SUMMER WANDERINGS IN THE NORTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12931, 29 July 1905, Page 1 (Supplement)

SUMMER WANDERINGS IN THE NORTH.

No. 11. [by c. a. young.] At daylight next morning ] turned out to find we were approaching Marsden Point. Towering above us were Whangarei Heads, a magnificent spectacle, boldly outlined in the clear morning air. Rugged and jagged as these limestone formations become in the course of time, these towering peaks were tine specimens of their kind. One could imagine their rugged tops to he the ruins of a- castle of old time which had guarded the entrance to the favoured lands inside.

Marsden Point consists of a jetty—a jetty only—there was neither light nor sound of human habitation. Here a little trouble occurred in landing my horse, caused by the obsolete horsebox provided by the Northern S.S. Company, which permitted the beast to dance on his hindlegs in mid-air the while the derrick was swinging him up on to the jetty. After this performance I found myself standing alone amidst a waste of sand dunes, and the Ngapuhi disappearing in the distance up the estuary to Wliangarei. Looking around, I wondered "thewhy" of a landing stage in this desolate region. Sand dune and sea, sand dune and sea., a desolate region indeed; but relieved from being commonplace by the towering heads above.

By the time 1 bad saddled and bridled my old equine friend, Brumbie, a mailcarfc appeared upon the scene from Waipu, and as, this was the place Khad landed to visit

I was glad to be relieved from my solitude and inquire my way- This I found .led along the point inland over sand diuines for some miles, then over white clay land covered with tea-tree scrub, with never a creature in sight. The ' morning was delightfully fresh, as the wind came in from. the sea, and occasionally a peep of the distant ocean lightened up the otherwise desolate region of sand. After travelling some eight miles habitations began to appear, but what could be' grown in such poor country was not , evident. ' Grass was the only cultivated vegetation visible. Houses became more frequent as we neared Waipu, and presently, after a ride of twelve miles, we arrived in the village. This was not- at all a magnificent place—about a dozen houses, surrounded by miles of poor flat land, with ' here . and there a homestead, around which the land was mainly being : used for sheep and stock raising. : This is, Waipu! No wonder the present generation are wandering further afield, seeking laed that will better repay their labour than this. With all New Zealand to select from, the wonder is that these countrymen of mine should have selected this miserable country of Waipu to settle in. Only the characteristic courage and strenuous industry of Scotchmen could make a living off such poor land. What an interesting people they are though! In far back days,the grandfathers of the present generation bora to Waipu were expatriated from their High-, land homes to enable a moneyed plutocracy to turn their crofts into deer forests. New homes were found in Cape Breton and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from .whence their sons migrated'to the more congenial climate of Waipu, bringing'with them the hardy habits, the customs, and the traditions of their fatherland. There is something pathetic in the love of the sous of those old men for the land of their fathers, something pathetic in listening to them still conversing in the Gaelic tongue, the speech of a land none of them have ever seen.

Provided with letters of introduction, I had intended making a, stay of a. few days in Waipu, and so made my way to the ac-commodation-house. Waipu is a stronghold ofprohibition. Not feeling well, I ; asked) the landlord if I could get a "nip" of whisky , for my stomach's sake. His reply was:': "There is no whisky in Waipu!" Are my friends in Waipu a little priggish in their prohibition' principles 'I How can a man 'be a Scotchman, especially at hogmaney, and how could he toss the caber or skirl upon the pipes at the annual Highland! games without a wee drap in his ee'f One day's experience was sufficient, and I fled from Waipu. • ■ From Waipu" one could reach Wliangarei proceeding up the harbour front Marsdem Point. This is the route by lie Northern Steamship Company's steamer. Distance 60 miles. Inside of the heads the .scenery, is very fine; the highlands well wooded, and crowned by the 'towering, rugged heads, 1325 ft high. Past One-tree Point the harbour widens across to Parua Bay, and! is several miles wide, until we reach Matakohe Island. The climate is soft and warm, and admirably suitable for growing grapes, - citrus fruits, peaches, melons, and, indeed, all sub-tropical fruits and vegetables. The shores around afford ideal sites for marine residences, and in time to come the Whanagrei Heads will be one of the "show" places of the colony. Like so many of the New Zealand harbours, the draught of water is shallow, and only admits vessels of limited tonnage, but as Whangarei is the natural outlet for a very rich 'back country it must, in the near future, .become a very busy port for vessels of light draught. Orahamtown will then bo the place for wharfage, as hers is found the deepest water of the harbour. Further up the water shallows rapidly, until, at the town wharf, when the tide is low, the estuary becomes a mud flat, ornamented with mangroves. The usual way from Waipu to Whangarei is to drive via .Ruakaka and Mangapai, a distance of 30 miles, but the far preferable way is to ride over' the hills, passing on the way the homesteads occupied by Messrs. Mackenzie and John Morrison in the limestone district. The valley through which the way passes is very beautiful. At the entrance Mr. Mackenzie has planted the fantastic, limestone formations with flowering shrubs, the effect of which is very pretty. Further up the valley is Mr. Morrison's place at Te Mataa, nine miles from Waipu. Here are Te Mataa limestone caves, which are well worth stopping to see. This is an ideal spot, at which to spend a few days in peace. The lower slopes of the hills wliich surround the homestead refresh the

eve with cultivated grasses, the hollows of the undulations arc possessed by the everbiding tea-tree, delicious in perfume, and on the ridges of the ranges around the beautiful bush of old New Zealand is still to be enjoyed. The bush is harmonious with song-bird's. The mavis throws his delightful song of challenge to his rivals from the topmost twigs of the gracefullygrowing kauri; the tui fills the air at intervals with his numerous and strangelyvaried notes, while over all the upper air is tilled with the thrilling song of the lark.

From Te Mataa a bridle track undulates over the ranges, from the ridges of which a superb view is obtained. To the northeast, Whangarei Heads and the beautiful estuary of Whangarei Harbour; to the north, the magnificent ranges of Te Maungakaramea, and beyond the vast domeshaped Maungatapere, 1214 ft high; while to the west looms in the far distance the Northern Wairoa and its endless forestranges. At Mangapai this bridle path descends, and debouches on to the ordinary road to Whangarei; the whole distance from Waipu. to Whangarei being thirty-one miles.