THURSDAY. DECEMBER I, 1904. POPULARISING MOUM EGMONT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8133, 1 December 1904, Page 2

THURSDAY. DECEMBER I, 1904. POPULARISING MOUM EGMONT.

the aggregate to about £700. In «ddi- > A tion to the work just mentioned tne lstft cove mile it now being surveyed, and the route j en fixed for the future formation of the p] ac road. A bridle track, eight feet wide, is amo also being laid off to connect the Dawson's t Mat Falls house with the Stratford track, t v&B< When this is completed a round trip i cci may be made in comfort, and will, . ant j no doubt, be freely patronised. At to the opening of the season it is pro- 1 v j o j posed by the Chamber to invite its m«m- I na< ] bers and townspeople to p"»y a visit to |'(or(( or( the house so that they may be able in future to speak of the place with the A1 authority of personal knowledge. It has tow ibeen suggested that the coach should am ' occasionally run on Saturdays and return beei on Mondays so that those who may not we? have an opportunity at other times may Ma: then avail themselves of it. Altogether wh: there is a good deal more enthusiasm be- the ing shown, and the record of previous ang years should be easily eclipsed by the ) bee number of visitors that go to the moun- call tain this year. tlu Jmmmm*mmmm—mm*mmmi

For some time past the Hawera Chamber of Commerce has been giving serious consideration to ways and means for further popularising Mount Egmont, an endeavor which, it must be admitted, had not previously been carried on by townspeople with as much practical enthusiasm as might be desired. In tbe past the experience has been that the lack of some direct and regular means of getting to the mountain has caused the Dawson's Falls house to be entirely neglected by a large number of people who might, under other circumstances, have paid frequent visits to that beauty land. This difficulty has now been overcome and arrangements have been made for a weekly coach service. It was strongly urged by some that the service should be bi-weekly, but in the wisdom of other members of the Chamber it was decided to have weekly trips during the coming season, and to establish for next year a more complete and regular service, if such be justified by the result of the present experiment. The arrangement made is with Messrs Reid and Sales, who are to run a fourhorse drag each week to the mountain by way of Normanby, Okaiawa, and Kaponga. The service, it is expected, will begin in about three weeks' time. The drag, to hold sixteen persons, will convey the passengers to within a mile or t\yo of the house, according to the state of the roads, but the contractors undertake to pack all blankets, rugs, provisions, etc., right to the journey's end. In order to afford the fulest encouragement to visitors the return fare from Hawera has been fixed at 7s 6d. The route chosen for the coach to run is a beautiful one, besides being full of historic interest. The pretty reserve, Te Ngutu o te Manu, in which is situated the monument to the memory of Yon Tempsky, is a perament attraction, while there are several old Maori pas to be viewed. There is at least one redoubt, too, that it is expected will be set aside as a reserve on the recommendation of the Scenery Preservation Commissioners who recently visited Hawera. In proceeding along this route to the mountain on fine days there is opened up to the traveller a most inspiring and delightful view, the fertile fields and restful landscape being backed by snow-capped Egmont. The experimental service has been arranged by providing a substantial monetary guarantee in which the townspeople nave heartily co-operated with the Chamber. In view of this fact, it is hoped that the people will avail themselves of the opportunity the coach affords so that there may be no financial obligation cast upon those who have so cheerfully accepted the responsibility. • It is recognised that a large proportion of the people of the district have never visited Dawson's Falls and the 'surrounding locality, which is admittedly one of the finest scenic resorts in the colony. But now that regular and reajdy access is to be afforded, it is anticipated that a largely increased number will become personally acquainted with the great asset the district poflsjpss.es in the shape of Egmont. So far as those gentlemen, who have for for a long time personally interested themselves are concerned, there bad bee^ no, lack of energetic effort, but the present movement is designed' to awaken popular interest and a more general enthusiasm. There is a considerable amount of liioney coming to hand from the Tourist Department rote, the Roads Department vote, and the Public Works Department, in addition .to the moneys earned at tbe house, which are io be immediately spent upon genera] Improvements,' and which will make it possible to drive to within a mile of the house. Thsse monies amount in