A Morning in the Eastern County

Northland Age, Volume XVII, Issue 13, 14 November 1947, Page 6

A Morning in the Eastern County

To those who have two or three hours to spare on a sunny spring or summer morning, and the will to know their County a little more intimately than the average resident, no more pleasantly entertaining and instructive drive than that from Kaitaia through Awanui, Mangonui, Oruru. and Fairburns back to Kaitaia, can be undertaken. The traveller who follows this rjute should do so leisurely, for even though his time may be limited he will experience no difficulty in returning in good time True, he will r.ot be able to appreciate more than a small portion of this huge territory through which the road winds ; he will certainly pass by many of the points of historical and scenic interest without a second glance, but he will glean without effort and in spite of his lack of perception sufficient information to hold the undivided attention of visiting friends through many a long evening spent before winters’ fires. The modern, well equipped butter factory of the Kaitaia Co-op. Dairy Co. is perhaps the most prominent landmark at Awanui after following nearly five miles of practically straight road from Kaitaia, and here the traveller may loiter if he so desires and, with the consent of the management, spend an enjoyable half hour watching the process of manufacture, from the arrival of cream on the collecting lorries to the final packing of the golden-yellow product. Here, too, he may watch the discharging and loading of small coastal vessels at the near-by wharf on the Awanui stream and wonder as he sees, shortly after a boat has slipped its moorings, masts and spars gliding smoothly among spindly cabbage trees and flax bushes on its way to the open sea. But despite the tortuous windings of the river, a skipper’s nightmare, more shipping space from the port is the unceasing demand and at the wharf the visitor may examine the site recently approved by the Harbour Board for further decking to enable more than one vessel to discharge and load at one time. A Gathering of Industries Then back to the township and left towards Kaingaroa, where local industries flourish. On one side of the road a flax mill, where acres of the tough fibre is drying in the sun, being readied for further processing and baling before being shipped to the factories where fibrous plaster is manufactured to assist in relieving the housing shortage. Directly opposite is a lime works, the indispensable adjunct of any agricultural or pastoral district. For some distance past Kaingaroa, on the left of the road, flax can be seen flourishing in orderly rows, cheek by jowl with the natural flora of all New Zealand swamps ; a remarkable tribute to the perspicacity of the men who recognised the potential wealth of this hitherto unyielding soil. A lew miles further on, at a point on me roau where an excellent view Cj. i-aite onia, the 1000-acre kauri gum tcstrve, may be obtained, a sn.ep anil narrow right-of-way (too ■ m..m-g tor the naturally curious to puoo ) may be descried leading up iu,j a.i apparently uninhabited part ex me hiiis. A short walk of not liiOit man two chains will bring the t-i.ie.ier to a well-worked shale pit, wueie me Public Works Department* qua. nes metal for the highway. Al-l-iOUgn quarries of a similar type may Le xounu in many parts of the county paiiicuiarly in the eastern districts, tms one is of special interest even to the layman if he has an eye for geological beauty. High on the face where the metal was first taken, the formation ranges from the chalky whites and yellows of the poorer metal to the dark greys and metallic blues of the harder and more durable type, while here and there, in outcrops and loose boulders, delicate salmon pinks to deep rose immediately catch the eye. Here, tucked away from the ken of fast moving highway traffic, is the means whereby those same vehicles speed in comfort and safety from one end of the county to the other. Beauty Unsurpassed A short distance on, still in an easterly direction, a bend in the road brings the traveller in sight of one of the most picturesque parts of the district. Here, standing serene guard over verdant green pastures dotted irregularly with quietly grazing sheep, are acres upon acres of stately pine covering a vast afforestation reserve. Nestling beneath the protective covering of its imposing background is the homestead, completing a picture of unsurpassed rural beauty. No need to stop to drink in and savour each part of this scene, but merely to meander slowly on, allowing it to unfold like a moving picture before the eyes. On to Taipa on the coast, through low, scrub-covered hills, their flanks scarred by the steel tracks of lumbering tanks on training manoeuvres jn preparation for battle overseas during the second world war. At Taipa.. where summer cottages fringe the shore, the road passes over a modern concrete bridge spanning the

estuary, and the traveller looks out into Doubtless Bay. Historical Cable Bay It is a short run from here to Cable Bay, where the overseas cable, now disconnected, still comes ashore and the cable - watcher’s cottage still' stands just out of reach of the waves. On the shoreward side of the road the concrete foundations of the old cable station itself are still firmly imbedded in the soil, and nearby is “Longitude Station Klotz,” a massive concrete block capped with a granite slab bearing the inscription “Doubtless Bay. Lat. 34 degrees 59’ 22” S., Long. 173 degrees 29’ 02” E. Dr. Otto Klotz, F. W. O. Werry.” The popular holiday and picnic spot, Coopers Beach, where motor accommodation may be had in the camping ground, is the next of the coastline’s scenic attractions, and passing through the traveller can well imagine the pleasant hours and days which may be spent beneath the shade of the old pohutakawas overlooking the beach, or bathing in the clear waters of the Bay. Quiet and Peaceful Mangonui Then over the hill and down into historic Mangonui, past the site of the old County hospital overlooking the sheltered inlet known as Hudson or Mill Bay, where small pleasure craft may be seen bobbing at anchor, and on into the township proper. If the traveller so desires, he may stop at the and wander at his leisure about its massive concrete deck, breathing his fill of the cool sea breeze which wafts in from the Bay, or sit precariously on the kerb, peering down into the dark depths where the flashing blue and silver of shoals of fat, well fed fish play about the piles. But Mangonui has much to offer, and many delightful hours may be spent in combing the waterfront and a return visit always yields something fresh. Say au revoir then, and resolve to come again to this sleepy village and explore more deeply its myriad attractions. Oruru, Peria and Fairburns So on to the main south road which winds confusingly along the coast to where the finger posts point the way to Oruru up the Back River road, past extensive mangrove swamps like water-logged forests, and up into the back country, some untouched by the hand of man, where the road winds between tall bushes of teatree touched with delicate pinks - and white in the flowering season, and sometimes a game cock-pheasant struts haughtily out of the path of the approaching vehicle. Winding down into the pleasant Oruru Valley, where the sun smiles down upon neat farm houses nestling by placid streams winding like shining ribbons midst the green of the pasture land, the eye falls on the tall stack of the dairy factory, the hub of this rich district, and a few minutes later the road sweeps the traveller past store and garage and the freshly-painted district nurses’ residence, tiled roof gleaming in startling contrast to the rich green of its setting. Through Peria and Fairburns, with now and then a side road shooting off to right or left, leading perhaps to Victoria Valley or over the hills to the coast. At this time of the year the rolling pastures bordering the road are well stocked with newly shorn sheep, gathering warmth and comfort from a sun which has long since drawn the fragrant blossoms from peach and apple trees scattered thickly by the wayside. Back to Kaitaia for Lunch Only a few miles of the journey to base remain now, and after turning on to the Kaitaia-Whangarei highway the almost irresistible urge to fly on may turn the traveller’s eyes always to the road ahead. Here too, though, if he turns aside for a fleeting moment he will descry the green-roofed buidlings, set in neat grounds, of the sub-station through which flows the electric power to light and heat the greater part of the county, and further on the unpainted crushing tower of a lime works. A slow half-mile, where Public Works Department machinery is busily engaged in preparing the first part of a modern tar-sealed highway south, two gentle bends, and the journey is over. Perhaps the traveller is a little late for lunch, but surely a sharpened appetite is a small price to pay for a few hours of readily available entertainment.