LAKE TARAWERA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8115, 10 November 1904, Page 4

LAKE TARAWERA.

REMARKABLE FALL IN ITS LEVEL.

NEW WATERFALLS CREATED.

The Tourist Department has received further particulars from Rotorua regarding Lake Tarawera, which has fallen about 6ft. during the last few days. A gentleman on Monday tried to go from Whakatane, via Te Toko, to Rotorua, with his wife and two children, in a buggy, and had a most thrilling experience. On Sunday the road was quite clear, but between 10 and 11 o'clock the next day he found the waters rising rapidly, a large arera of Te Toko swamp, situated between the two rivers, being under water. His driver, however, pushed on with the party, with no conception of what had really occurred. By-and-bye the buggy splashed into a strong whirling current, which scoured out between the wheels, with the result that the vehicle was practically anchored. It was at onc\; recognised that it was impossible to proceed further, and r dangerous to remain where they were, so the horses were taken out of the buggy, and by that means the lady was enabled to ride one animal, and the two children the other, one horse being led by J.he driver and • the other by the husband. About a quarter of a mile back the party camped on higher ground, while the driver rode back to Te Toko for assistance. '

While waiting there' some Maoris came along on horseback. They had been pighunting in the Tarawera Valley, when they saw a huge wave of water. Said the Maoris: "It was like a mountain coming down the valley towards us, and we galloped away as hard as we could to tho mils to get oat of danger." Mr McGarvey, proprietor of the Te Toko Hotel, went out with a couple of light buggies, and brought the gentleman and his family in safely. He remarked: "I have been here 35 years, but never saw the water up like that before. I expect Tarawera has broken its bound 3 and flooded the country." As regards the new waterfalls, the chief guide, Air A. rfarbrick, who climbed down the face of the cliff, says: "Talk about a grand sight. Waimangu is not in it. There are two splendid 'waterfalls, one fully 400 ft., an almost perpendicular drop, and the spray rises up like steam." The other -waterfall Mr Warbrick described as being about 100 ft., with a break resembling Aniwaniwa Falls, Lake Waikaremoana. This will form a new scenic attraction for Rotorua, and is said to really beat the great geyser in grandeur. From a practical point of view, however, the first result will be to damage a lot of country that it was proposed to cut up for settlement. There is a new road being formed, upon which people that wav were building great hopes, especially after Mr Mackenzie, Crown Lands Commissioner, and Captain Turner had done the trip from Rotorua to Te Toko by motor car. Now the road will have to cross this river, and what was the driest section on the low-lying lands formerly is at present under water. In fact, thousands of acres of good land are submerged, and it is hoped a lot of it will drain off once the first rush from the lake has been disposed of.