LITTLE-KNOWN BEAUTY SPOT.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 207, 1 September 1924, Page 9

LITTLE-KNOWN BEAUTY SPOT.

NGArU7AW<AHI[A TO WiAEvGAKO. There are, as everyone knows, many spots and roads of very great beauty which are not often visited by the sightseer, usually -the reason Ibeing difficnlty of access or lack of advertisement. A few miles from 2vgaruawahia there is a delightful and picturesque drive which has the added advantage of traversing.a good and well-kept road almost devoid of holes, for which the thanks of the traveller will go out in all sincerity to the 'Raglan County Council. This is the road -which leads to Waingaro, a spot of rare charm and peacefolness, some 13 miles from the junction of the Waipa with the Waikato. At Waingaro there are mineral baths, ■which almost rival any of the famous Rotorua. or Te Aroha springs, from a point of view of tlie soothing action of the waters. From. Ngaruawahia the road crosses the Waipa Ever and winds its way by lazy stages amongst rugged mountains, through leafy forest and deep gorges, the gorges here having the benefit of easy access, much easier than some of our boomed ones. Above and below are bush-covered hills and cliffs, while down in the valleys a- mountain stream rushes and foams as it leaps from rock to rock on its headlong journey to the river some way off. For some distance the road lies through an avenue of •wattles, which fling their Wossom-laden -boughs overhead and "fill the hit with fragrance of the flowers. The bush is particularly beautiful, and it is to be hoped will be preserved. After going through the gorge Glen Massey is reached, an interesting and prosperous coalmining settlement set in rather pretty surroundings. Just past this town the road climbs sharply to the top' of a nearby hill, fronv where is presented a glorious panorama, consisting of mountain and valley, which stretches away into the dim blue distance. From this point onwards there is not so much bush, the country being more open and having a more fertile appearance. (Prettily situated farmhouses dot the landscape, which ia somewhat of a contrast to that seen on the earlier part of the trip. Indeed, the greatest charm of this trip is the ever-changing scene. There seems to always foe something new to look at, and right on to Walnjaro the road ■winds away over the hills and through valleys, each with an appeal of its own. When the beauty of this drive becomes better known, it will be visited by a number of "motorists and others.