A RAMBLE IN THE MATAKANA DISTRICT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9307, 9 March 1889, Page 1 (Supplement)

A RAMBLE IN THE MATAKANA DISTRICT.

[BY A WANDERER.] A sea trip to Mafcakana is always pleasant to thoso who are fond of travel by water. The steamer Maori is a steady and secure little boat, safer in heavy weather than many vessels of greater pretensions ; and Captain Syras and his little staff of officers are courteous and obliging. In my case, however, the voyage was especially enjoyable. The day was beautifully fine and clear ; the surface of the water was disturbed only by the faintest breeze, and the effects of light and colour from sea and sky were therefore extremely beautiful; whilst, above and beyond all, there was the charm of delightful conversation to banish the monotony which otherwise will come even to those who are taking the trip for the first time. The vessel sailed from Queen-street Wharf at mid-day, and speedily we had left behind us Fort Cautley, with its great guns, like faithful watchdogs, guarding hearths and homes ; we had hurried past Rangitoto, grim and stern in its harmonious ruggedness ; Tiri Island was slowly fading away ; and for a brief period we were in the open. On our left was a long strip of low land, the Wade district, blue in the distance, whilst columns of bush-tire smoke, tinged with the same colour, as well as purple and brown, in exquisite harmony, curled lazily upward and mingled with the clouds. To our right lay the grand pathway of commerce, the approach from the wide, shoreless ocean, and the point whence many an anxious and heart-weary traveller, from the dock of the ship which seems to him to crawl at a snail's pace, turns eagerly to catch a glimpse of home. Before us, and seemingly right in our track, was a cluster of numerous islands, with tops of treacherous and cruel-looking reefs here and there. The steamer stopped a little further on her voyage, in Arkell's Bay, a pleasant-looking place, though only two or three houses, on the beach, are to be seen. Hero a number of passengers and a quantity of cargo were sent ashore in small boats, and the Maori then took o, north - easterly course for Kawau. It was about this time that the pleasant chat of the little company was disturbed by one of the passengers, who cried excitedly, " Look at the sharks," pointing to several black tins a short distance away. Captain Syms laughingly reassured him, telling him that what he saw were porpoises ; and as we watched ono big fellow swimming in company with the vessel, the captain told us of his having once fallen overboard amongsb a school, when, in his fright, thinking they were sharks, ho dropped to the bottom. It is evident that Captain Syms can " spin yarns" as ably as any other tough salt. Having landed cargo at Kawau, the Maori steamed on to Lower Matakana. ON THE MATAKANA RIVER. Bub evening was now deeponing. So interested had we become in a discussion as to our favourite authors that we had missed a view of the sunset, and when the steamer stopped opposite Mr. Greenwood's house at Lower Matakana, in order to land three children who had come from Auckland, the shades of night were darkening around us. On the opposite shore, on the verge of the beach, we saw Mr. Buchanan's residence, with the village school and the teacher's house near by— desolate-looking enough in the gathering dusk. A few yards further on was the wharf. Night had settled as we entered the river, which seemed as placid as glass, its bosom reflecting the shimmer of the twilight, while the masses of dark shrubbery on either side completed a beautiful scene. What a charming spot! Away from the din and hubbub of the crowded city; the passengers conversing almost in whispers ; all silent save for the regular pulsation of the little steamer's engines, the tug now and then of the wheel-chain, and the soft tinkle of the engine-room bell, as it recorded the frequent messages from the helmsman, who peered out with acute eyes from his position in the centre of the boat, realising that he must now keep his wits about him. He knew that there wore mangroves, dank and treacherous, growing in swamps through tho river, though, for aught that we could see of them, as we sab admiring the scene, they might be the prettiest foliage extant. The vessel cut deeply through the water, throwing up waves on both sides, and these rolling gently out, reproduced for a moment the glowing beauty of the stars which studded the heavens, and then broke themselves upon the sand, whilst strange, ghostly shadows flitted hither and thither, and the lights from below deck, falling upon the heavy walls of shrubbery and bush which so closely encompassed us, followed the steamer in and out through the river's windings like wills-, o'-bho-wisp. Now the course of the stream widened, now it narrowed so much that the shrubs brushed the side of the boat, until, rounding a sharp point, the Maori drew up alongside a littlo wharf, and we were at our destination, Upper Matakana, with, apparently, one-half of the population of the district awaiting our arrival. a community's progress. Though Matakana may not be, like Waiuku, the hub of the universe, it has grown considerably in importance during the past few years. Time was when there was no steamer running from Auckland, and settlers remember when they had to trust to the receiving of supplies by a small cutter from Auckland at irregular intervals. The pioneers remembered that they were founding what would perhaps be a great city, and they did not stop at small things in those day,s. If a settlor sometimes found that he got the wrong goods—a different brand of flour to that which he had ordered, a pair of boots that would not fib him, or something else equally unfortunate —he had to take the consignment, and be thankful. that he had gob it. Small matters such as these were nob to be allowed to interfere with the progress of the future metropolis. Now there is steam communication with the district; there are good roads, and many other conveniences marking the advance of civilisation. There is, nevertheless, a fly in the ointment — Matakana has neither telegraph nor telephone. Surely, of the large amount of public money thab is annually wasted throughout the colony, a small sum might be expended in securing telephone connection between Matakana and Warkworth. A PASTORAL SCENE. Up with the lark, and what a glorious i 6cene ! There was a freshness and elasticity in the clear, pure atmosphere that was truly delightful to • a dweller in a smoky and dusty town ; the quietness and peace which reigo§d |a ebbing i

trast to the noise with which a, city awakens from its slumbers. Stationed on a hill, on the old Matakana-Mahurangi Road, I saw a vast stretch of country'—smiling green fields and sombre bushland, in colour forming an admirable contrast to the yellow of the ripened pastures. Here and there a clearing on the edge of the forest, the smoke of the bush fire, and the quiet homestead and growing cropa, were signs of .industry—traces or tfie sturdj' yeoman race, tho after-type of the grand old yeomanry of England "which sprang up as a result of the Norman Conquest, and which proved the basis of the nation's prosperity—that class which, whilst it cannot exist unless manufactures and commerce f)rospertoo, iayetthefirstsaltof the earth. A ong, bold range of bush country to the north-west was flanked by the mountain of Tamahu, celebrated in the history of the Maori War as the refuge to which 300 Maori prisoners fled from the Island of Kawau. Away in tho distance to the right one could see Cape Colville, whilst to the left were the mountains hemming Dome Valley. A road over the hills to the eastward led to Omaha, and immediately before this nestled tho township of Matakana, Hidden from view by a line of high country. The scene was one of quaint pastoral beauty, of peace and happiness; the only sounds to be heard were those of thikliug cow-bells, the cry of sheep, the twitter of birds. Presently a few fleecy clouds over the eastern horizon were ablaze with bright colour; in a few moments tho tops of the hills were burnished in golden splendour, and then the sun, rising with fullest majesty, overwhelmed hills and forest and plain with the rays of its glory, and another day had commenced. MATTERS SCHOLASTIC. The newly-appointed assistant teacher, Miss Clark, an accomplished lady, and an able schoolmistress, arrived on the previous night by the eteamer from Auckland, and Matakana was agog. " Have you seen the new teacher?" ''No; has she come?" "Yes; came last night by the Maori." This was the current of gossip amongst fcho villagers, and for the nonce all other subjects paled. There is a neat little school in tho district, erected on an allotment in the main street. The head teacher is Mr. Hankin. He is a good schoolmaster. His residence is a handsome six-roomed cottage, a short distance behind the schoolhouse. One never realises until he visits tho country how dearly the children of backwoods settlers purchase their education. The pupils of a country school have generally to walk two, three, or four miles every morning, and that distance to home again in the evening, and besides this, have often to assist in farm or dairy work. Who will wonder if tuition received under such circumstances is prized as tuition ought to be ? And the children of the country are the best and truest of our youth, after all. ON HORSEBACK. Of course I went out riding, for riding is one of the features of life in the country. I was given a horse named Sultan—not a fiery Arabian steed, but a hack racer. So excellent is my seat in the saddle that when I mounted he imagin&l that a clever jockey was on his back, and he immediately started off at top gallop through the paddock, whilst friends standing by, who seemed to think that I didn't know how to ride, shouted advice to me against getting timid, and against jumping off, and so on, though 1 laughed at their fears. When the horse stopped I fainted—the reaction was too great—bub I recovered with the aid of a glass of port. Sublime port! Ah ! see it? —I had had enough of the Sultan, and tried the Sublime Porte ? Ha ! ha! ha! [This seems to be original.—Ed.] We changed horses, as I deferred to the general opinion that my neck would, be broken if I persisted in riding Sultan. The animal that then fell to my lot was a sympathetic, nervous horse ; he walked along, full of exuberant spirits, shying at everything and anybody. He seemed to be fond of music ; when I whistled he kept time by the twitching of his ears ; the tears rolled down his double-furrowed cheeks, and in other ways he manifested his pleasure. The daring animal grew quite bold as we went on, and actually cantered onco, in a moment of reckless bravery. He'll die game, if ho isn't boiled down some day for oleomargarine. LOOKING ROUND. During my stay in the country I was the guest of Mr. H. Stacpoole, of the Falls Farm. His property of about 100 acres is excellently situated on the MatakanaWarkworth Road. It isof good land, withfine natural advantages ; a branch of the river runs up to the farm, and there is thus ample communication by water. At a point where the fresh water from the springs a little distance off, never ceasing to flow, meets the sea, there is a rocky terrace, and above this a basin which is always filled by the clear and limpid stream. Mr. Stacpoole has a serviceable orchard—l found it so, at all events—and I noticed that he does not make a mistake which other fruit-growers in the district fall into : he does not allow his trees to run riot; he prunes, and though he does not get so large a supply, yob the fruit is of better quality than would otherwise be the case. I watched the interesting process of buttermaking, but I will not describe it; anybody who wants to see it had better go to the country, too. On this property there are the remains of what was probably a Maori fortification, erected close to the river, so that when the fighting was becoming too warm, those defending the rude fortress could retreat in their boats. There are some pretty spots on this river ; higher up than the terrace of which I have spoken, and at the boundary between the properties of Messrs. Sankey and Cruickshank, there is another rocky floor across which the stream gently courses, the bright green foliage almosc meeting ovorhead. But to our ride. We started quietly and unostentatiously, without any flourish of trumpets at all, and shortly before noon made tho grand entry into the township of Matakana. Not a soul was to be seen. We heard the hum from the busy schoolroom ; the poor little pupils inside, who wished that they were out in the open air, were wrestling with their lessons, whilst the " moral policemen" were on the alert. In one of the stores—there are two— the shopman was attending to the wants of some customer who had plenty of time on hand, and could wait, and in the other tho aspect of European affairs, as outlined in the Weekly News, was under discussion. People here swear by the Weekly News. The only other event of interest in the main street was a dog who was catching flies ; the insects were too lazy to be active, and the dog was rapidly accumulating his lunch. We paused for a moment, and looked up and down the street, thought hard of the time when this will be a great manufacturing and commercial centre, and passed on. [To be continued.]