THE RIVAL ROUTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 90, 16 April 1895, Page 5

THE RIVAL ROUTES.

' THE PARLIAMENTARY EXPEDL }' ' TION. .;,, ' .

if' RETURN OF THE PARTY.

7. THROUGH FOUR PROVIJNUJ-S. The Parliamentary party, consisting of fJ_?Hon.W. Jennings, M-LCandMessrs W Crowther and Lang, M.H.R. s, who fct'ely decided on a tour of iwpeobum oyer the rival railway routes between Auckland and . the * Sonth-bhe Central and Stratford routes - have returned from Sr lengthy trip, which extended ever I.'days, during- which time Jthe 'Sy travefled over S 600 miles The weather throughoub was fane but cold. On Mr Harsthouse's recommendation the party on arrival ab Te; Kuiti took the Central route first, Mr.Adams, Surveyor, being-in-Jtructed.to take the party through. The Sedition left Te Kuiti on Saturday, -March 30bh, at 8 o'clock, over tbe central route being provided by Mr H. Tanner Sg&iS After-passing the Waiteti viaducb, and crosßing the Mokau River, where all hands gob web owing to the river feeing flooded, they caught up to their pack horses on the southern side of the loro-o-Tarao tnnnel. The road to this spot was fairly good, and high fern, indicating •ood soil, was passed through . between Waiteti, and the Mokau. After passing through the tunnel, the party went down the Ongaruhe River Road, and camped for the first nighb ab the Kawakawa, the point of divergence of the rival routes, 38 miles from Te Kuiti. Here the parby found about 30 men employed by the Governmenb on bhe cooperative system on road workß in the Ongaruhe disbricb. The road from tho tunnel to tho poinb of divergence was found to be in excellent condition. Ab the Kawakawa, Mr Alfred Julian lefb the party to go through the S.ratford route to clear tho track in its worst parts prior to the expedition tackling it.'

ON THE CENTRAL ROUTE.

■ r Next day, March 31st, the .party left the Kawakawa for Hunterville, crossing the Ongaruhe twice, and passing a beautiful little kahikatea bosh and two small native sebblementß, Te Koura and another. They then branched off from the track to Taumarunui, and arrived at) Puna, a settlement where a native named Enoka lived. Enoka ij about to build a large accommodation house there, close to the Wanganui River. Here the party were regaled with pork and potatoes,.: a la Maori. The party then /'-crossed the Wanganui River on horseback, and after a few miles-they got into the beautiful totara bush on tho celebrated Waimarino Block. The bußh is eight miles through, and the scenery was at timeß very beautiful. It took the party four hours to travel through the bnsh, and in the f evening they arrived ab the Obapouri clearing, on the eastern Bide of the bash.- Some of the party took shelter in a pataka, or Maori storehouse, that night, while the others were under canvas. Before the parby • crossed the Wanganui River, near. Te Puna, they passed through several miles of wild strsw- ; berries, amall bub sweet, growing along the track. The pumice country' was met with ab the Ongaruhe, and conbinued right through the Waimarino. Bush towards ' Ruapehu.

THE waimarino.

After leaving the Otapouri.clearing;bhe party travelled next day sixteen miles through -the remainder of the Waimarino Bush; This portion is mixed forest, coh■istiipg of kahikatea, matai, rimu, manuka, tniro and totarai Some splendid trees were met with, some of the totara- being of very large, .dimensions. A- dozen varieties of: beautiful ferns were. passed on the road. In "some places the track and bridges were in a very bad condition, and ib took the party eighb bourß in the saddle to do the 16 miles that day. Abonb four o'clock that afternoon the expedition emerged on the beautiful looking Waimarino Plains—which the expedition discovered to be a sort of "whited sepulchre," for from a distance ib was beaubiful, bub on closer examination proved to be a pumice desert covered with tvsBpck. To the left of the expedition, after coming on to the plains, the small village of Tokaanu, on Lake Taupo, was Been about twelve milea away nestling at the foot of a hill. There waa much disappointment in the party because Ruapehu and Tongar.ro were both veiled in clouds. On the evening of the fourth day the party camped at Rochfort'a Government house, on the Waimarino Plains, five miles from the bush, i Tho Waimarino bush-contains over 200,000 acres in the hands of the Governmenb. On tho fifth day the party crossed the Mangatoti bridge, in the Ohakune bush. Ab thia bridle there is a very dangerouß siding. In some places the road on this: siding is only five feeb wide, and thero is a perpendicular drop from ib of 250 feeb to the creek below over the sulphur-ous-looking stream which flows from Ruapehn into the Whangaehu. Going through the Ohakune Bush

TWO SPECIAL SETTLEMENTS

taken up by Marton people were passed. The country hereabouts was flat and undulating land, well-timbered, the coil being a sorb of papa formation. One of the settlements was called the Gladstone special settlement. A good many of the settlers were busy felling bush prior to burning off in the autumn. Alter passing oub of bhe bush, the Obakune settlement waa reached in bhe afternoon. ■ Here three finger posts indicated the way to. Pipiriki (on the Wanganui), Kerioi and Taumarunui. The coach from Pipiriki to Kerioi stops ab Maneon's accommodation house. The jf>arty arrived ab Kerioi afber a web and cold ride, and stopped at Scott's accommodation house, which.ia wibhin four miles of tbe foot of Ruapehu. Mr McDonald, manager for Studholme's run, gave each ofthe party .some of the scoria stones which the volcano had ejected the week before. A splendid view was had of' Ruapehu, which stood out clear and distinct, with the snow - line very low. Kerioi settlemenb is over 2,Goofb above tbo sea.level. Mr McDonald has an orchard here at Studholme's homestead. There aire said to be over 40,000 sheep on the station. There are several Maori settlements in the district, the natives being busy digging potatoes ab the time. On Thursday morning, 4th inst., the party lefb Kerioi for Waioru, which is the diverging point for passengers going to Tokaanu and Ohingaiti.' Here the party got a glimpse of Ngauruhoe (or Auruhoo) volcano, and saw eteam arising from the crater. The Maoris at Waioru said that the cold weather had set in very early, and the whole plain was white with froat. Waioru was recently divided into ten-acre blocks, and many of the sections bad been closed. The party passed close to the source of the Waikato and Whangaehu Rivers, on the southern slope of Ruapohu. In the afternoon the party arrived ab Turangarere, where good country was again meb wibh. The stock here were plentiful and in good condition. One Maori in the vicinity has 8,000 sheep. The party passed through the Otaihape Special Settlement, where fourteen families from Christchurch are settled, felling bush and making roads. The celebrated Awarua Block was visible on the eastern hand. A quarter-aero section ab Otaihape was sold tor £56 the other day, albhough ib is situated in the heart of tbe dense bush. The land about here was fairly level bush country, and appeared to be very good, some of the sebblers Bpeaking highly of ib. After dinner ab Otaihape, the party passed through the beautiful Kaikoura Gorge, where there is a splendid road, fib for a bicycle for many

miles. A considerable number -of men were employed here road-making rightthrough the >Three-Log Whare, which is .about 30 miles frota Ohingaiti. Three-Log Whare is very busy, reminding one of a recently discovered goldfield owing to the numerous canvas tents about, and the new appearance of the broken ground. Railway work was busily proceeding here. At Ohingaiti the party, stopped for the night, and in the morning went on to Mangaonoho to take -the -train for Hnnterville, going through splfhdid agricultural and grazing country. Jusb at Mangaonoho there is a costly and unnecessary tunnel,-which was indeed go unnecessary that the contractor offered the Government £400 if they wonld allow him to make a cutting instead of a tunnel, bub they insisted on his going on with the work according to the specifications. _ After passing through Hunberville by train the party went to Wanganui and caughb the special train on Friday from Wellington to Taranaki, arriving ab Stratford On the sth"' inst. As' far as Turangarere there seemed to be ho reason whatever for continuing tho Trunk Line northward, as there the good land ended. The rest of the Central route is very poor lan i, being nearly all pumice formation. j THE '-'STRATFORD ROUTE. '

On the morning of the 6th. insb. the party left) Stratford for Auckland, via the railway route, in buggiea provided by the Strattord Town Board. There was found to be a good road to Toko, six miles from Stratford. Toko ia a rising little, place, which did nob exist three years ago, and which now boasts a population of about 150 settlers within a mile radius. < It possesses a telephone bureau, town hall, creamery and sawmills. Here the party met an old Waikato settler, M r Maxwell. The party reached Strathmore settlement, only a year or-so old, 19 miles from Stratford at lanch time, the road being very good and the buggies going along in fret class style. Some of the country was broken, bub the land was good grazing country up to a few miles from Strathmore. The special settlement of Mangaotuku, comprising 30,000 acres, .ia near by. People from Palmerston North have taken up sections here, averaging 200 acres.. It was at Strathmore that the railway survey line was picked up. The party drove in 32J miles from Stratford by the buggies;; thence they .had to ride and walk six miles to Sladden's survey camp, which was located ab Pohukura, where 200-acre blocks are being cub out for settlement. Seventy men are road-making on the co-operative system ab Strathmoro and in the vicinity. Next day the party started from Sladden's camp on foob for a . ' FIFTY MILE WALK" through the bush bound to Te Euiti, their mojto being "Te Kuiti or., bust." Two members ot the survey party accompanied the expedition for half a day. ; Some stiff hills and some swamp. were negotiated here, and the Wbangamomona • Valley .was traversed in the afternoon. The country through which the party passed waa broken, bub the soil was good, and the Whangamomona Valley was very inviting; being rich alluvial,, soil. The bush herej is chiefly rimu, msur©, and kahikatea. . Ib teems with native pigeon, tui, and other birds, and the swamps with ducks, being somewhat different to the Waimarino Bushi which seemed comparatively scarce in bird life. While the party were aboub to camp ab night, what was thought:to be a." cooee" from someone in distress was heard in the bush. One of the party fired bis gun, and " cooeed," the faint " coeee " being again heard. Julian started off in search of the voice,: -which was, believed to come fr,om someone lost in, the bush,bub to the astonishment of the party, discovered that the Bound" was-caused^ bytwo-trees rubbing against each other in the breem Portions of the road through the buah from Pohukura towards Auckland are to be let shortly for formation* on the •cooperative principle. This shows that the Government is intent on pushing on the Stratford ftijad. Nexb day (Monday week) ,the party started.from a point 47 miles trom Stratford, and travelled a stiff day's journey, uphjlland down valley all the time. The worst climb waa a riso of, 610 feeb above creek level. The old native clearing at Tahoraparoa, covered with koromiko, was traversed, and the party visited the remains of the old Maori pa here, which has nob been inhabited for over 20 years. Ib is situated in a most inaccessible spob in the forest, 1,200fb above the level of the nearest creeks. A splendid view of .the surrounding bush country was obtained from this hill, the country to the Worth being visible for 15 miles. A b noon the party stopped for the mid-day meal ab an apple tree close to the remains of some old wharea at Raikohu, on the Tahoraparoa clearing,, and the apple tree being richly loaded, with hundred 3of the fruit lying on the. ground, the party had a bounteous meal. Morgan's survey party was out ab the Tahoraparoa two years ago and gathered 4,000 apples from this same tree. The wild pigs which are numerous aboub here will, singularly enough, nob touch the apples, which are nob infected by the codlin moth. Crossing the Waingara stream, which flows past here, ; and passing the junction of the Stratford and Mimi Valley routes (the Mimi route connecting with the Waitara line), the party pushed on through the bush to camping ground at the junction of the Waingarara stream and the Taungarakau B,iver. The country hereabouts was broken, |)ub the hills would make first-class grazing country, being all papa soil. The-failway route is nob far from the road track. There is good mixed bush on the hills and in the valleys. :_.... Next morning (Tuesday) the forest track waa found :to be very bad. Morgan's survey camp (where the surveyor died in March, 1893) was passed. Here there is a fenced-in wooden gravestone, with the inscription, "J.M.,. 3/3/93," erected to Mr Morgan's memory. All tools, camp fixtures, etc., were found to be lying in the deserted camp. The whole of thiß day the party were travelling through the Taungarakau Gorge, the track being very difficult, owing to undergrowth. They reached Koch'a survey camp in the. • afternoon, on the Taungarakau (which runs into the Wanganui), one of the party being completely fagged. Some of the hills passed by were'very high, one being over a.thousand feet in height. Over the Taungarakau there is a wire rope, which is never used, about 60fb above the creek,' leyel.; Indications of coal were seen along tne Taungarakau Valley, and also some Btone that looked like quartz. The recordtor the day's travelling was onlyaeven miles, _:..-'■ Next day, Wednesday last, the Taungarakau was crossed for the third and last time, the track along the gorge being most difficult, sometimes having to be crawled upon all foura. The party next skirted the Paparata Creek, in the course of which another one of them was done up. The party next crossed the Waiaraia Range, dividing the Ohura from the Taungarakau Valley. Here a fine seam of coal was passed. A fine little clearing was passed in the Haeo Valley, where the soil appeared particularly good. Paorae was reached in the evening, being a little clearing on the Heao, which is a tributary of the Ohura.

THE OHURA,VALLEY. Here the party found horses waiting for thorn, there now beihg a horeo track open to Te Kuiti. The Heao is 40 miles from the point of divergence. The road has been complebed during bhe lasb eighteen months. From the Heao the party rode on Thursday through the Huotahi Valley, which is good soil, and crossing the Mangaroa stream, came upon a number of natives and also a road-party. The Ohura was reached thab afternoon, and was crossed by a bridge ab Toitoi. The

bash land is here on the west side ofthe river, while the east is broken fern country, held by the natives. It is evidently good land, with high fern. iThe camp of Mr Prentice, Government surveyor, was passed.; Mr Prentice .is ' surveying the Government portion- of the Ohura bush, where 200-acro blocks and' largo areas are being laid out for: settlements Passing through the old- native settlement of Nihoniho, the party rode over, a good graded road to the vicinity of the settlement of Pukerimu. . The natives here broughb up their grievances, the chief, of which was the wanb of a school. The Maoris are moving up here from Taumarunui. A fine view was got from the hill here of the country aboub the Ohura, which appears to be excellent land. The soil appeared to be very much the same as the land at and aboub Te Awamutu. Nexb day the .parby passed along a good road, near which natives were busy felling bush. , This portion of the Ohura Valley, in Mr Jennings' opinion', will 'make a splendid place for growing arrowroot and such cereals, owing; to' ibs conformation. From Pukerimu the party rode 18 miles to Te Kawakawa, the point of divergence, and ib was with' pleasurable feelings thab Cashel',B store waa seen. The pumice country was again reached, half-way between the point of divergence and Pukerimu. Next day the party came, on to Kuiti. \ r

What struck some of the party was the fact that the Government have been pushing the Stratford road on particularly well. There is no doubt the roads .will have to precede the railway, and settle the country, until such time as a railway can be put through.' It was evident thab the Stratford route is the better route of the two, owing to it being far superior bo the Central line for settlemenb purposes. Though there is a lob of broken counbry, it. will all prove to be splendid grazing land, and a great portion of it will befitted for agriculture.