LONELY SENTINELS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 46, 18 November 1907, Page 9

LONELY SENTINELS.

'*''"■'•'"■: " -*. ~-... . -. ' ;'the lighthousekeeper's lot. v a trip in the hinemoa. i (Specially Writtpr<,for:...Tnß Dominion.) £ Sea or>Many'islands;" l ■/' Crossing. tho Bay':'of' Plenty, wo oa'ught eight: of,Whitd-Island and its ctoruallyimokingi: crater,-oway sonio miles to star*bard,.;and enjoyed'that- rare spectatelo'. now in thoso latitudes^'a.school of whalos spouting. ■ .We',' i .stoamed' , close by.'.ihdicolony of huge donizens'of, the dpep, which were of the bottle-nosed variety. ,-They pursued their sbnrse in a-lazy,loisurqly ; fashion, as if they wore simply out for the I 'day, artd determined to'allow.itpthmg tor'uffle thojrjserenity. Thoy passed us,,by' v wyth;'thc,distan : t.staro bestowed Jin trespassers—a .sprt'.pf "keep off tho grass,'-' "play in,jour own- backyard" greoting—and we did not. attempt'any familiarities. Our next anchorage was off''tho mouth of the Tairua River, whero some beacons had to be shifted, .'or .painted,, or .repaired, or some other of',, tho multitudinous duties of tho Hinomoa.'sj crow had to bo ; performed, lac-:, compauied.'.Captain Bollons ashoro in the oil launch while ho,superintended tho necessary operations. On ,a, lofty,: confr-liko omiiionco overlooking, tljocmouth/of the Tairua. Itiver wo of a- .fortified..pah. Truly it prosontcd an vrapregnablo' position, tho steop and jagged rocks )which formed its base and sidds .scarcely affording secure foothold for. .^'grasshopper. ..Tho-Maori of the olden day's.''wa£"nbfc addicted placing unduo reliance oh' the of his neighbours j and-/,he'nc'a ..hp'-iyas foiid.of entrenching himself.^'on.-somo, isolated peak or promontory.which commanded a good .view of tho surrounding.' sea .ir, country. .jThns ho was enabled ~ to; guard against tho "surprise parties", of .his,,generation,.; 'who did not usually, brjrigltrjeir^owji,.'viands and refreshments ; with ..tbon).-,:,T|ie. hill. in question— which.i3,'Kflo^:p ; 'by"so'mo historic, unspollable Aiaori: an ideal natural fortress; no embattled fortress of mediaeval Europe presenting, a more invulnorable front to an enemy s On the summit wo.found countless pipihi dobjis of. many a former feast; whqti 'the succulent: shellfish served as a sort of Sauce., to the sirloin of .a* slaughtered foo; and^tho^victory,'was.eolobrated in accordance 'with' Wej canons' of the ago. How tho Maori'masheV'of those days .'would strut and-swagger,;as. Kb helped, his -Juliet- to a morsel of,.the undercut carved frpm somo dctested rival, at hdr 'foot the spoils' °f;tho '.vanquished! .'And' how thq ladies of the; pah;:wotild .'diversify the "monotony of homo '.ljfe ; :wHilo;their lords, wore' abson't by comparing notes; on, the:latest thing in'mats I Such reflectipnS ) r mevitably'''ariso'in these remote and romantic j.urrpiindings. Descending, the-'now'desortcd: hill, ,we'"advancod on . the town' Ship of 'Tairua, 'arid 'p'was. enabled to mako my first acquaintance with the kauri timber' industty';': There is.a big sawmill' there, employing,'many hands, and tho sottlement'is almost'entirely composed of the employees.,-' Thomanager; Mr.' Mooro, very courteously showed us over the works, and explained the various processes through which the timber'is put from tho time it is foiled until it is converted into' somo marketable article. The logs are brought down by means of a series of drives.,ancLuams from -the upper reaches of the river, where thoro are somo. millionsV-of; <!übio*feet ,of 'kauri still .to be cut, out, :,and.-> where .-.the- industry ..promises to - flourish'v|pr o ;,the-.-next -tjvelvo or fiftee-V years.l By ; that tjmc, at.the .present ,rate of , denudatipii) r .thO: giant.,kauri.t.will hav.e disappeared for ever,, and this' Dominion will be face: to, face with; a : problem -which has entailed, climatic disaster.- and tho. thoughtful ..attention-,of : statesmen,.in many pf tho older countries', of (..the,..world..-.,V The 'voyage to Cuvier Island—jwhoro stands ~the next,-light-house to b,o through an islandstudded;sea,.and provided:'ah endless variety of change, and ;,charm, : , A finding, at- Cuvier. being impracticable,, owing'to ah extra heavy surf, wo.hc;»ded,'for:Auckland..: The '.'Queen City of .tho.- , Npr.th",>lo9kcd''at,'licr best as.we steamed, past; 'fegiSgo, and'p'ght ■ jtp'the lovely harbour,: tq ) ,.the,,,wh|arf...:, Everybody— especially ih'c remittari(ie,..nian—was looking cut,- anxiously. fpr,,,t;he,„ , Frisqo mail usteanie'r-r tl)en-'two. > ;flays',qvordue7r-as'.we':,madc' .fast',;, but hcr.;sig'nal. w'a's.,s'ho.ftly HoTsted"fr6nVfhe" flagstaff oh Tiri Tiri.'Matanga, and tho siego of the oxpectant wharf-loungers was raised. A couple of pleasant days were spent in Auckland whilo wo-coaled T and took in, stores, and paid a visit to the Pohenui 'Passage LightGulf, on the route , to-the-nThamc's'.-.:', The lighthouso at' Pohenui is',built'pi.'-.piles right in tho middlo of.-the channel;',!and. the sdlitafy occupant is .linuted''t6:the*'rango~6Hiistbnlcony-'for exorcise. However,, -the' grey-haired man. who tends the/flightihas;loiig;since.developed the philosophic-temperament.-. a,nd-.finds: sufficient solace iiT-.his ;booksr-and-i-pipo! to pass -thi ■weary days.,'.-.-. ;-..(.--■.:.:-,..,-... '",' - ... The.. ■ .t/- : ■' ■.'''.l " .. •:From''Auckla;nd'-onr' ; courso lay Lto"Whangaparoa^Bay;'whorfl'.wd shipped-- a bull for the Little'Barrier'.';The ;methad [of getting the unwioldy-.-and-; unwelcome passenger - aboard was simple, >.He'..was."towod off from the shpre by a-,whale ; boa't, and'thon hoisted on to the- the dorrick That night ,we>;oast 'anchor in Bon Accord Kawa"u Island, aocouple of cable lengths-:from--the- former residence of Sir '.Ueorge Grey.-The island was presented to the, pioneer statesman, by tho Maoris, and it now alford a hbme'to--the imported -wallaby and ■'possum.-hTho former.residence of the veteran 1 statesman—rthe- associations of which might have earned: it a nobler fate —has been converted into a boardinghouse; but-what business.broughtuboardors,:oven to tho most seleot hash mill in-such an''inaccessible place, 1 'was nnablb: to -learn'. _Tho house itsolf is an frregular, rstraggling,' unpretentious-look-ing- building... Tho surroundings, however, more than • compensate for any deficiencies of architecture.,: :What more ideal spot could the petition-harassed, -worfry public man retire; to when brain-racked by the cares and anxioties-of politics and the importunities of offico 'seekers? , r .There,.> ( with. a respectable span of-: the'. ■Pacific Ocean: intervening, he . conld at-all ..events; for, a time feel immune from the exactions of-office and the impi r tunities-.of: tho mul.titudo.v, A BjrdsV.H'oirie'. , "'?\'l'(_ Wo made the Little Barrier Island next morning, and enjoyed a delightful day ashore,; whore nature's beauties wore enhanced by the' gennind hospitality and kindly, ( welpqine extended, to all visitors by the. Shakespeare, family.^,Here w ; e were enabled of (Oiirj .bull, ivliich, with tho. perversity, of; : .his.'.k]h(l, had. insisted on wrecking,'his .pen._durijig.;the previous night. Tne,',: Little, farrier good resorvo for native'. fauna)" and ..Mr. Shake-' speare.is a.,cap'ablo aricf.syjiipathetic curator. It, was plqasanj; to, hear iri'tho bright morning',, air, .the, musical tones of'. the tur-aiid, i '..'h'is mates \. as thoy disported them-' selves' in' this.guiet. Sjij.ricfuary, secure front' the predatory "'incufsidhS' of human 1 or feathered enemies. In murky weather wo doubled back to Cuvier .next,day, and sueceoded in landing supplies there. Tlio lonely, rockbound islet. o£ Moko Hina'n was our next objective,'and'here the dearth of supplies was in duo course relieved. It was said to be owing to failure in picking up this light, that. the Wairarapa was wrecked on the .Great., Barrier, somo years ago. It seems a' dismal' spot in irhich to pass one's days, but-those-..inured-.to the lonely life do': not-, appear-to mind.... We. brought off a young assistant keeper who was journeying to Auckland to; be married, and who was about to bring' a/ci£y bride to cheer his empty home. ■-~ " .' Furthest North; i ■ From Moko Hitman oilr course lay straight to , tho'_. North. r Qape : ;. through the Poor Knights, and it. seemed, .'dozens of other misnamed or jiiinam'e'il, uninhabited rocks and islets. 'The weather' not' proving propitious for, scrying .Cape Maria Van. Diomon, we dropped an.chor-inj Torn Bowling's Bay to await :nibre\' fjivpiir'aple' .'conditions. 'Tho country Capo is bleak and barren, although, somohow shcop contrive to eke-out an oxistonco on the land, as there,';'is,.a''statimi;'.cl6so by.' The land is supposod'to hav'o.'be'en formerly covered by kauri forest, but the timber has long since disappeared.; and the' gum-digger taken its place. .'.AH, thrpn'gh.' v this desert-like wilderness are io'be'fmiM ;small : camps of industrious WalmatianV rooting away at tho

earth for , its hidden gum, and earning a competency from their labours.' it-is ' a class of work demanding an amount of patience and persistence not found us most European races, but, seemingly, peouliarly suited to the silent and undemonsSrativo natives of the shores of the Adriatic. Next morning wo hoaded for Cnpo Maris Van Diomen, and, despito the strong surf which is perennial there, succooded in sucaeuring the small garrison. The lighthouso is situ.ated oh a barren, wind-swept, son-girt rock, knoo-doop in sandrift, nnd blowholes play in graceful vigour around its base. Down tho West Coast. Kaipara Harbour next claimed our attention, and the cruise down the northern part of the West Coast was dull and uninteresting. Kaipnra itself was equally so. The coast in this vicinity possesses such tn unenviable notoriety for wrecks that it has boon nicknamed "Tho Graveyard." "We spent some time horo adjusting buoys and Ixmconsfor the greater safoty of tho timber scows and schooners resorting to the poxt,and then bended for Onehu'nga. The lighthouses at Manukau Heads had to ho served, and this was duly accomplished. It was my first visit to Onehunga, and as I advanced up the main street, and was greotod with tho sign, "Manukau Times—Refreshments," I felt at once that, I was.'in a friendly country. Onehunga, from the circumstance of its having been originally laid out as a military settlement, wears an niv of pensionerdom, and ,tbere is an- atmosphere of decayed warrior around the' place. Rubicund and groy,bcarded veterans abound, and quaff their hcor, relate their exploits, and swop their 'tiresome- and unending yarns throughout the succeeding days. Near by is that princely gliu of Sir Jno. Logan Campbell to thecitizons of Auckland—One-tree Hill Domain or Cornwall Park—which must remain for all time a monument to his munificence and public spirit, "The Land of Never Worry." Our itinerary next brought us to Kawhia, which wo found to be a small township with big expectations. Of late there has been nlieatod controversy betweon Auckland and Wellington, as-to which is best entitled to the trade of Kawhia, but a casual visitor would novor bo impressed with the fact that thoro was much to wrangle about. Kawhia had a land boom on at one time, but that with much of its former glory—if it over possessed any—is a thing of tho past. It was at Kawhia that the Tainni. which first .brought the Maori to New Zoaland, is said' to hiivo landed, and a venerable gum, which had some '-connection with tho event, is pointed out by' tho natives. That was the first great ovont in tho history of Kawhia. Tho second \vas the landing there .some'four years ago of "tho late Mr. Scddon, 'ancLthe grand ball with which tho occasion was, commemorated. At tho time of "our visit public fooling ran high on the iniquity of the Raglan or some other County Council in adopting the rating on unimproved values, and the local "Thunderer," in a scorching loader, pointed out the dire 1 results, that wero cctain to eusuro from such an act of public perfidy and encroachment on the, rights and liberties of tho subjects. Soveral of the residents' came alongside in oil launches, and in the township tho visitor • moots with unbounded hospitality—this not-' withstanding that Kawhia, being in the King Country, is part of a prolu'bited area. One sanguine inhabitant, who lounged about tho stcamor all day, and never seemed ■to do anything, was confident that the introduction of a pub would afford a much-' needed stimulus to local enterprise. Whether his fellow burgesses shared his views or not I am unaware." While wo lay at Kawhia preparations fov a grand ball on a scale of unprecedented splendour wore in progress, and popular excitement and expectations were at their zenith. To me the one outstanding feature of life there was that nobody ever scorned to do anything or to.have anything to do. It was the "Land of Nover AVorry"—whore nothing matters.

Homeward Bound., Haying_ attended .to tho needs of navigators in Kawhia Harbour, wo steamed away for New Plymouth, from-which- port the Capo Egmont iLighthouse -is ..served. ■ ,Wo spent the day,) at!. New 'Plyirioutliy.'while'thc captain yisited-),tho olightboute.iforktho-Jipiir.-poso of inspection"',- and left tho'same evening on the return journey .to Wellington. At early morn wo called at tho Brothers' Lighthouse in-Cook-Straits; and in pleasing' cpntrast'to our tempestuous exit genial sunshine artd:an 'unruffled sea marked our rcontranco to the Wellington Heads. In a. short timo ive were again alongside tho wool jetty, rejuvenated after our thirty odd days' pleasant pilgrimage, and- convinced that' there is no more meritorious branch of tho public sorvice than thai.' manned by the lonely and isolated men/who do duty in our lighthouses.