Reading for Everybody.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2128, 29 February 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

Reading for Everybody.

“ON THE WALLABY-”

GISBORNE TO OPOTIKI VIA THE EAST CAPE AND CAPE RUNAWAY.

By E. Harvoy-Gibbon.) It is not proposed to inflict the reader with an account of every clay's march, but merely to relate uoints'of ‘-"'■general interest which presented themselves to the writer in making tlio journey on loot from Gisborne to Opotiki. The country to Pakarae and thence on to Tolaga was very dry, but teed appeared to be abundant and "ho stock in good condition. Some live or six miles out from Pakarae, a mob of 2300 sheep was passed bound for ‘he Gisborne meat works. They were a very prime lot. On reaching the top of the hill from Pakarae, the old track was taken, coming on to the beach at Xuiiuintai, thence along the beach past the i Puatao rocks to the AA’airoa stream at the foot of the hill which leads to Tolaga. Some of the turns in the ! road over this hill are. very dangerous, indeed on looking at the spot where poor Charley Mietd met with lus untimely death, the wonder is that accidents have been so few in number. The hill having been negotiated, the immediate approach to Tolaga is along a road, compared to which the Abattoir road is a paved street. The township appears to he in a \ cry thriving condition, many buildings going up, but a very great improvement might be made an the way of hotel accommodation. At present the boarding-house kept by Mr Cook is in every way to be preferred to the hotel. The district round Tolaga is magnificent; rich flat lands of very considerable area, and splendid bills, neither broken nor precipitous, and all well grassed. There is evidently a great future before this part of the East Coast. Some miles further on the country gets fairly rough, and the road passes through what might appropriately he called tlio Uawa gorge. Leaving the gorge, the country opens out to O’Sheas’, and, beyond that there is splendid grazing land right down -o Tokomaru. Tokomaru is very prettily situated on the shores of a delightful little hay, the only drawback being the very long and steep grades leading into it from tlio south. Everywhere the grass was very brown, although there was plenty of it, and like G-s----borno there had been no rain for a considerable time. From Tokomaru to AA’aipiro. the old track was taken, and. what a track it proved to be, up over a tremendously high hill, in tact the only hill which appeared to be of hignev .altitude was Hikurangi. But a magnificent view is to be obtained from the top, the East Cape, Awanui, AVaipa valley, Hikurangi, the hot ■springs and lagoons and-an immense stretch of country to" the southward. The view was well worth the clime. (Considering this was the only track from Tokomaru to AA’aipiro for many years, one can easily understand tue pluck and courage of the early settlers in the AA’aipiro district. Alter negotiating the hill and getting do.vn on°to the beach on the .north sale, the wffcck of tlw Aotea was passed, and AY-iijpirO hotel reached short,y afterwards. Being Sunday no refreshments' were to be obtained. It seems the height of absurdity that a person living at an hotel can obtain any refreshments he desires, but a bon i fide traveller, like the author of this article, has to-go without, There is some beautiful country at the b<u J-c of AA'aipiro, but at present it is very dry." The river was dry, the first time the natives sav for 20 years. The stage from AA’aipiro to 1 art Awanui is a fairly long, one, but the country looks well. A very picturesque native village is parsed en route, between Awanui and Tuparoa. riparoa has a store. Best Oifice and accommodation house. A large cjii-.u- . t-ity of wood is shipped from here. ~£fhe road runs along the beach rro.n Tuparoa to Reporura, where there is a very good native school. A-Cepcnia to Awanui is a rough walk partly on sand and partly on very rough rocks. There are some magnificent clump.; at Poliutakawas on the sea face of i e hulls. „ ~ Awanui boasts of two public- home.,, one called “Soa A’iew” kept bv old employee of the Masonic, lion I, Gisborne, and the other the • Itos-i. There are several stores and wliarc :, but it is a desolate looking place situated on tlio face of a cliff. • township cannot grow, as there ;-> iw room for budding, and why it ■should be ranked as «i port, no one knows, for there is not the lighted .shelter, and the. vessels lie m a most ■dangerous position. , From Awanui to Ar.iroa the track files inland, and about 4 or o l ines out the AA’aiami river lias to be u'~ -gotiated. This river drains a very large area of country and is a >- serous one to cross. the AA'aup.i vaikr is a magnificent tract of mm,, equal to anything round Gisborne, and running- for nmfiy nil es ml.-u.k The hills are well grassed and n , broken I have seen nothing Ik< it .since leaving Gisborne, borne day t Will undoubtedly carry a very -rr-w population. There are several . parties working between Annum m.d Araroa and shortly there will be t good buggy track right >■ at present the track i» ht, Im hoi only Generally speaking the co mtry from Awanui to Ar.iroa is tip f 00, lar <T e areas are covered aJ h -bush. Before reaching To Araroa ii.e river lias to he negotiated np than seven times, ,c •!“ d'rS'ari". is » Tory pretty littie place situated on thp beach at Kav.,a- - i-nva There is but one hotel and store'with a considerable nuaiber at neat cottages owned and occupied »\ . natives. Hatewir 1 Houkamau, ono flift leading cltfp.fs lives at tins pi.ue, waTs through gowl oftces Te araroa , -Opotiki was made being along tlio . bed Tf tllie \\.» lcahika, river, which has t. U - ; • Iby the growth upon it. I lit f><Miit J was Mot very broken, and no . > b will prove good pastora! lam) '>'<•» H is* cleared. The clue , \\ 1m U, resides at Potaka, and b-iieh ‘ c « and grass sowing seem to l ,ro . A actively carried on here. 0" . n, " m down'the Whangnparaoa mver , AA’hangaparaoi, near Cape H unan a,\ .tlio country is very picturesque; 11 1 places high, and in other puts taint land, but the soil B evidently nuicl 3mliter 1 , sand and day being m evidence in many places. Leaving Bunawav the. track i mis along the .beat; to Oroti, the bouse id the Maori duel I’arekura to K-ini. He is a splentlic fellow, one of the old type of Maori and full of fire and fight at the pie sent time, as well as a st'innen pro y. ’bitionist, Tliis Maori with hm nwi ,i ‘.q.i and unassisted, killed ami cap lured a whale, a fact well-known ti every Mao.”? »»<! European all dowi Eits. of bush wer passed through cnnM'iimg ininir pokotukawas. vmnns. rinM ■'»» timber all the v. aj ov - e ' Oiaot-iki tn -within a lew miles ot UP’U'i The land the whole distance be in. heavily wooded. Eroni Oret. to J . ejeaka anti from .1 e Baku -o 1 the track rims .sometimes aloti ’S beach anti sometimes along 1. seaward face of the hi L, " ' passes through the Imsl; tis especially hcnutnil. ihc j 'it discharges into. the Bar o. Ilu 1 is a pretty big river and somen-ia • dangerous to negotiate, from -n 3lotu to Hawai js ; a nTV. difiicu.

road, being along a very heavy shingle bench from which there is absolutely no escape, bold elill's being on the one hand and a rdeeii-to beach on the other. Leaving Ilawai all tin' tlidiculties are overcome ami the \ill country changes about Opapo for the Hat sandy beach loading to Opotiki. The whole journey front Gisborne to Opotiki via the East Capo is full of interest, and is one of the best walking tours I have ever undertaken.