewarewa through the township of Ohinemutu were very bad indeed, and from the township to Tarukenga—the terminus of the Auckland Rotorua Railway, nine miles from Rotorua—they were in a, fearful condition. Some distance from Tarukenga the road is all uphill, and was thick with mud. I passed several roadmakers, whose principal idea of mending a road appeared to be to collect the mud from the sides of the road and heap ib thickly in the middle ! From Tarukenga onwards the road -lies uphill through bush, which continues with occasional breaks all the way to Okoroire. There is some really excellent grassland hereabouts; and the scenery on the route is most magnificent—in fact, the scenery encountered between Rotorua and Auckland is generally very beautiful. Before reaching Okoroire I passed several small settlements and Maori pan, at all of which I attracted much attention. The rain commenced

soon after leaving Rotorua, and came down without intermission all day, so that when J reached Okoroire I was very wet indeed. I concluded to stay at the Okoroire Hotel, and continue my journey next day. Mr. and Mrs. Nathan (the proprietors) made me very welcome, and I proceeded to get the stiffness from ray body by having a swim in one of the hot baths connected with the hotel. OKOROIRE TO AUCKLAND. On the following morning I set oub Northwards once more, passing Oxford and some smaller places before reaching Cambridge. Between Oxford and Cambridge the roads are again very bad indeed ; in fact, the people hereabouts do not appear to have any idea in the world of roadmaking. Ib rained again this day, and I decided to end a short day's ride at Cambridge. On the Thursday I set out for Mercer; and passed Hamilton, Taupiri, Ngaruawahia, Lakes Waihi and Waikare, Huntly, and Rangiriri. Hamilton is quite a large place for a small town— pardon the Irish—and one of the pleasantest townships I saw during the whole course of my journey. Ngaruawahia also struck me as being worth living in. Rangiriri and Mercer were, to my thinking, just, the opposite of Hamilton and Ngaruawahia, especially Rangiriri, which is a mosb unpleasant place indeed ; I

would nob like my dog to live there. Between Rangiriri and Mercer I had some of the very worst travelling on my whole trip. All the way— seventeen to eighteen miles — I had to toil through mud and slush, sometimes forcing my machine onwards, oftener carrying it on my back. However, I reached Mercer; and had a long job washing my machine in the Waikato River —which flows all the way from Cambridge to Mercer, whence it turns off to th» west, and empties into the sea. On the Friday I passed, after leaving Mercer, over the Razorback Hill— and well it deserves the name, for ib is covered with sharp stones all the way to Drury. Before arriving at Drury I wheeled through Havelock, Pokeno, Bombay, Cape - street, and Springfield. From Springfield right on to Auckland the roads were very good. Drury I considered to be a rather gloomy, melancholy kind of place. Opinions, however, may differ. After leaving Drury, and encountering a few more of my old friends —flocks of sheep—on the way, I passed through Papakura, Woodside, Otahuhu, and Ellerslio before reaching Auckland. Putting on an extra spurt at the proximity of the great Northern city, I sped rapidly through the abovementioned places, and arrived in Auckland somewhere about mid-day. As I rode into the town I felt inclined to cry "Excelsior," and "He travels the fastest who travels alone." THE RETURN JOUENEY. I spent three days in Auckland, and made the very best use of my time in inspecting everything of interest as thoroughly as possible in the limited time at my disposal. On Monday I left for Onehunga by train (the only time I had troubled a train or coach during my trip), and took steamer from the Onehunga port to New Plymouth. Of the sea voyage there is but little to say, except that we had a pleasant trip. On the Tuesday morning we arrived at the New Plymouth breakwater, and took train to the town. When I arrived in New Plymouth it was jusb a week since I left Rotorua. Whilst in the train I obtained a splendid view of Mount Egmont, appearing covered in snow almost to the base, and looking, I thought, very grand and beautiful in its towering majesty. It is a truly fine mountain. I spent the whole of the morning in viewing the town of New Plymouth ; and, after a general oiling-up of my machine, made a start for Hawera. It was just after mid-day when I set forth, passing through Inglewood, Waipuku, Midhursfc, Stratford, Elthara, and Normanby, and some smaller places before arriving at Ha"wera. I rode into the town at five o'clock, and stayed there for the night. On the next morning (Wednesday) I mounted my trusty machine, and proceeded to Wanganui, via Wharero, Mokoia, Manutahi, Kakaramea, Hukaterb, Patea, Whenuakura, Nukumaru, Okehu, Kai-Iwi, Brunswick, and St. John's. These are mostly very small places, excepting, perhaps, Patea and Waverley. A short distance out of Hawera the road starts uphill, and before reaching Wanganui there is a tremendous lot of climbing to be done. At Waverley I had lunch ; and, after an uneventful ride, reached Wanganui at about four o'clock in the afternoon. Patea is a very flourishing place, and so also appears to be Waverley. From Kai-Iwi to St. John's the uphill work is very stiff indeed. The weather, for a groat wonder, was fine ; but there was a very strong head wind blowing, and it was most bitterly cold. My hands would get quite benumbed, so that I could hardly feel the handle-bars or the machine, and often had to put my hands in my pockets to warm them. 1 rode for miles in this position on that day. Of course, this could only be done when the road was level. TROUBLED BY REPORTERS. In Wanganui, as usual, the reporters of the local papers waited on me and pumped me regarding my tour. I got so weary of being asked the same questions over and over again that, long before reaching Wanganui, I had framed a series of answers which 1 sometimes would show to inquisitive people when they were pestering me too much. The 'cyclist who has been on a similar novel tour do mine will understand and sympathise with me 1 am sure. The form of the sheet I used to present to some troublesome folks was somewhat as follows :—" Yes, I am the 'cyclist who has undertaken to do the round trip." " Yes, I do think I will get through." "No, I really can't say I consider it very wonderful." " Yes, perhaps it is novel." " You are right, Ido find the roads disgraceful." " No, lam not th<» 'cyclist who did the mile in a minute. He was an American; and I am not making speed a matter of life and death on my tour." " Yes, I shall probably write a description of my tour ; but am sorry I cannot promise to send you a copy just as soon as it comes out." " Yes, I will take a drink.'' Can I stand on the saddle and ride? Weil, no, I can hardly do that; the man who did that feat regularly is dead." The above are fair samples of the questions I had put to me hundreds of times during the course of my trip, and I had to do something to let folks see I was rather tired of replying to the same questions over and over again.

A NARROW ESCAPE. Next day (Thursday), after another look round the town of Wanganui, I made a start for Palmerston, passing through among other places Turakina, Bonnie (Hen, and Bulls. From Wanganui to Palmerston there is a good deal of more hill-climbing to be done, and the journey is almost entirely devoid of any break in the monotony. Before reaching Palmerston the Awahuri River intervenes, and the massive bridge which spanned it has been washed away by the recent heavy floods iii the district. I had to make a detour of

some six or seven miles through fields before coming on the main road again. I tried to ford the river, as I did not relish the idea of going so far out of my way; but I almost lost my life in the attempt to get over. I wandered about on the bank seeking for a shallow place to make the trial; but there were no shallow places; so I stripped out, and, leaving my machine on the bank, plunged into the water. I calculated that if I could get safely over I could come back and carry the machine across ; but it was not to be. I gob on all right—the water being only up to the waist—until I arrived near the centre of the river, when I suddenly stepped into a deep hole, and in a moment was, being swept away by the force of the current! I managed to catch hold of a log sticking up out of the water—the stream was too deep and strong to swim against— after some little difficulty succeeded in getting a foothold, and by slow degrees managed to struggle back to the shore. The water was bitterly cold, and my body and hands were so numbed thab in was some tim«

before I could get life enough into them to pull on my clothes. When I did so I started to go round by the fields, having had quite enough of wading rivers for one day. The loss to the farmers in the district must be very heavy indeed, as thou sands of sheep were drowned by the floods. In one field I passed through men were busily engaged in skinning the poor animals, and I was informed, that no fewer than 700 sheep had been drowned in that one field. The fences were torn down and washed away, fields covered thickly with mud, and altogether the nearlying property of all descriptions has been devastated to a very great extent. PALMERSTON TO WELLINGTON. Thursday night I spent at Palmerston, and next morning I once more bestrode my wheel, and, accompanied by a drizzling web morning, set out towards Wellington. I determined to make a new departure, and come home via Levin and Ota'ni along the beach instead of via the Manawatu Gorge, and very sorry indeed am I that 1 so determined. From Palmerston right on to Paikakuriki I had a simply awful time of it. Just outside Palmerston the mud commenced; and, with occasional breaks of heavy metalled road to set off the monotony of the mud, continued to be thick, sticky slash all the rest of the journey, except, of course, the sands all along Obaki way. From Palmerston on to Tokomaru I had heavy mud and mostly uphill work. Thence on to Shannon it changed into round shingly stones a foot deep. From Shannon to Kereru, and Kereru "to Levin, there is not any road ; but there is a track made by cattle through the bush ; and as there was nothing for ib (I was nob allowed on the railway) i started through the said

bush, and a pleasant time I had of it too! Ib was raining in torrents, and I had to carry the machine and flounder over logs and through mud and water over my knees. Oh, ib was a treab ! From Levin to Otaki the roads were a bit better, though the mud was pretty thick from Levin to Manukau. On the Saturday morning I left Obaki about nine o'clock ; and, after a rather unpleasanb journey, as ib was raining all the way to Porirua, arrived in Wellington ab four o'clock in the afternoon. The Paikakariki Hill was in a very bad condition, being much cub about by the heavy rains. I have now completed my description of my novel, and, I think I may fairly add, hard and nob altogether enjoyable tour. Ib must, however, be borne, in mind thab the journey herein described was accomplished in the month of June, when the weather is proverbially unsettled in New Zealand. In the summer, when the roads are dry and the rivers to be crossed shallow, combined with fine weather, the trip would be very enjoyable and interesting indeed. If one has the time at his disposal I should most certainly advise anyone conjecturing the trip to endeavour to induce a companion or companions to accompany him. This would naturally make the tour much more pleasant than ib would otherwise be were one to travel alone as I did.