EASTWARD OF TAUPO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16796, 12 March 1918, Page 7

EASTWARD OF TAUPO.

THE TAHARUA VALLEY,

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SETTLERS.

[nv ot'R SPECIAL commissioner.] Mt night journey eastward of Lake Taupo had taken me across tho southern end of the Kaingaroa Plain, and into the valley of the Taharua, a tributary of the Mohaka River, which flows into Hawke's Bay. My host. Mr. J. D. Macfarlane, holds tho Taharoa station, a property of about 20.C00 acres, and his homestead, substantial and new, is the pioneer home in a very big district. Young Mr. Russcl, of Runanga, about 23 milos away, is his nearest neighbour. Enrle Vaile, of Broadlands, comes next. The nearest Government railway, at Itotorua, is about ninety, miles away by road, and heavy goods have to be brought in from the Taupo Totara Timber Company's line, over fifty miles away. It is an isolated placo, but Mr. Macfarlane has pioneer blood in his veins. Throe generations of his people have, broken in New Zealand soil to their uso on a large scale, and have broken it in successfully. Before war prices made farm material so exorbitantly dear, and before labour was so scarce, Mr. Macfarlane was grassing his bush country by the thousand acres, and was employing quito an army of men. Even now operations are conducted on a large scale, but not compared with what they would bo if conditions were more normal. Breaking-ln New Country. I cannot well imagine any more fascinating and, at the same time, nationally useful work than this task of pioneering new country ; it is work which any New Zealander should bo proud of, and 1 should like to suggest here that when this terrible war ceases to make demands upon tho patriotism of our wealthy young men that there lies open to them just as noble a duty in turning the waste places of their country to protitabio use and in opening the way for settlement. This sort ot work calls for much the same qualities as war, and it needs the capacity for leadership and organisation to do it well on a largo scale. It is work, too, which men who have wealth are specially fitted to perform and specially called upon to do, and, moreover, it is work which, if carried on with a due regard to national, as well as private, interests, confers enormous benefit upon tho community. Here, in this particular district, are fully a-quarter of a million acres awaiting development, offering excellent returns for the investment of capital, and opportunity for making some of the most beautiful estates that man could desire. But it is not only in this particular district that opportunities are to be found for the betterment of New Zealand; there are some thousands of square miles of country spreading round the central mountains and Lake Taupo, which offers great rewards for enterprise and labour.

A New Sheep Station. The Taharua Estate occupies a considerable portion of the river valley from which it takes its name, and includes hill country on both sides. This valley, which is typical of many other valleys in {his part of New Zealand, is wide, open and flat. In places the level country is fully two miles wide, and offers great possibilities in the way of growing root and fodder crops. 'Tho soil is pumice, light, welldrained, and easily worked. It grows red clover well, and after a course of red clover and turnips should take mixed grasses satisfactorily. At present tho heavy cost of manures and transportation makes cropping of any kind an expensive matter, so Mr. Macfarlanc is devoting most of his attention to the hill country. This is all bush land ; some thousands of acres have been cleared and grassed, and the resultant pasture is excellent, clover, cocksfoot and rye being tho dominant grasses. It is one and a-naif sheep 10 tho acre country, and will exceed this when the valley lands are used to provide winter feed. The hills aro no great height, somo of the highest points Doing little more than 3000 ft above sea level; but, as tho valley itself has an altitude of about 2200 ft, the higher country can be classed as easy, As a matter of fact, I was able to ride to the top of some of the most prominent peaks. The general elevation of the country gives it a sub-alpine appearance so far as vegetation is concerned, and the winter climate is classed as fairly hard for Auckland, but snow rarely lies, except on the high country, and winter need not bo looked upon as severe. As there are all the facilities for raising winter feed in tho shape of - roots, clover, hay, oaten sheaf, etc., it is no great bar to' fanning. If it had a winter climate like Canada, North America, or even the greater part of Europe, it might be counted a serious drawback. Men With Capital. So far as I can see, this class of country on the south-eastern borders of the Auckland Province must be first broken in by men with capital. On account of its distance from markets, and its lack of transport facilities, the small settler could not possibly succeed. For some years to come . its industries will be purely pastoral. There , is room, however, for quite a number of men with money enough to handle a few thousand acres of bush land. It is really ' very attractive country in most ways. | The scenery is delightful; it is mag- I nificently well watered, swift, clear \ streams _ rushing down every valley, ■ and little creeks tumbling from ' nearly every gully in the hills. Manv of : these small streams arc heavily stocked with brown trout, and the larger rivers provide excellent fishing. The climate is most bracing and pleasant, the nights, even in midsummer, being delightfully cool. There is a considerable area of Crown lands in the vicinity classified as available for settlement, and a larger extent of Maori lands, which are said to be obtainable at a moderate price, 'so that those who desire land in large areas for sheep farming or cattle raising should pay a visit to this' part of the country and see for themselves i what opportunity it offers. They can take it for granted that it will not' always be as far removed from settlement as ,t is now. Farmers are already invading the great Waikato Valley toward Taupo, and are moving up the Hawke's Bay rivers toward their head waters on the pumice plateau. It will not be long cither before railway communication is extended from Rotorua southward, and when once the I big lake is linked up either with the Main Trunk line or with the Aurkland-Rotoruu line, or with the Tiuipo Totara Timber Company's line, it will serve as a distributing centre for a very large territory. South-eastern Auckland. My recent visit to Taharua has strengthened my conviction that there is groat scope for settlement in this part of the Auckland Province eastward of Tamxt. and also in adjoining portions of Wellington and Hawke'g Bay. I passed Mr. David Ross, of the Now Zealand Stock Department, on his way to the Mohaka with pack horses and a camping outfit, and was reminded that some little time ago he discovered a practical route from Taharua to Taihapo on the Main Trunk line, and declaros that nearly all tho length of this route—a stretch of over sixty miles—is through useful and comparatively easy country, and that it would be comparatively easy to put a road | through to connect with the railway. I This route, it is said, only requires a I track opening through four or five miles of bush, when stock could he driven right through to Taihape, and much fine pastoral country opened. The greatest extent of settleable land, however, is in the Auckland Province; it stretches almost unbroken from Lake Taupo to the Bay of j Plentv, a distance- of nearly eighty mile?, and eastward toward the base of the East I Cape for over a hundred miles. If the State would pursue an active and liberal j policy in regard to road-making, railway- | building, and the settlement of Crown and native lands in these districts it could I enormously increase the wealth-producing capacity of New Zealand, and thus provide the means of meeting our rapidly increasing national debt.