A TRIP TO THE LAKES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7567, 20 February 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

A TRIP TO THE LAKES.

No. 11. MATAMATA and what IS to be SEEN THERE. [by our own reporter.] The operations on this well-known estate have been so' often described in the columns of the Herald that it will be unnecessary to do more than refer In passing to any of them. It is now two years and a-half since we last reported on the agricultural operations on the estate, since when, so much progress in various directions has been made in handling this great estate, and above all the railway from Auckland to the Hot Lakeß having been completed across the plains of Matamata, it may well be permitted to mention some of the salient points whioh will be of interest to our readers. THE HOT SPRINGS OF MATAMATA. This article will be devoted to a description of the remarkable hot springs of Matamata. Some of these have been known to the Maoris for ages for their healing qualities, others have been of more recent discovery. The best-known spring is the Opal Spring. Sinoe Matamata came into possession of Mr. J. C. Firth this spring has healed a great many patients suffering from rheumatism, kidney affections, and other complaints. Mr. Firth has thrown the spring open to all comers, and during the past 20 years, of the many hundred visitors, all have most highly appreciated it, and we learn that there has hardly been a case of rheumatism where a sufficiently continuous treatment has not wrought a cure more or less perfect. In kidney affections, the application of the bath and drinking the water are little less than magioal. 1 Before dealing with the springs generally, of which there appear to be some dozens within an area of 20 acres, let us just describe the Opal Spring and its surroundings. THE OPAL SPRING.

This magnificent healing fountain is situated on the west bank of the river Thames, within half-an-hour's drive of the Matamata railway station. At the point where a fine, substantial bridge, 170 feet in length, erected by Mr. Firth, spans the river, we descend a flight of steps to the Opal Spring. Mr. Firth has close-boarded the small ravine from which this grand spring gashes. The side facing the river is closed by a high concrete wall. Passing along a concrete platform, on the river side of which runs a low balustrade, we enter a Gothic doorway, and there we have lying at our feet a natural bath of such clearness, beauty, and volume that we feel at once we are unable to do it justice. It lies at the bottom of a small horseshoe-like amphitheatre, along the slopes of which are growing a variety of ferns. Amongst these are planted a number of vines, which by-and-by will doubtless rejoice in a temperature so much to their liking. The bath itself has been excavated out of the sandstone rock. It is oval, about 20 feet in length by eight feet in breadth. On one side are three or four dressing rooms in concrete. At the end of these, provision has been made for a cold shower bath, to be supplied from a cold spring bubbling out from the hill behind. In front of the dressing rooms is a concrete platform, from each end of which flights of three or four steps descend into the bath. Let us now, as well as we can, describe this most wonderful fountain. Springing from a bottom, covered with fine crystalline sand and water-worn pebbles, the water rises to a height of 3 feet 6 inches. From one portion of the sand-covered bottom large quantities of gas rush up to the surface in pellucid babbles. The temperature of the water varies from 95deg. to 104deg. What are the constituent parts of the water nobody seems to have taken the trouble to inquire. To us it appeared to give off a faint odouf of sulphur, and to have a somewhat peculiar but not offensive taste. How shall we describe its wonderful clearness and brilliancy ? We have seen a good deal of water in our time, but have never beheld water of such pure translucent beauty. Suppose we were to say a newspaper might be easily read at the bottom of the bath, through a medium of 3 feet 6 inches of water, we should not half describe its clearness. Its wonderful brilliancy, tintedappar ently with the faintest—shall we say—ethereal blue, led, we suppose, to its being named the Opal Fountain. The volume of water rushing through the semicircular opening, by which it leaves the bath at say 200,000 gallons a day, amazes you. Were a dozen of the dirtiest or most diseased persons to bathe in this grand bath, so great is its volume that ten minutes after, the most fastidiouß person could dip into its pellucid waters without fear of taint. Come, what do you say to a dip in it Stripping, you descend one of the flights of steps, and are—where?— one of the most delightful baths in the world. You sit, lounge, or otherwise disport yourself for—say, a quarter of an hour. Too many of us, we fear, have too often "bad quarters of an hour," but that fifteen minutes spent in the Opal Fountain will for ever shine in our calendar as "a good quarter of an hoar." Stepping on to the platform, and passing out of the gothio doorway, you descend another short flight of concrete 'steps to the river's brink—the cold, clear, deep, beautiful Waihou. You can now, if you are a swimmer, plunge in head foremost. If no swimmer, have a care, for it is death to enter its rapid, swirling current. Or, if it so please you, yon can take .three steps along the sandstone rock, and comfortably ensconce yourself under a concrete arch and take your douche bath. Seating yourself on the warm rock, you receive the hot water as it rushes with amazing force, and full volume through the opening, a foot or so above your shoulders. Who can describe the sensations which thrill you every instant as the clear warm water dashes upon you and breaks around you ! into a thousand snow-white sprays. Five minutes . of this ought .to satisfy you. Then, if you are a swimmer, mind, plunge from the rocky platform, down into the depths of the river. Half a dozen strokes up stream will satisfy you. Floating down, you make for the rocky platform. A sharp rub with a rough towel, a quick dress, and you do not know exactly how to contain yourself, but springing up the steps with an elastic vigour new to you, you feel you have had the grandest bath you ever had in your life, and only sorry that you may never have

such another. i

THE rest of the springs, cold AND hot.

Let us bow describe the rest of the springs. Some 200 yards lower down you again descend to the river. In a green semicircular bay, some 50 feet below the plain, there are seven hot springs, and gurgling out of the bank a few feet above are several cold springs. All these are as Nature left them. The temperature of the hot springs varies from 95deg. to lOOdeg. of each hot spring. A little art, and no great expense, would make charming baths of all; the cold springs supplying the necessary shower baths. For of all these and the other hot springs to be described, it may be generally said, that either a cold shower or a plunge into the river is necessary to render the enjoyment and benefit complete. One of the seven boiled up through a stratum of black ironsand, from which circumstance we took the liberty of naming it the Iron Spring. Another of these seven hot springs —the Fairy Spring—deserves a passing word. Bubbling up out of .the bank, at a few feet higher elevation than the rest, this charming little spring found its way |to daylight in tiny fairy grotto, rich with.fernsand greenery. If, unhappily, at any future time art seeks to utilise this hot spring, the little mystic grotto will disappear, giving place probably to a concrete basin. Retracing our stepß up-stream, along an ancient Maori track, w® cross the bridge to the east Bide of the river. Just below the roadway, from a green and swampy basin, there issues an intensely cold spring, sufficient to charge a four-inch pipe, so cold that it may well be termed the Icy Spring. Passing down the right bank of the river for about 100 yards we come to a swampy gully about 150 feet in length. Descending into it, we find a number of hot springs, two dozen or more, issuing from both edges of the gully, about thirty feet below the level of the plain above. The temperature of all these springs varies from 95 to 104 agrees. Of their various medicinal qualities little or nothing is known. These hot springs find their way to a stream running down the gully. Some estimate of the volume of water they unitedly discharge may be formed from the' hot stream which discharges into the river. At the point where it enters the river the hot stream is about six feet wide by six inches deep. Probably, when further investigated, the qualities of these springs may be found to .vary. One of them, which has just been , opened out, instead of the clear, pellucid

water of the rest of the springs, 1 is of a peculiar grey colour. THE SODA SPRING. x ' ' At some two miles' distance from the hot springs already described, we were shown a hot soda spring, of about 80deg. temperature. This spring rises in a" swamp. The pool is said to be 20 feet deep or more, is circular, about eight feet across. It is covered, with a peculiar vegetable or brown mineral scum, about an inoh in thickness. , /breaking this scum, the water from 'its great depth appeared of an intense blaok colour, but on taking a glassful out of it, it was found to be perfectly pellucid. It has a pleasant taste, and seems to be more or less charged with soda. The volume of water it discharges may be judged from the little stream running from it, which is about two feet wide by four incheu deep. Some distance down the stream tha mud at its bottom 'is of a deep orange brown colour, indicating possibly iron as one of the constituents of the water. In prosecuting our researches near this stream we literally got stuck in the mud. ' Whilst innocently examining the orange deposit of the stream, we suddenly sunk three feet or* so into a hideous quagmire. One of Mr. Firth's servants, who accompanied us, promptly came to the rescue, but he, too, greatly to his own surprise, in endeavouring to extricate us, unwittingly attempted to fathom the bottom of the bog, as we had done a minute before. Fancy the position. Two stalwart, podgx figures, stuck in the mud. For a minute or two it seemed doubtful whether we should not continue to stick there, but by dint of vigorous and welldirected efforts we at length succeeded in mutually extricating each other. On getting our feet finally out of the bog we found our nether garments thickly coated with orange brown, similar to that in the "bottom of the stream. We all laughed "a good deal at the figure we out, but for the two who got into it, we may say we were glad to be out of it, our painted inexpressibles notwithstanding. OTHER MINERAL SPRINGS. On the opposite side of the river is a hot spring, with a taste and smell not unlike the famous Harrowgate water. , Besides this, two or three other springs have been observed clear enough, but not hot or nice. The men working on the estate, before they found out their qualities, for once, but only once, in the hot summer weather drank of them, but finding they made them excessively sick, and possessed of violent aperient qualities, nobody but strange workmen ever tried them again. Next day however, the effeots passed off, and no worse consequences followed. Portions of the plains of Matamata appear to contain varied mineral watera. On the banks of the Waitoa river, some springs have been found, of a somewhat noxious smell and taste, which have the property of making the silver articles immersed in the water very bright and lustrous. The water, after being left for a night in a zinc bucket, lines it with a white encrustation.

A. SANATORIUM, We do not know what may be the intention of the proprietor, Mr. Firth, with regard to these mineral springs, but it appears to us hardly less than a misfortune, that their varied medicinal qualities should not be utilised for the benefit of people in search of health. If properly utilised, we are certain that very great benefit and pleasure would be the result to numbers of rheumatic and other sick people. To us it seems astonishing that Mr. Firth, who has displayed so much enterprise at Matamata, should not have taken steps to render them far more serviceable than they have ever yet been. Let us hope that the circumstance of a railway station being now within three or four miles of the springs may induce him to render them as serviceable as they deserve to be made. We know well enough that to render thoroughly available a district where medicinal springs exist, further adjuncts are necessary. For instance, for the comfort, amusement, and real benefit of patients in search of health something more iB required than mineral springs in a district destitute of any of the conveniences which civilisation requires. We think that a township may well bo laid out on the land adjacent to the principal springs. This township ought to be provided with comfortable hotels and lodgingbouses, which we have little doubt would pay handsomely. In addition to these, if the requirements absolutely indispensable to patients approaching convalescence are to be considered, various light and simple amusements must be provided. More especially are these necessary for the friends of patients accompanying them to places having medicinal advantages. Happily, the possibility of these exists in abundance within easy distance of the springs. The noblt> river offers abundant advantages for boating parties. Three or four pretty pellucid mountain streams of intensely cold water only require stocking with trout to afford many a day's pleasurable enjoyment to the disoiples of gentle Izaak Walton. Besides these possible future means of enjoyment to the sportsman, there already exist pheasants, ducks of various kinds, and wood pigeons in abundance. We noticed an admirable site for the town. Four or five gentle terraces rise from the river, one behind another, towards the mountain range at the rear. The soil underlying all these terraces is of a strongly absorbent character, highly conducive to health. They rest on a deep alluvial deposit, as shown by the heavy cutting on the road leading towards them from the bridge. The charming Mangapiko stream would furnish an abundant supply of pure cold water for the use of the future inhabitants of the town we are venturing to locate. By means of a Pelton wheel driven by a 40 feet fall on this stream an abundant water supply could be easily provided for the wants of every household and for the extinguishment of fires. This fall would also work a dynamo able to provide electric lights for public and and private use in the future town. Within 100 yards of the site of the township which we have ventured to suggest, there exists a semicircular depression, which in former times was evidently a lake, but which by the cutting through of a moderately high knoll by the Mangapiko stream, has been long drained, and now exists as a depression about 20 acres in extent. This, we think, by a moderate expenditure might easily be again converted into a very pretty and charming lake. What pleasurable and healthy enjoyment such a lake, tiny though it be, would afford to convalescents and their friends. We have already noticed the necessity of places of interest within easy reach of such a sanatorium as we have Eroposed, to relieve the ennui of the ealthy portion of such a community as usually resorts to places offering great medicinal advantages. These are amply secured by the noble wooded mountain range, close at hand, with its possible winding carriage drives through the forest, its picturesque rocky and rugged ravines, and above all, by the magnificent waterfalls of Wairiri (angry water), and Wai-o-te Arlki (Water of the Lord). But of these we must reserve a description for our next article.