Holiday Tour In Hokianga District

Northern Advocate, 24 January 1940, Page 4

Holiday Tour In Hokianga District

(By E. T. Frost)

A tour of the Hokianga County offers i many attractions to the lover ol‘ | Nature. i The remnants of the once dense for- f est that covered the land convey some| idea of what it must have appeared f like in its pristine beauty, when the! forest trees grew down to the water’s i edge. f The largest area of forest in the| Northern Hokianga is the Warawara ? State Forest, stretching from the Runaf Runa Road to the west coast at Miti-i miti. :

Extensive Kauri Forest. | The block consists of about 15,000 • acres, and contains numerous kauri? trees, estimated to contain up to | 65,000.000 feet of timber. | The road to the West Coast skirts* this mountainous forest district, and ? splendid views are obtained as one i proceeds. | Here are to be seen many of our j smaller forest trees and shrubs that* have disappeared in other parts before? the axe and fire. f One of the most conspicuous about | Christmas time was the curious, flattopped tree known to the Maoris as the “putaputaweta,” owing to the fact of its being a special favourite tree of the wood-boring" “weia/’ Seldom was a tree to be found that was not perforated by these insects. These trees were in full bloom, and the fragrance permeated the summer air. This is a tree which seems to stand isolation, and some splendid specimens are to be seen along the Runa Runa Road. Trees —Rare anti Beautiful.

Contiguous to these were many beautiful hoheria, or ribbonwood trees, their beautiful leaves showing the varied purple colourings as they i waved in the summer breeze. One of the most beautiful trees in the bush is also to be seen on the Runa Runa Road. It is the larata tpittosporum Eugenoides), sometimes called lemonwood by the Europeans, owing' to the colour of its leaves. This is a tree that should be cultivated for ornament in parks and beauty spots, i High up in the ranges could be seen the last of the flowers of the senecios, a large tree daisy which flowered profusely during November and early December.

A few specimens of a curious tree which is only found in Northland, were seen in some small patches of bush on the roadside. It is known botanically as "Coprosma Spathulata," owing to its curious, spoon -shaped leaves.

Far North Its Home,

Another tree whose boundaries are probably very little south of the Hokianga County, was seen in the same locality. It is the "Coprosma Arborea,” known to the Maoris as the "Karamu.” Its near species, the "Coprosma Lucida,” the common karamu, is very noticeable, and it is a feature of many parts of the trip. One cannot mention our shrubs without referring to the beautiful "whau,” or cork tree, many beautiful specimens of which are to be seen on the roadside. Some splendid specimens are to be seen in the Herekino Gorge, and it is to be hoped that no vandal will destroy them.

High up in the ranges is to be found t‘he broad-leavecl grass tree, "Dracophyllum latifoliuvn,” named by the Maoris “nefnei,” and spiderwood by Europeans, owing to the resemblance to a spider of a cross-section when cut. This is nearly always an associate of the kauri on dry ranges. Debauching from the valley road from the Whakarapa and Panguru district, one is entranced by the beautiful panorama of sea, mountain and sky. Far away to the south, the bold peak of the Maunganui bluff can be seen and to the North the precipitous Southern Head of the Whangape Harbour is easily discernible. The Hokianga bar discloses itself by the white horses extending out to sea. Wrecked Sailors.

Just about 100 years agO' some 50 or 60 men and officers marched along these sands on. their way from Herekino Heads to Kororareka.

They were the crew of H.M.S. Osprey, a new brig on its way from Kororareka to Hokianga.

Mistaking the Herekino Heads for that of Hokianga, the captain got into difficulties and ran ashore, and ‘the vessel became a total wreck. After salvaging some gear and food, the crew set off to march to Hokianga Heads and from there to Eaihia, via river and track, which they reached after a strenuous journey. Along this same sandy beach today motor cars speed and children play in the warm waters.

Telephones and wireless and all the amenities of modern life are to be had right on the spot where these hardy sailors, who were making history, trudged along with their heavy loads and short rations. Previous to the advent of the white man, a large population of Maoris resided on this coastline, as evidenced by remains of old, villages, pas, and workshops, where the axe and greenstone implements were patiently fashioned.

Today the hum of the cream separator is heard instead of the napping hammer, and a dusky youth or maiden may be seen cantering along on the hard sand with the can of golden cream to meet the collector’s lorry.