ROUTES TO KAIMANAWA RANGES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1086, 24 September 1869, Page 3

ROUTES TO KAIMANAWA RANGES.

[From the "Independent," September 16,) It may not be uninteresting, and we hope not premature, to go into the question of the most practicable route to the Kaimanawa Eanges from the nearest port of supply in this province. There is no doubt that in order to secure to Wellington the advantages which a goldfield in the interior should produce to her merchants, as well as to her agricultural and pastoral settlers, a good road is a positive necessity. Mr. Crawford tells us that the Kaimanawa is accessible from the open country of Taupo, and that our only difficulty is to reach the Taupo plain from the sea coast. As we observed in our last issue, there are three routes by which the plains may be reached from the West Coast. The first of these is by the Wanganui river. Steamers of light draught can be taken up to Eanana, a distance of some forty miles, and from that place a belt of rough bush country from 15 to 20 miles in depth has to be traversed. This has often been done in the day by travellers on foot, but to get up oarfcs or drays, a road would hava f,o be. made the whole distance. The end of this bush road would bring a traveller out into the Taupo plain, at a distance of about eight hours ride from Kaimanawa. The next route is the one which would appear the best to make at once, viz.,, up the Wangsehu river; for although the land carriage for goods would be considerably longer than by way of the Wanganui river, the road would be available for driving stock. A good metalled road, already extends some fourteen miles inland from the mouth of the river, and settlement extends several miles farther. From information afforded by Mr Gotty, ! of Wanganui, who has several times tra relied by this route from Taupo to Wanganui, and from other peisons, it seems that the distance from the end of the present metalled road to the open country at Taupo would not probably be more than 20 or 25 miles. The Eangitikei river route as at present known is likely to be somewhat longer than either of these ; but, within the last two years, settlement has been made by Europeans some thirty miles north of the settled district of Eangitikei, and a track half a chain wide cleared. Sheep and cattle have been driven up and down the river in considerable numbers, and if the track were improved by a few side cuttings in difficult places, and then pushed on some fifteen miles farther to what is knownasthe Eangitikei Patea, there would be no difficulty in driving stock. By all these routes the country, though broken, presents no insurmountable difficulties ; theroads would consist very largely of side cuttings, but the soil is loose and the gradients could be made easy. All the three routes would open some magnificent country, possessing splendid soil, a beautiful climate, plenty of water and light bush. This is especially the case by the Eangitikei river, where an immense track of rich country lies almost unknown, and entirely unocoupied, except by pigs of the most savage character. If the prospect of goldfields at Kaimanawa does nothing else than call general attention to this country as a field for immigration, we shall have no reason to regret a little excitement upon the subjoct. Stock from the Wairarapa would have to go by way of the forty mdc bush to Manawatu and Eangitikei.