UNKNOWN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 17, 21 January 1897, Page 2

UNKNOWN.

TONGARIRO VISITED.

Mr E. W. P.oper. who had about five years ago ascended Ngaruhoe, and subsequently some of the principal volcanoes of the world, having returned from a holiday trip through the North Island, was interviewed by a member of the staS of tbe Christchureh "Press." Mr Roper, -it m_y be mentioned, made the ascent of tho Tonganro during his trip. Hence his account oi the present state of the mountain will be read with interest. _Ir Roper said : " Having arranged with Pcei_, who accompanied the previous expedition roiei.e.i to in the telegrams, to act as tjuide, I left Tokaanu at 5.30 _ m., and in three hours reached O-akou, a M .ori settlement at the ba-e of Tongariro. Here I obtained Buddie horses from Partens, the chief who guided me in tho ascent of Naaruhoe some rive years ago. f.e nature of the recent outbreak «r_j there clearly revealed to us by the enormous quantities of dust which were being uriven down the sides of the mountain by a strong wind. This gave the appearance cf a large cloud ot steam enveloping the mountain. Forlunatrly, however, during our visit the new crater was quiescent. The ride up the grassyslopes, on the windward side of Toi.g_.riro, waa very pleasant, and it whs hard to realise that we wore in such cio.e proximity to so dangerous a neighbour as a volcano throwing dust, fire, etc., four miles high. I may here explain that the new crater formed is between the main cliffs of Tongariro and the crater of Te Muri, which is so prominen. a feature in the landscape viewed from Boto Aira. Our first view of the new crater was from tha east as we skirted round Pihanga, but it was somewhat obscured by the clouds of dust, and we did not get a good view of it until< we ascended the mountain on the western i .ide. -Up to tha present time no one has I reached the top of the new crater, but we ! got within a few hundred yards of it, and eventually rested at Ketetahi, theaecoud of the active craters en Tongariro, and oniv distant one mile from Te Mari. The appearance of the mountain as we looked at it was very peculiar. The enormous quantities of dust ejected from the crater had covered the whole of the ground around. Where rain had fallen she fire dost had been baked in to a kind of pipeclay almost as fine as French chalk. Having remained some two hours in the vicinity of the crater and taken photographs, we returned to Otakou. Ketetahi, which has been apoken of, ia one of the mosb uncanny spots even in this region, the amount of ateam ejected from the various fißaurea being bo enormou? . -.-.not

bat feel that they act aa a safety valve to the crater, which .3 at any time liable, like Te ileri. to break out. From Otakou we drove back to Tokaaau, which was reached it s p.m. This waa a record performance, the .carney never having been made before ia one day. With regard to the future of the nfiVF crater, judging by Ts Mar!, -which first broke in 1363, and ha_ been practically qaie.csnt eTer siace, it is possible that, lise the many oJfaer craters of Tongariro, cbu latest addition will not be sgaia heard ol after tbe present outburst hat subsided."