MERCURY BAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20229, 13 April 1929, Page 1 (Supplement)

MERCURY BAY.

A TRAMPER'S PARADISE.

BT J. F. BARAGWANATH.

New Zealand, one of the most richlyendowed countries of the world, from a natural and scenic aspect at least, contains few more beautiful spots than MercuryBay, or Whitianga, as the natives still prefer to call it. One of the oldest settlements in the Dominion, it has only recently come into prominence, and then on account of its popularity as a deep-sea fishing resort and not because of its natuial beauty, which is as yet free from the disfigurements and blemishes so often brought by civilisation. To obtatin a true conception of its beauty, it is necessary to maike a series of tramping tours, and so numerous are the beauty-spots of the district and so varied the scenic attractions that many weeks would be required to exploit them fully. Within easy tramping distance of the township, which itself is rich in Maori lore, there is o multitude of places, distinctive alike for their rugged beauty and their historic and mythological interest. Two famous Polynesian explorers, Kupe and Hei, are claimed to have landed near the site of the present township, and the immediate neighbourhood abounds in spots which the Maoris still revere as the scenes of famous events. The steep black rock which rises almost perpendicularly from the sea at the mouth of the river is famous in legend as the pa of Hei, who founded the once powerful Ngatihei tribe. Absolutely impregnable from the. sea. the rock commands the entrance to the river and the rich pasture country beyond, and would prove an effective barrier to the most determined invader. Erom the rear, however, it is easily scaled, and on reaching the top one can "realise with what comparative ease the defending force could roll down boulders on the attackers, as did the warriors of the Ngatihei some seven centuries ago. Maungatawhiri. Another excellent spot for the enthusiastic tramper to visit is Maungatawhiri, a steep mountain some five miles from Whitianga. The approach is best made from the rear, first over gently rising slopes, smooth and grassy, and then oyer boulders and the dense tea-tree with which the lower portion of the mountain is covered. Maungatawhiri is of volcanic formation, and as the summit is neared the going becomes more difficult, owing to the multitude of loose boulders strewn underfoot. From the top. on a clear day, one can just distinguish Mercury Island on the horizon, and the nearer country opens out into an unrivalled spectacle. The beach, wide and smooth, becomes a golden ribbon separating the deep blue, almost purple, of the sea, from the rich green of the surrounding country, and the white buildings of the town of Whitianga stand out clearly against the smoky blue of the hills beyond. The waves crash against the foot of the mountain, and the enthusiast, scrambling out on to a jutting pinnacle of rock, can look downward where the precipice fails a sheer 500 ft. into ihe sea. Perhaps the most interesting place in the district is Hot Water Beach, about 12 miles from the town. Starting from Whitianga, the tramper is rowed across the river by the old ferryman, and follows the coast-line for a mile or so, then striking inland. The country is ideal for tramping, and a good pace may be set over the greater part of the journey. About a mile inland a clear stream runs across the road, and in crossing the tramper, rather hot by this time, finds comfort in the sight of a waterfall, not a rushing avalanche of foam and boulders, but a graceful filmy spray, such as Spenser must have had in mind when he wrote, " a trickling stream, from high rock tumbling down." At last, after a slow trudge through the sand-hills, where the feet sink in and the broiling sun glares back from the ground, the tramper climbs wearily to the top, and sees the blue sea creaming on the shore and the myriad sea-birds as they wheel and glide: and in the middle of the beach there well up from some underground furnace springs of steaming water. Burrow a moment in the sand, and a hot bath is ready, with the cold surf so close that its flying spray drops upon the tramper as he stands marvelling at the spring. A hot bath and a cold shower —what more could a tired tramper desire? Captain Cook's Visit. The return trip may conveniently be made by another route. Instead of going over the hills, the tramper may follow the beaches, where the historic interest of the district immediately reasserts itself. Not far from Whitianga is Cook's Beach, where in 1769 Captain Cook landed to observe the transit of Mercury. The observations of the famous explorer were made some distance from the township. \ On Cook's beach there are some interesting and marvellously delicate cave formations of natural origin. In parts, the rocky cliffs have been undermined and eaten away by the action of wind and wave until they resemble the finest lace. Intricate designs, almost mathematical in their accuracy, have been traced in the cliff face, and in one spot there is a high, curved bridge of rock, very similar to those found across flowered streams in Chinese gardens. Caves, too, where the waves boom and the hollow echoes of one's footsteps come back magnified a thousand times, are to be found practically the whole length of the beach. And then abruptly the cliffs fall away, leaving the beach fringed by undulating sand dunes, with the sinister black shape of Hei's former pa looming in the background. A Vista of Imagination. Erom the top of the hill the tramper watches the sun slip over the edge of the sea, gilding it a moment, and then disappearing abruptly. While he sits there, waiting for the moon to show him the remainder of the homeward path, is it only in imagination that he sees the long dark shapes and high curved prows of the war-canoes against the darker blackness of the sea, and hears the grunts of the paddlers and the whispered words of command ? The moon comes from behind the hill, and for a moment there stand revealed the dusky invaders, grasping their keen weapons, whose polished edges glint in the pale light. And as lie wanders slowly home, cool now, but verytired, the tramper wonders, and is still dreaming when the lights of the town twinkle from the valley at his feet. Another place of historic interest in the immediate neighbourhood is Buffalo Beach, which lies less than a mile from the townsi.ip. It is here that H.M.S. Buffalo was wrecked in 1841, while seeking the seclusion of the bay to refit after a storm, which had badly damaged her spars. The vessel was driven ashore, and became a total wreck. Even now, when the tide is particularly low and the sea calm, the skeleton of the old warship may be seen, with the tarnished brass-work and splintered decks protruding a little from tlie water. A little further afield is Castle Rock, the most famous peak in the district. Even when the sun is shining tho rock, with the clouds eddying about its bare and rugged brow, looks, and is, a formidable obstacle to the tramper. But when a misty squall whines out of the valley, shrouding the peak in gloom, until its grey shape looms vaguely through, then it assumes a sinister aspect, which makes the triumph of conquering it all the sweeter to the climber, x And from the top tho countryside spreads out like a map, with the familiar triangle that is Ilangitoto dim on the horizon.