NORTH TRUNK RAILWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 36, 11 February 1903, Page 3

NORTH TRUNK RAILWAY.

HEW°EK- ' THROUGH THE KING COUNTRY(By Our Special Reporter.) A t 0 ascertain the progress made In order to asce n T Native of the "Star" Ung tehed right through fromPoroe/nttern^tothefar P" tar; n of operations near Ohonga t%te X the Waimarino forest, which abo T ea-level. This f^hoUr, the highest point to 19 \ H for further ahead is Pukebf the line .ill be 2300 ft C lea level. Describing his visit of Section our reporter writes:----«T travelled by the Rotorua express AS" Junction, where I changed J, the train for Poro-o-tarao, winch , int° t t by any means be mistaken for C°ir express At Otorohanga and rtSti 1 found considerable excite--16 I owiii o the fact that the GaS had just come to hand, which nof hat both places had been declared i£s by the Government under Kw Maori Councils Act. That satis- ? 7 v titl s were not hitherto obtainS° ls £vn clearly by the nature of S! huMinos. The storekeepers, while EdSt^e and varied stocks have !Slv not wasted much m the way f p Jditure for architectural effect. Pleasure at the possibility of securing b r titles was, however somewhat ll ened by the fact that the surveyors ok"I to the future rather tl.an the . j- +» nrpsent and in some cases ttoSZ right where the shops boated. A stay of 15 minutes at Te Kuiti just afforded time for a hurried vi,it to the fine carved Maori house, Such is one of the features of the place, 3 reminds the visitor of the dark days O f the massacre at Poverty Bay It seemed strange to be ruling by train to a place which for years was inaccessible to the pakeha, and where the famous Te Kooti erected this fine specimen of modern Maori carving, in order to present it to the Maniapoto tribe as a token of his abiding friendship to them, and latitude for the protection they had afforded him. This fine house hav- ■ w already been previously described requires no elaboration from me. I understand that the Tourist Department officials have their eyes upon it, but it is to be hoped the house will not be taken out of its present location for the purpose of gracing the Maori Museum that is being formed in Wellington. I noticed that there are signs of decay in portions of the building, ivliich require attending to. At Te Kuiti I was fortunate in meeting Mr J. ' W. Ellis, of Messrs Ellis, Valder and Bernand, timber millers, who kindly piloted your representative the rest of the trip. Being an old hand in the King Country, Mr Ellis was invaluable as a guide, pointing out various places of interest. From Te Kuiti the train passes through fine limestone country, the laminated stratifications being shown in various bluffs and cuttings., At <ne point I was shown a lime works belonging to Messrs Wilson. The valleys beyond Te Kuiti are really first-class soil, but being all Maori land are as usual very little cultivated. If the land was available for settlement no do:ibt the limestone land near Te Kuiti would all be readily taken up and settled. The words "Vote for Jennings," chalked on a tank at Te Kuiti reminded me that I had passed into the Egraont electorate. Further on a small stream was crossed, which, being the Mokau, meant that T had reached Taranaki province. The Waitete Viaduct, passed on the way. is an illustration of the cost and difficulty of railway construction. It was the largest in the North Island until the one at ■ Mokohino was completed. The next point of interest is the station at Mangapeehi. vrliere Messrs Ellis and Co. have a mill at work. The tram line constructed to fetch down the timber is eleven miles In length, awl took three years to complete. It goes high ivo into the MangaPeehi Range, where there is a fine bush, containing splendid totara. Strange to ''Plate, however, stocked right on the ™i frontage, I noticed a pile of railway sleepers, imported from Australia. PUBLIC WORKS EXPRESS. Poro-o-tarao Avas reached as the shades oi evening began to fall, and it was here that the triumph of democracy was observable. The Railway Department will «nij- issue tickets to Poro-o-tarao, but the Public Works Department runs the tram on as far as Ongarue. The Railway JJepartment will not take the line over wr public tiaffic until quite assured of its but the Public Works Department runs the train in order to brincr in applies. The result is that neither department makes any charge, and any person that can get on board rides free as «r as the train goes. I therefore simply remained in the carriage, and in due course reached Ongarue, where the train stayed for the night, and consequently I «w likewise. Piloted by Mr. Ellis, I "sewed satisfactory accommodation for the night at Mr. Hunt's house. Rising at five next morning I was able to have a walk round Ongarue before the Public Works "Press started. Ongarue is one of the faces that should have a future. That 'act is recognised by the department, as * 'arge area has been fenced in for railway requirements, and a substantial sta- . "on constructed. The platform faein" ig composed of handsome stone, a kind of "ivohte ,net with in Die course of exjavatmg f or the line. This has already een exposed for two years, and the resi--2i engineer' Mr" Louch' has Perfect confidence that it will make a good buildMg material. He is therefore using it extensively for building permanent culverts « tne railway line is pushed ahead. The «<me presents a handsome appearance; ,nu may yet become of value for build"V purposes in the future cities of the j , nS Country. The supply is ample, but learned it required careful selection to secure blocks free from shakes.

ONGAETJE,

The reason why Ongarue has a future ~ B™re8 ™re »s because at some date (not yet specified) there will he railway eommunijatioJMyrth Stratford via the Ohura Val- :/' wluch > from all I heard in its faJ»». must certainly be the Land of & f the Xin S Countl T- When "attord is connected by rail Ongarue »" be the functioning point with the jam trunk line. At present, however, ""\town i 9, like all pioneer settlements, W gular in architecture as it is in 2\ g-n° Ut- Frontin S the station is a 1416 Mil, from which excellent totara is

being cut by the natives, and behind is the Ongarae River, which will no doubt be frequently visited by tourists in the future with rod and line to fish for the trout which are already beginning to make their appearance, having no doubt worked their way up from the Wangauui. The men working on the line on Monday went to -'.he banks of the river to eat their lunch, and saw several trout under the shade of a weeping willow. Ongarue is situated on a pumice flat, surrounded by ranges, carrying timber. The soil is not of the kind that the average farmer would yearn after for cropping purposes, but native cultivations showed dearly enough that it was by no means the desert it has been frequently described. Ongarue is largely populated by Maoris, who are the owners of the freehold. Europeans there anxiously await the time when it also shall be declared a township by the Government under the Maori Council system, in order to secure a better tenure.' As usual in Maori settlements, the pigs wander freely about the streets of Ongarue, and of sanitary arrangements there is not a suspicion. PROGRESS OF THE WORK. At Ongarue I met the resident engineer, Mr. L. D. Louch, who has been working en the extension of the Main Trunk line from the Auckland end for the last four years. From Mr. Loueh I learned that between Ongarue and the Wanganui River about 100 m?n were at work, while the total at present engaged on the extension of the railway was 550. He was putting on all who applied, and hoped to have GOO at work by the ond of the month. The extensive nature of the operations may be gathered from the fact that from Ongarue to Piriaka js about twenty-one miles, and jrom that embryo township to Ohonga clearing about ten miles. In fact, I was able to see railway works in various stages toi a distance of over thirty miles. The work that has been provided on this line may be estimated from the fact that 2000 men have been put on, of course coming and going all the time, during the last four years. DOWN THE VALLEY. At 7 o'clock I boarded the Public Works Express, and started for a free ride on the democratic car down to W anganui River. The journey along the valley is most interesting, being a ride ot sixteen miles over pumice, through which the Ongarue River lias cut its sinuous course down to its confluence with the Wanganui. The pumice deposit is most singular, there being no less than three distinct terraces. So ever.lv are these deposits of pumice laid that the engineers were almost able to take their fevels from the middle one. The effect of water nas been to cut the various terraces into fantastic shapes, in many in- | stances presenting the appearance of the , carefully constructed glacis of modern j fortifications, with embrasures cut at intervals by small streams. As similar formations exist on both sides of the river the terraces look like the parallels of two opposing fortifications, where the river is the boundary line of two countries Fortunately there is a distinct boundary line upwards of the pumice formation and above this on the tops of the hills is really good country, but even on the pumice flats there is a certain amount of vegetation, which would seem to point to future possibilities of tins valley as a grazing district. As the train passed down the valley the new Te Koura flu- station was passed, and further on Turinga Mutu station was reached Be- I fore arriving at this sport I was afforded a magnificent view of the snow-capped ( summit of Ruapchu gleaming in the sun- , shine To the left was also to be seen j N*auruhoe, steaming somewhat more ; energetically than usual. Turinga Mutu , station is expected to be a big timber centre, as some miles behind it.« a fine totara bush, which will no doubt be worked when the train is running for public traffic. TAUMARANUI. The next station reached was the one situated on another pumice flat near the junction of the Ongarue river with the Wanganui. This place from its situation is destined to become a tourist resort in the future, as it is the intention of the Department to arrange for a trip by train from Rotorua or Auckland to Taumaranui, and-thence by boat down he Wanganui, which will five visitors the sensation of shooting the rapids. The junction of the two rivers is only about half a mile from the station, and was reached by a pleasant walk through tho Maori cherry orchards. It is thought that in order to ensure tourists not being delayed by the state of the river at certain times. it will be necessary to form a road from Taumaranui to Whaemitere. Ihe distance is nineteen miles by the river, but can fee shortened to ton by forming a road Whaenutere is situated about iit miles from the mouth of the Wanganui river The people of Tanmaramii are awaiting the time when it shall be declared a township. At present they are tenants of the Maoris, and an idea of the rents demanded may be gathered from the fact that one gentleman paid recently £70 as rent for half-an-acre of around for a term ending 1908. In some cases £40 per acre per annum w demanded as rent alone at the infant township. Mr Wilkinson, President of the Maori Council, has, however, recently visited Taumaranui, and has arranged with the native owners through the head man Hakie for the formation of a township, the onl V . difficulty now being a question of allocation of risfhta amongst the respective owners. That the flat on which Taumaranui is located is wood land was plainly demonstrated by the European and native cultivations. At Mr Caffey's whore T lunched there was a most brilliant display in the flower garden, while at other gardens I noticed onions, cabbages and potatoes apparently doing well, and yet at the back of this flat the pumice terrace rises perpendicularly for many foot above the railway line. At Taumaranui T met the Presbyterian Maori Missioner, Mr Ward, and also the teacher of the Native School, Mr Brouohton. T learned that a cottage hospital is to be erected at the township, and that the Government had just appointed a doctor. Tho necessity to have, a medical man handy was painfully evident before I left the settlement, as a poor fellow came in from the bush, with his left hand crushed. Mr Broujyliton rendered first aid. but it was impossible for the sufferer to have his fractured fingers set until he reached Hamilton hospital the following afternoon. THE WANGANUI. A run of a few rtiiles by train brought me to the banks of the famous scenic river of New Zealand, the Wanganxu, 177 miles by rail from Auckland. Further progress by rail was blocked for want of a bridge across the river. This is all the more unfortunate because it means extra cost of living for the 450 men and their families who are, located on the

further side of the river. The contract for the erection of this bridge has been let for some months, and as it will take a long time it becomes a question as to whether it will not be advisably to throw a temporary railway bridge across so as to get connection by rail with Piriaka. The line runs over the spot where it is said by the natives that Moffat was buried. The older generation of Auckland - ers will remember that Moffat persisted in going into the King Country to look for gold, and was several times turned back by the Maoris. Finally he was told that if he returned again he would be killed. Moffat returned,, and the Maoris kept their word. ACROSS THE WANGANUI. Having passed from the Auckland to the Taranaki district. I next crossed over the Wanganui to the Wellington side. Here' 1 found the railway embankment track formed through a fine flax swamp that had been drained. That the Public Works Department is not to blame for the train not now being running much further along is shown by the fact that I gathered ripe strawberries on the top of the earth thrown up to construct the embankment, an evidence of the time that has elapsed since its construction. If the bridge" across the Wanganui was up, there would bo little delay in laying the rails and running the service train much nearer Piriaka. When that bridge is constructed, in conjunction with it there should also be one for ordinary traffic. The work of carting all the supplies for the men across the ford is a serious matter. When the river is in Hood Piriaka stands a good chance of ? famine, because storekeepers would require to cany a very heavy stock to last foi a Aveek or two. The way Auckland's interests have been neglected in the pust is shown by the fact that a main icnd was formed right from Wan-o-anui River up to Poro-o-tafao, the idea beinc to cart all the material from that end histead of from Auckland. As matters turned out, however, it was found cheaper to bring the material up from this end.