NORTH ISLAND TOUR

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 28 January 1933, Page 4

NORTH ISLAND TOUR

BUSH AND COASTAL SCENERY. HAW ERA RESIDENT’S IMPRESSIONS. Back from a holiday of several weeks’ duration, spent at the Cha teau Tonganro and at Ohope beach near Whakatane, Mr. Rod Syme,,' of Hawera, reports having spent a most interesting and enjoyable time. The Ohope beach is, he states, one of the finest he has seen in the North Island. It extends In a firm sand} stretch for several miles and is UK recognised seaside resort for the people of the Whakatane district. Mr. A J. Canning, formerly of Hawera and a brother of Mrs Walter Syme, hat a cottage there and is active in furthering the interests of _>hat beach. Among the holidaymakers, there were Mr and Mrs H. G. Whitehead and Messrs D. Spence, F. Bone and. H. Goodwin.

On the way across the island Mr Sym© spent some days at the Chateau Tongariro, where lie was joined by Aipine Club members who were out to locate a spot for a new hut on Ruapehu. Mr. W. S. Rennie, secretary of tin Ruapehu Ski Olub, joined Mr. and they toured to the other coast together', through Taupo, Rotorua and Whakatane and round the coast antback via Napier. After the stay at the seaside, they continued . the journey along the coast eastward, hoping t nass Cape Runaway and the East Cape There had, however, Been heavy rains and they were stopped at the unbridged Raukokore River which wai found impassable. This curtailed the trip and forced them to strike, south for Napier. The violence of-the : a infall was evidenced by the measure o:' 12 inches in seven days. The roads generally, Mr. Syme fount 1 in good order, but there are long stretches of unmade road in parts and evidences of work by gangs of unemployed. A big camp of these men was seen on the steep hill between Wairoa and Napier. A specially interesting part of the tour was a run to Mt. Edgecombe, where Messrs. G. Svme and Co. ltd. have a block of bush of 36.000 acres, nearly all rimu, with a little maxai and other forest trees. One arresting sight was a clump of seven huge nnvis. evidently grown where seed fell thickly together and so close to one another that a person standing between them could easily span from one to another. Mr. Syme, being keenly interested in forest life, had planted soma Oregon, pines and other trees two years ago and also twelve months since. The soil is just Ta rawer a ash and look? extraordinarily poor, but the (trees have struck firmly and are growing well. The tour touched parts of the Island that are not taken by a great number of tourists. Rqih Mr Syme and Mr. Rennie are keen nature lovers and the natural beauties of the parts visited made a special appeal to them both.