CASUAL RAMBLINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8538, 11 April 1891, Page 1 (Supplement)

CASUAL RAMBLINGS.

[BY A. TRAMP ESQ.] A JOURNEY OF FACT AND FANCY ; OR, A TRAVELLER'S TALE. [FROM THE AUCKLAND WEEKLY NEWS.] HOTEL DE TOKAANO. "A. Tramp found much comfort in Tokaano," is what I wrote in the visitors' book at the hotel. lam glad to say there is an hotel at Tokaano— good one too. Although not of the newest design or of leviathan proportions, it is clean, comfortable, cosy, and the landlord is a gentleman. Hungry, not thoroughly —my clothes I moanand completely tired, Tokaano's pub was a perfect haven of rest. We dined —wo banqueted. We slept on eiderdowncoiled under a forty-guinea feather quilt. And, manna in the wilderness, fresh eggs for breakfast. We bathed—elysium, the deliciousness of that bath—grateful, comforting, Epps' cocoa ! it was beyond expression. Soft ! soothing 1 it would calm the perturbed spirit of a Wanganui crank. I have been in many hot baths since, bub in none have I felt the same tranquil pleasure 1 experienced in Tokaano's, the thrill of it clings to me still. Why I ever left ib I cannot well comprehend. It must have been owing to the guide.. Onco a man, no matter how strong-minded he may be, is in the hands of a guide, he is no longer a free agent. He cannot make his own pace. Tho victim tourist must start when the guide starts, walk when he walks, trot when he trots, stop when he stops. The relations between myself and my guide differed in one respect from tho usual custom. Instead of me paying him, he paid me for the privilege of conducting me through. In some places the oan of a horse is considered such a small favour as scarcely to deserve notice, but in a country where it is the solo business of every man, woman, and child, white and brown, to take in tho stranger and pluck tho tourist, ib is an obligation of some magnitude. When I accepted guide McDonald's offer to rido his horse to Ohincmutu, it was understood to be under his guidance, and was as binding as a written contract, and had to be carried out. However, I paid him off for dragging me away from Tokaano. When he wanted to stop a day at Wairakei, I threatened to ride on to Ohincmutu by mysolf.and so spoilt his mash. Next time I receive an invitation to stay at Tokaano, I'll pack up Roomy and stop a week. There is plenty to be seen and learnt round Tokaano, and a week can bo filled up comfortably and profitably.

TUKAANO : PRESENT AND FOTUKE. Before proceeding further, it may bo as well to mention for the information of those of my readers who may never have hoard of Tokaano, that it is a Maori village lying on the southern shore of the Taupo Moana, or inland pea, at the foot of a chain of coneshaped hills, or rather mountains— Pihanga, the highest cone, is from threo to four thousand feet above sea level. Along the base of these volcanic hills, for miles apparently, are pittas or pools of hot springs, geysers, fumeroles, solfataras, and all the other thermal curiosities, dead and living. I don't suppose there is another place in the world which so realistically illustrates the common expression, " Between the devil and the deep Bea," as Tokauno. In front lies tho great deep blue lake, dreaded of the Maoris ; close behind is a steaming, boiling, babbling, quaking hades, which may at any moment —but no, let us not anticipate. In Tokaano, the populations of the West Coast, from Waitara to Wellington, have a sanatorium second to none- in the world, at their very doors. When the road now* in course of formation is completed Tokaano will, by train and coach, be within two days of Wanganui. When the railway reaches the Murirautu Plain —which it will do in about 'nine months if little Shorn gets his way— passengers can wipe their faces with a wet towel at Wellington in the morning, and be bathing luxuriously the next day ab noon in Tokaano. liotorua will always have the globe-trotter in addition to the populations of tho north and east, but Tokaano will command bho bulk of what Mr. Vaile would call the " internal trade" of the colony— is to say, it will have the heavy populations I have just mentioned, and also those of the Middle Island. Should gold or silver be found in the Kaimanawa— ib is not at all a remote contingencysuch a city will tiriso on the southern shore of the Taupo Lake as the world has never yet seen. OUR IIERITAGK OF HEALTH. Provide cheap facilities, enabling tho public to reach the attractions of nature, and the prevailing pernicious pastimes would be abandoned, and wo shall become a healthier and a wealthier people. What greater attractions can be found for tho mass of humanity than the life-restoring waters and earth's wonders of our thermal districts? Their alluring power is discovered in the thousands of visitors drawn from the four quarters of the globe. Bub it is only the millionaire who can afford the luxury of a visit to this wonderland of ours, the boil and cost of getting there, and the expense of living when you are there, is an effectual bar bo the " million." The sense of enjoyment is as keen in the million as it is in the millionaire. The million will yield a larger return to tho State than the millionaire. Open, then, this country to the million by road and railway lino, and let Now Zealanders all, great and small, enjoy their heritage of health. That tho TokaanoHunterville Road will, when opened, be the popular tourist route betwoen Wanganui, West Coast, and Auckland there cannot be a shadow of a doubt.

From an advertising point of view this will be advantageous to the colony in general and tho West Coast in especial. As things are at present the tourist is run from Oxford to Kotorua, to Taupo, to Napier, through millions of acres, without seeing a blade of grass or a hoof of stock. At homo ho "gases" much about our geysers and glaciers, but upon the subject of our graziers ho is dumb. Don't blame him, he has nob had an opportunity of seeing them. When ho comes to travel through a country with bhe tall cocksfoot tickling his nose, John will be able to go home and tell his friends that wo don't live on geysers altogether. The Alpine clubs, too, by this route will be able to hop easily over to Taranaki and climb Egmont, the most perfect mountain cone in the world. THE LEGEND OF TATtANAKI, TONGAIUUO, AND PIHANGA. The Maoris here have a legend about Egmont which I have never heard mentioned by the coast natives. They say that Mount Taranaki (Egmont) originally belonged to the Taupo volcanic zone, and stood near to Ruapehu and Tongariro, but that Pihanga, the shapely cone-wife of Tongariro, loved the tall and handsome Taranaki. He reciprocated her affection and determined to elope with her. The plot was discovered by some of the smaller members of the Tongariro family and duly reported to the head of the hapu. Tongariro declared war against Taranaki and forthwith began pelting that gentleman with lava boulders. Taranaki replied with an avalanche of snow and nearly smothered the slave coon to death. Recovering himself, Tongariro belched a storm of red hot cinders at Taranaki, who, having only snow to return, had to retire before tho fiery shower. He retreated down towards the sea and took up the position where he now stands, sad looking and lonely, but magnificent and beautiful, worshipped by the multitudes who live and love in the shelter of his wide-spreading skirts. The track he made in his flight is now tho course of the Wanganui River. Taranaki brought away with him all the life-sustaining soil of Taupo and left his quondam friend Tongariro with a desert — and Pihanga, whom he still keeps imprisoned between himself and the Lake. When the Maoris see the steam-cloud of Tongariro settle on the lips of Pihanga, they exclaim, " Ah, he is loving her this morning." But one can see by the way she turns from him, that Pihanga has no love for Tongariro. Taranaki took that with him too. Whoever beholds Taranaki loves him, so we may forgive Pihanga her weakness, Tongariro,-4s o«gasioaa]ly ad-

mired by an extensively gob-up globe-trotter who, when told to look, puts his eye-glass to his eye, and says, " Demmo-yas-wealley wonder-f !" VESPERS. For a couple of hours previous to retiring for tho night we enjoyed the pleasure of tho society of the Roman Catholic priest stationed at Waihi, a pa about three miles from here, the stranger will recognise it by a waterfall that hangs out there. It was Sunday, and tho rev. father had been holding service at Tokaano. We arrived too late to attend vespers, for which I was very sorry—on McDonald's account. I like to meet these good fathers of the Church of Rome, they are such sociable chaps, nothing of the Chadband sniffle, method istica stiffness, or phar-isaical holiness about'them. Educated, intelligent, and learned in the ways of men and women outside their own little circle, they adapt themselves to tho company into which they may be accidentally and temporarily thrown. They are not afraid of their Church toppling over if they happen to sing anything stronger than a hymn to a piano accompaniment, or being tried for heresy if they happen to take a little Presbyterian wine with a tramp. Father, I drink to you ; verily " thou almost persuadesb mo," etc. The father told us some of his trials and troubles with his flock, from which I gathered that the heathen instead of paying for their conversion, expect to be paid for it. We chatted on various subjects till we went to bed, taking with us a good man's benispn.

BOUND THE LAKE. Morning came; McDonald was at the door with tho horses, all impatience to bo off to Wairnkei—McDonald was, the mokes and myself were not in the least hurry ; I felt more inclined to stay than to go ; I was hankering after another bath in the silicious waters of Tokaano. "The man who hesitates is lost." I hesitated, and lost my bath. At last we are off, McDonald's mare settling down into her long swinging trot, with Kni-Rumaat her heelsshe can't steal away from the pony— Kai Ruraa is a hummer—and Tommy, steadied into a canter, close up. So wo scampered round the eastern shore of the Lake, coming into Taupoin the order named —as "Phaeton" would say when describing a race. The ride is enjoyable', and the road is a fairly good one; buggies can bo driven all the way. But the highway provided by Nature is the Lake, and the conveyance of the future is the steamboat. We crossed the Waikato with a wet foot each, and made only two stoppages on the way. One was at a Maori pa, where we met Mr. Axeworth engaged in taking the census of the Maori people. I hail an invitation to go with him into the Urewera country, but declined it, not wishing to be guilty of an act of impoliteness by anticipating the visit of His Excellency the Governor. Besides, I had some misgivings as to the likelihood of the Tuhoe surviving tho consecutive visitations of two such "leading rangitiras" as I and Lord Onslow. TAUPO.

From Taupo I reported myself to headquarters by wire, the first opportunity I had had of doing so since leaving Marton. Hunterville, as I have already mentioned, has not yet gob its telephone, although months have elapsed since Mr. George Hutchinson put up the money for it. Moa whango is shut out from the rest of the world for want of the talking wiro,and Tokaano is also in the same fix. The natives of the latter place have offered to find the necessary labour to extend the line to Taupo, arid Mr. Blake, the landlord of the hotel, who is an experienced telegraphist, is willing to run the bureau for nothing. Tito establishment of telephones in these several places is a " crying want," and I would respectfully suggest to the present stiff-broom Ministry that a few more barnacles should bo scraped off tho civil service list, and the saving devoted to these useful public works. Tho telegraph officer in charge ab Taupo is Air. Park, a man of strong personality— of the Auckland Weekly News will remember we met him last at the cable station at Whakapuaka, on the Nelson coast. He thinks Taupo "the hub of creation," and when he learnt it was nob my intention to stay, expressed much disappointment, and looked upon it as a personal affront. " You will go away with a wrong impression of Taupo," he said. "You have seen nothing of it." " I am open to receive any number of impressions," I replied, " but my present impression—and my first impressions of persons and places are never far out —is that Taupo is just as bare, as bleak, and as barren a waste as the most hypochondriacal person could desire. Have you many suicides hero ? Where are your cultivations, your grass paddocks, your orchards ? Surely the soil will grow trees, if nothing else ? What do yon live on ?" " Live on !" exclaimed Park. "We live on tourists, and it is a very good living, too. Wo have had a very good crop this season. It is the healthiest place under the sun. Nobody dies here." " Should think they'd bo very hard up for a dying place if they did." " Look at the Lake." It is 25 miles long and 20 miles broad." "I see the pond ; ib was thudding the strand its wo came along with as much cheek as the Pacific Ocean. Best thing you can d# is to scrape all the pumice off the top of tho volcanic mud and put it i» the Lake ; then tho country would be worth something." "There's whore the Waikato leaves it; we have some hob springs too, and there are three pubs —" "That settles it, Park, I'm going on, can't do the three you know ; I've not come in to my fortuno yet." " Well, come and have a drink," said Park, " before you go." I would not have gono with Park, but for the entreaties of dear old "Dick Swiveller" — Stubbings is his proper name, well known all ovei the Waikatoone of the kindest and jolliest of mortals out of heaven. His brother, who manages the store, was the bright "one exception" in gloom-stricken .Karioi. Mr. Stubbings is a surveyor by profession ; what he is doing in Taupo, I do nob know, unless he is living on tourists like the rest. I spent a very pleasant half hour with Dick over a modest glass [Case, more likely. Ed. A.W.N.]of J. C. Seccombe's bottled stout. I merely mention this fact so that " J. C. (( can swear to it, in case any ono challenges me for a proof of my evor having been to Taupo. Well, good-bye, old pals, "jolly old pals." Sorry my engagements will not permit of my spending a night with you ; better luck next time. Start the waggon. BOILED DOWN. Wairakei, Rotorua, Okoroire, to do yet, and tho chief's limitations as to space nearly exhaustedand, I fear, also his patience. I must condense. "Huka Falls," said my guide turning half round in the saddle, bub nob breaking his trot, as we passed that celebrated water shoot. "Gob 'em," said I, "in a photo by Hanna." " Bridge unsafe?" "Don'b wants ib. Heave ahead. Full speed." Wairakei, five miles from Taupo, private property, 4000 acres, belongs Mrs. Graham, widow of the late Robert Graham, possesses a whole factory of geysers, baths, creeks, pools, fumaroles, solfataras, of all shapes and sizes, in endless variety. After tea, had bath in lukewarm creek for half-an-hour ; thenthere's old Park at the telephone, wants mo '■ come back spend day at Taupo—see him in—bed first. Think about it in morning.