THE TOURIST RESORTS OF THE COLONY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 14191, 13 October 1906, Page 10

THE TOURIST RESORTS OF THE COLONY.

(By MARAMA.) SECOND SERIES. I. WELLINGTON TO TAUPO, VIA NAPIER. One of the best and most comprehensive tours in the North Island is that from Wellington to Rotorua via Napier and Tjrupo. This embraces a run oyer the famous Rimutaka Incline, a visit to Napier, which is one of the prettiest seaside resorts in the colony, the drive from Napier to Taupo, which includes some very good bush scenery, while from Taupo right through to Rotorua the visitor travels through the heart of the thermal district, which is quite worthy of the name of “ Wonderland,” by which it is generally known. In the present article I propose to deal with the portion of the road between Wellington and Taupo. Leaving the Government Station at Wellington by the 8.22 a.in. train, the line runs through Petoiie, which is really the manufacturing town of Wellington, and then, after passing through the jncturesque Hutt Valley, a start is made to olimb the Rimutaka Mountain by a zigzag of fairly good grade, and during the trip up some very good views are obtained of the Hutt Valley below. Several small tunnels are passed through, and eventually the summit is reached at a height of 1144 ft, the last 800 ft of which lias been climbed in under ten miles. The actual summit is in the middle of a tunnel, and here, as the train passes, an electric bell rings, to show that the up-grade is finished, and the train then commences its downward course. After half a mile has been travelled a halt is made, and the brake vans which grip the centre rail are. put on, to minimise the danger of running down the 800 ft, which is done in less than four miles, During the downward journey some magnificent views can be got of the gorges and the Wairarapa Plains, stretching out far below, &s the train rushes down the tortuous way which leads to the lower level. Wairarapa Lake lies just at the foot of the mountain, and the train runs alongside it for some distance. During the run across the plains, which

are mostly grazing country, Garterton is passed through. This has a very large cheese factory, and is the town in which the Wairarapa Society’s Agricultural Show is held annually. Masterton is another rising town, which is mainly supported by the dairying industry. Woodville Junction, lie miles from Wellington, is reached just after 2 p.m., and here twenty minutes are allowed for luncheon, which is partaken of in a well-found refreshmentroom. _ Here trains diverge for Palmerston North, Foxton, Wanganui and other towns. The engine ris reversed, and the Napier train then proceeds on. through porno rather better and more interesting country, consisting for the most part pf rolling downs, dotted with trees. At one time the whole of this country/was covered with dense bush, but now-it has all been cleared and turned into dairy and sheep farms. Ormondvijle, a woodside tmvirship, is ' passed through at 145 miles, and Waipukurau is reached at 167 miles. Hastings, which is 200 miles from Wellington, is a very pretty and rather pretentious town, _ with some very good buildings, and gives evidence of prosperity. Soon after leaving that place the line diverges to the sea coast, and rune along the beach until Napier Is enter- i ®d, the journey of 211 miles occupying t en and a half hours. . Napier itself is a fine town, and the inhabitants are very proud of their Marine Parade, which extends for over two miles. This place quite justifies the claim of the people to have it called the Brighton of New Zealand. It has a bright, breezy atmosphere, with a lovely situation in the bend of Hawke’s Bay, with Scinde Island forming a beautiful back setting. Away towards Portland Island, and south to Cape Kidnappers, the bay curves gracefully Until it forms what is said to be d re-

markable counterpart of the Bay of Naples. Westward and southward the Ahuriri Plains stretch away, with the Kahnanawa. and Ruahine ranges as a protection from the cold rains of the west coast, while the expanse of water Stretches away eastward, leaving the' town open to the pure, invigorating breezes of the Southern Pacific Ocean, with its cool summer and warm winter breezes.

The business portion of the town is built at the foot of Scinde Hill, on a flat extending for several miles along the sea coast, while the residential portion is prettily situated on the various hills behind which form what was once Scinde Island, but what is now a peninsula. Lovely villa residences are dotted about these hills in a most picturesque manner, embowered in trees and shrubs of luxuriant growth. There are epme beautiful private gardens, • in which tropical shrubs and flowers abound, while both oranges and lemons can be seen growing in the •open. The public gardens, which are situated in a valley, are very picturesque, the walks winding around the hills amidst a profusion of trees and flowers. The water supply is drawn from artesian wells, a fine high-pressure supply being obtained by pumping into a reservoir on the top of the hill, and the sanitary arrangements are equally good. Some lovely walks are available, and there is perfectly safe sea-bathing from the parade. The roads are perfect for cycling, both in the town and the •surrounding country. One of the favourite trips is along the beach front, round Scinde Island via Port Ahuriri and the Hyderabad Road, a distance of about five miles, while beyond there is a stretch of many miles along the Ahuriri Plains o'n well-kept roads. A drive about the hills with varied scenery affords many lovely peeps of river, mountain and eea, while within easy distance of the town is situated the beautiful Peta'ne Valley and also Meauee, with the celebrated vineyards of tlie Mission of Greemmeadows. At a distance of twelve miles ie Frimley, where there is an orchard with over a hundred miles of peach trees, and here there is established a very large fruit-canning industry. There are excellent golf links at Waiohiki, close to the town, and good sea and trout fishing are available. The Tutikuri River, which rune through a swamp to the south of the town, affords very good boating, and is well supplied with oil launches. A channel is now being cut so that this stream will run direct to the sea, and this will reclaim a very large area of rich land. To the north of the town, and about half a mil© away, is the breakwater and harbour, which now allows of fair-sized steamers berthing at the wharves, but most of the Home boats lie in the roadstead and are tendered by small steamers. A little further round is an inner harbour, and around this is the industrial portion of Napier. The fishing industry is a largo one, quits a dozen steam trawlers being engaged, and the fish are sent to Wellington by the morning trains. Large freezing works, which deal with output of the Hawke’s Bay sheep and cattle stations, are situated on the foreshore. The town is exceedingly well supplied with hotels, and there are plenty of motor-cars and cabs always available. The coach for Taupe, IQI miles distant, leaves Napier at 6.80 a m., and runs through a valley in Scinde Hill until it emerges at the back of Port Ahuriri. The estuary is crossed by a.

bridge over half a mile in length, with a couple of turns in it, and then for about four miles the road runs along a narrow shingle pit which divides the seas' from the estuary. Here are a number of summer of Napier business people, who keep , boats and launches for trips across the estuary bo the low foothills beyond, the water ! at this point being from two to five miles across. After leaving the Spit, the route geos through the picturesque village of Petane. -This is a historical spot, for it wap here in the year 1867 that the Maoris attacked the settlers on what was then known as Captain Carr’s Hedgeley Station, but fortunately they ■were repulsed with the loss of fifteen of the Natives. The road then winds for some miles through the Bsk Valley, with the river some distance below, and in this stream excellent trout fishing is to be obtained. The road is very good, though hilly in parts, until Maori Creek ils reached, at a distance of twenty-six miles from Napier. This is a canyon some hundreds of feet deep,, and not more than fifty feet at the top, with precipitous sides, and is interesting as being the spot at which k: great .Maori' massacre was enacted. The legend is to the effect that two tribes met here, and that those who lived in the vicinity overpowered their adversaries and drove them over the cliffs into the creek below, where they all perished. , It is stated that many attempts have been made to endeavour

to- recover the many valuable greenstone ornaments which are supposed to have gone over with the defeated warriors, but so’ far without success. At Pchue (twenty-nine miles) a halt is

called for luncheon and a change of horses, and here it is quit© worth while' tp' visit the lake, where a floating island is to be seen. This place is at an elevation of 1400 feet above sea level, and it is a favourite holiday resort of the Napier people, as the streams around abound with trout. There is a very commodious hotel here, and very good accommodation. From Pohuo to Tarawera is about twenty miles', and for this part of the journey the road is very hilly, in four miles rising to the Titi-c-Kure Saddle, which* is 1200 feet above Pohue. The descent has some very sharp turns, and these 1 open out ’ some grand views of hush and gorge scenery, while from the summit there is a fine comprehensive view of the Hauraki Gulf. At the bottom of tlje valley is the Mohaka River, which is a fine trout stream- This is now spanned by a fine bridge, which has replaced the one washed away in the disastrous floods of 1897, at a cost of over £7OOO. A stiff climb up a circuitous sideling road brings the coach to the Tuaranga Saddle, at a height of 2000 feet, and from the Kumu Hill adjacent one of the best and most comprehensive views to be got in the colony is obtained. The descent of 1400 ft is made by means of a double crossing of the road, opening out a series of picturesque views, and then a climb is made to Te Hardto, the site of an old block-house, at which there is a Native school .and settlement, where there still exists oueotTe Kooti’s prophets. v A descent is now made to the Wipunga, a good trout stream forty-nine miles) from Napier, and a drive down t a stony creek brings the coach to Tarawera (fifty-two miles) where the night is spent at a very good hostelry. This is the sit© oft'on© of the old constabulary camps in the time of. the Maori war, and her© the first hot hath on the road is to be obtained. It is situated a little oyer a mile from the hotel, and is said to be one of the best in the world for the cure of eczema and other skin diseases. ;

Next morning “ all aboard” is called at 7.30, and the coach rattles along to “ Tho Nunnery ” Creek, which is famous as the spot whore the Maori women wore consecrated in war time, and where the Natives left all their women and children in 1867, when they went down to att'ack the settlers at Petane. From here the road winds round the hills through some very fine bush, studded with tree ferns and toi palms, and, crossing the Maihono bridge, runs for some distance along the valley which was the original boundary between the Auckland and Hawke’s Bay provinces. This valley is a great place for the peculiar vegetable caterpillar. After climbing up through very fine timber in the Runanga Bush, Pakeranui Saddle is reached, from which a clear view for same miles is opened up, and a Native village with runanga house is met with at Te Nga-Ivau-o-Kiue Kuku, and half a mile further on is the Devil’s Elbow, which is well named, os the road here doubles hack on itself by a very sharp turn after crossing a bridge at the point of the elbow. For the next few miles tho climb is through magnificent bush, undoubtedly the best met with on the trip, and then descends until the Runanga Falls come into view. Hero tho coach waits while the passengers go down and see this truly charming sight. There are two distinct falls which are fed by the Upper Waipunga

and Waiuru Rivers, which converge at this po|nt till they' each. drop into the main stream some sixty feet below, at a distance of about fifty feet _ from each ptber. Tliis double fall is a very pretty sight, each of the’branches hav- . ing at least three distinct falls, and the rocky sides are clothed with deep'green vegetation, while there is a sufficient volume of water to supply all the power required in the Hawke’s Bay district. Close by is the old military Runanga camp. The next point of interest is the Oranga-te-Hau Saddle, which is the watershed between Hawke’s Bay; and the Bay of Plenty. The Kaingaroa Plains are then entered, uponwith their interesting pumice creeks. These plains are known as the home of the wild home, and mobs of these creatures can be seen galloping away as the. coach approaches. After crossing the Rangateild, another good trout stream, a chop is made at the hotel for luncheon, and a change of horses. . \ . From, here the country. is_ .mostly pumice, and rather uninteresting‘until Opepe is reached, twelve miles from Taupo. Here are to be seen the rer mains of the old military headquarters, . when the Armed Constabulary were , making . the road from 'Taupo ,to 'Napier, which required at that tipae/.con? etant protection from the Maoris. Here also are the graves of twelve' of the troopers who met their; deaths, at the hands of the Natives. At that time (1869) Te Kooti was very troublesome, and this camp was . made .the' 1 headquarters of the Bay of Plenty Cavalry. The fir trees and hawthorns plaptedwt that time have now grown into >. immense trees, and the real Scottish heather is to be seen in bloom on the hill side. • -

' Nearing Taupe the first view of'thd lake of that name, is got, with the' magnificent snowy 'mountain peaks in the hack-ground. These include Tpngarlro , (Q4sßft), Ruapehu (8873 ft) and Ngauhuho© (8873ft),' the crater on the top of which is still sending forth a cloud of steam. Tauraha (3603 ft) stands in,the foreground, and up this a track. of / easy grade ha? been cut in order to. aP low of tourists obtaining the" .view to be had from its summit, from which can be seen, the three mountains just named l on this coast, and also Mounts Egmont and Edgecombe on the other. From, Qpepe the road descends: for ai distance of ten miles to the 'Terraces, which are really the commencement pf the thermal district. Here there 'H* comfortable hotel situated on the cliffs above the Onekeneke Valley, which is full of hot springs, terraces andgeysers. During this descent, views can -he obtained of many steam holes issuing front the mountain sides, while the ,overact ivo Karapiti Blow-hole, which •Dr Hector aserts is the safety-valve of the North Island, shows out above thehf .ali with the immense body of steam which clay and night issues from it. The view down into the Onekeneke

Valley is a very pretty pne, well-kept gardens alternating with miniature hot lakes, mud geysers, boiling pools and silica terraces. There is a natural soda spring, and sulphur and alum baths. Good bath-houses have been erected, and the place is very well managed. The hotel itself stands in the midst of a grove of English-trees, and from its balcony lovely views of X*ako Taupo and the mountains at the hack are to The terraces are almost on the bank of the lake, and a two-mile drive brings one into the village of Taupo, which was once the headquarters of the-military in this portion of the North Island.