THE KING COUNTRY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 93, 19 April 1905, Page 9

THE KING COUNTRY.

WITH THE SURVEYORS IN A TARANAKI FOREST. AN INTERESTING TRAMP. — TAUMARUNUI TO THE OHURA. —' TWENTY-TWO MILES THROUGH A BUSH AND PUMICE LAND TRACK. THE BULL ARENA.—MR. SKEET'S CAMP.—A CANOE ON THE OHURA. —-WILD PIGS.—BIRD LIFE.—WILD HORSES.—AORANGI TO AUAKOPAE ON THE WANGANUI.—"KIA ORA: NA TO TINA HO A." Mr. George Femvick, editor of the "Otago Daily Times," recently made the journey from Auckland, to Wellington and he publishes an interesting account of his experiences in the "Times," of April (ith, from which we make the following extracts:— Taumarunui and the district surrounding it may be said to have been, up to 12 or 18 months since, an almost unvisited part of the colsyy. It had not then been reached by train, and the navigation of the waters of the Wanganutßiver had not been undertaken up to so high a point. This is now all changed, however. The Northern Trunk line, has steaadily, if but slowly, pursued its way south from Frankton Junction, on the W 7 aikato, until it has penetrated the King Country right to Taumarunui, and for 10 miles beyond that terminus the rails are laid and the line ballasted, and although the sejetion has not be»en handed over to the Working Railways Department passengers are allowed to travel to Kakahi, in a van attached to ths ballast train, on payment of a fare of Is, the arrangements being in charge of the Public Works Department. Having recently found myself in Taumarunui and unable to proceeed down the river to Wanganui for tbrear? days owing to the sudden stoppage of the Thursday's steamer, due to the extraoreiinary lowness of the river and the reduced traffic, I made the trip by ballast-train van to Kakahi, and subsequently by coach—driver and part proprietor of the coaching (service Mr. H. Bloxham, son of Mr Bloxham. of Teviot—for a further distance of 18 miles through a gTeat forest area that is shortly to be exploited by the sawmiller. Not only is private sawmilling enterprise about to commence operations on bush aresas within easy reach of the railway line, but the Government is also erecting a great mill to cut the timber in the splendid Waimarino forest, which it has retained in its own hands: and thus another State industry is on the point of inauguration. We had an extremely pleasant and interesting drive over a good road spejeialy made through the forest by the Public Works Department for the conveyance of railroad material, the drive being made yet more interesting consequent on the railway camps pitched here and there on the roadside in pictures<rue positions near the bush. At one point on the route a splendid view of Ruapehu and Ngaruhoe is obtained on clejar days, but unfortunately on the day of my trip there was a haze which prevented our -seeing .the mountains. , Qmnah o*4 r,rai*r,j«ic. taeuK&t v* teck to

Taumarunui in time for dinner, and here an opportunity presented itself of a jour, ney through the bush into the heart of that part of the King Country of which Taumarunui may be described as the centre. Conversing with a young fellow after dinner, I found that he was a cadet attached to the survey party of Mr. Skeet, of New Plymouth, then camped about 22 miles back in the bush and engaged on the survey of a block of about 40,000 acres. Mr. * Skeet's cadet had walked in from camp that day on business, and informed mc he intended io return to the camn the following day—a walk of 22 miles through the bush. 1 had a day to spare before a river steamer was available, and it did not r-quire a second invitation for mc to decide to accompany my young acquaintance on bis walk through the bush track to the Ohura camp. This would bring mc to a point distant about eight miles from tlio Wanganui River, and I arranged with the agents of tha steamers to pick mc up there as the Saturday's steamer proceeded on her way down the riveY to Pipiriki.

Arranging with Mr" Dewar to have breakfast next morning at 5 o'clock, we retired to rest early. At 4.20 I proceeded to call my companion, but found him in the kitchen, where be bad already lighted the fire preparatory-to being joined by the cook,- who very quickly provided us with a good meal to fortify us for our long walk. By 6 o'clock we had made a fair start, and in a few minutes reached the crossing at the Ongarne Stream, where a loud hail to the Maoris in the kainga on the opposite shore brought a wahine down to tbe river bank. Stepping into the canoe we embarked and were conveyed to the other side. The Ongarue divides the Wanganui country from Taranaki, so that when we stepped ashore we were in tbe King Country of Taranaki. We stopped at the kainga for a short time to enable one of the Maoris to complete a letter ho was writing to Mr Skeet, and this being finished we took our leave of the Maoris, and at 6.50 made a fair start on our walk- Our first breather was over a pumice-ridge about 150 ft. high, and thence we travelled along a terrace through manuka scrub for a distance of two and a half miles. The sun was by this time gilding the heavens, with tie moon still bright in the western sky. We followed the Arakanne Creek for some distance, and then began the ascent of the Rangiriri Range, whose steep wooded slopes rise to a height of 1900 ft. After occasional rests in the steep bush traesk, we reaejhed Te Aroha point, the summit of the range, and had a splendid view of Taumarunui and the silver exnirse of the Wanganui River and the bush lands of the district, to tap which five new sawmills are being erected. The river is seen winding in and out for a distance of about seven miles. Ruapehu and Ngaruahoe, which in clear weather, together with Mount Egmont, are seen from this vantage point, were on this occasion not visible on account of a hazy atmosphere.

After describing very graphically their tedious tramp over a rough track, through pumice country for a great part, Mr Fenwick continues: Oar destination was reached, about 4 o'clock, our actual

time in walking the 22 miles having been about eight hours. I was cordially welcomed by Mr Skejet, and after scraping off an accumulation of piri piri and the black seeds of a tall native grass — which had stuck to my trousers, singlet, and hands and arms—and having had a refreshing wash, I enjoyed the strange surrotmeiings of this camp in the heart of the silent bush. Mr Skeet told mc I was the first pakeha other than his survey hands who had penetrated to his camp, and was good enough to compliment mc on having accomplished the walk over a rough track for a considerable distance. He is engaged in the survey of a block of about 44,000 acres of mixed country in the Ohura and Piopiotea West survey eiisrrict, in TaraxtakL The block has a long frontage to the Wanganui Biver, and is principally bush, with a considerable admixture of fern and scrub land. Half-past 5 next morning saw the camp astir, as I had to reach a point on tbe Wanganni River about 15 miles from Taumarunui in time to be picked up by the steamer leaving the latter place at 7 o'clock. Mr Skeet also expected some stores to come for him, and it ■was arranged that one or two of his men should accompany mc to the river to take delivery of these- We left the camp about half-past 6, taking a canoe down the Ohura River for about two miles. This brought us to Aorangi, at one time a large native village, which many years ago was visited by a plague that carried off a great number of its inhabitants. No one lives there, but evideneje of the old settlement still remains in numbers of fruit trees, now gnarled and degenerated, although stil fruit-bearing. The distance between Aorangi and Auakopae is six miles, and I set out with one of the men to walk the stretch of bush tracks between Aorangi and the river. A very pleasant walk it proved. My companion knew something of the bush and the birds, and he also spoke Maori well- Birds, although a number of varieties was seen, were not very plentiful. The pigeon occasionally perched himself on £rees near the track, and the little grey warbler (riro riro) trilled his pleasant notes at intervals as we steadily pushed on. "Ka tangi te riro riro kua tata te raurnatr' (whesn the riro riro sings the summer is nigh); but in this instance the Maori proverb is not appliesable, as the summer has cx»me and gone. The quoting of the proverb led to my companion asking if I knew of other proverbs of the Maoris in connection with native birds, and I cpioted that ascribed to the harsh of the kaka, "Kua tangi te kaka" —as indicating the approach of dawn. To v/hicS he responded with another: "Ka tangi te kaiaca c te rangi paki he rangi na apopo''—"lf a sparrowhawk screams on a fine day it will rain on the morrow." Hence the title of "rain bird" given to tbe sparrowhawk. And here I maY finish tbe bird proverbs with one subsequently given mc by Hune Tetana, or Parakino, on the Wanganni River: "Ko tangi te wharauroa kua ton te taena"— "When the wharauroa sings it is time to plant the potatoes."

We had not walked more than a couple of miles or so when we suddenly disturbed a number of wild pigs—probably 10 or 12 —grubbing among the fern near the track, who sejampered off into the scrub. They are plentiful throughout the whole of the district stretching back from the river, and form the staple fresh food of the survey camps, varied by a young heifer occasionally to give a- spice of variety to the pork diet, which is somewhat tasteless flesh. Not far from the spot where we had disturbed the gips the thud of hoofs in the scrub tells us that wild horses are near, and like a flash two of them dash up an easy slope to our right. Gaining a slight eminence, they turn and gaze at us with inquiring eyes and heads ereiet.

As we get well into the bush it shows the same characteristics as that I had traversed betwejen Taumaranui and the Ohura camp—pines, totara, tawa, among the larger trees; and among the smaller rewarewa (honeysuckle), panax, rami rama, and some distinctive North Island varieties of which time will not permit an examination. By half-past Bwe have covered about three-fourths of our distance, and I am told that we shall get to the river shortly after 9 o'clock. It in, however, just 20 minutes past 9 when, after descendirp a very steep pinch, we step on to the smooth rocky bottom of the river, left bare by the shallowing water, for the river is said !o be lower than it has been for 25 years. The question then arises. "Am I in time, or has the steamer beaten

ur, and, finding no one there, .gone on?" In 10 minutes, however, all doubts wejre dissipated, for the small steamer which was to take mc down the river a3 far as the houseboat, 30 miles from Taumaranui, hove in sight, and in a few* minutes I said my farewells to my companion of the bush and one or two other members of the camp party, who had by this time made their appearance, and thus ended a pleasant and extremely interesting visit to the Taranaki King Country bush lands, at present trackless and undisturbed, but the glory of which before many years have elapsed will in large measure have passed away before the tide of "advancing settlement. "Kia Ora," my surveyor companions; "na to tino hoa" (from your very sincere friend). GEORGE FENWICK.