OTAKI.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 772, 17 December 1886, Page 19

OTAKI.

(BY OtTR SPECIAL REPORTER).

One of the oldest of the settlements in the Wellington Provincial District, Otaki is perhaps one of the least known. A good many travellers have passed through it, it is true. King Cobb has introduced some thousands, in his time, to the Maori Episcopalian centre, par excellence, but they did not Bee anything of the place worth speaking of. A short drive from the beach road through sand-hills, then for a few furlongs through the pleasant hedge-bor-. dered road of the small township, to stay there long enough to satisfy animal cravings, and then on again through about a mile of wind-swept flats to the beach road once more, a weary way by Waikanae to Paikakariki. And the travellers talked Otaki afterward, as a rule anathematised the district as a sandy waste and the settlement just a horde of Maoris. There was no time to explore Otaki in the coaching days. Rumors there were of extraordinary good land further back, but scarce anyone believed them. Reports of the kind were pooh-poohed. Didn’t a notable Railway Commission report dead against the district as not worth a railway, couldn’t possibly support one ? Aye, it is astonishing how difficult it is to appraise the value of a closely timbered country, especially when viewed through prejudiced spectacles. But the truth about Otaki has at last leaked out. It was the railway survey that got to the bottom of the well, and now people wonder there was ever any doubt about it. For the fact is, Otaki is a magnificent district—is one of the tit-bits of the Colony. From the coast sandhills back to the Tararna Range every yard of it is more or less fertile, and the bulk of the land is simply magnificent. Flat toward the coast, flats of thick alluvial soil, it breaks into a beautiful rolling country further hack, hills and valleys alike rich in their covering of decomposed vegetable matter. As far back as exploration has gone, the hills are found to be substantially fertile. Not a yard of them, in the worst parts, that will not make good grazingground when cleared of timber.

I had the pleasure of paying a Bhort visit to the place the other day, and of verifying for myself the statements I had heard of the goodness of the soil and the favorable lay of the country about Otaki. The settlers there are fully alive to the advantages accruing from a close connection with an entrepot like Wellington, and are desirous of establishing intimate relations with it. Not that there are many settlers of European race ; for the greater part of the district is still in the hands of the Maoris, and they are keenly appreciative of the worth of that which is theirs, and hold tenaciously to it for full value. But the opening of the railway has stirred even them, and has aroused every one, both Whites and Browns, from the lethargy that was part of the characteristics of people isolated as they were, between the sea on the one side, and a high wooded mountain range on the other, their only mode of communication with the outer world by a road indifferent at all times, and occasionally untraverseable. But that is all at an end, and a wave of the magic wand of the engineer and an effort on the part of capital has made Otaki leap into the position of an important contributing district to the general prosperity of the Colony. For it now challenges inspection ; can sustain the closest scrutiny, and is but waiting for the adjustment of titles of Maori landowners to invite a thousand or two whits settlers to come in and take possession. There is plenty of land for them. I was particular in my inquiries on this point, and believe there was no exaggeration in the statement that, between the north bank of the river Otaki and Ohau, there were fifty thousand (50,000) acres of first-class land waiting for settlement, almost the kind of land that would “laugh a harvest if tickled

with a hoe ” —that is, after the timber on it had been disposed of. But much , has to be done before that stage is, reached. The Maori land has to be transferred to European owners, a process that, under even the improved land laws of the Colony, is tedious in the extreme. That is the first step to be taken, and a very essential one, -for at least' 18-20ths of the Otaki district is owned by Maoris. Nearly all of the township is either in their hands or in the hands of the Church Mission, which is much the same, and further back the rule is unchanged. From the north bank of the river northward to Pukehou, say, a distance of six miles, there are about ten Europeans who hold more than 100 acres each. Of these, Messrs Simcox and Rutherford are in the forefront with about 4000 acres ; then Messrs Drake Bros., with 2000 acres; Messrs Bright, of Kaingaraki, 500 acres; Booth, of Waihoanga, 500 acres; Guar, of Rahui, 300 acres. Messrs the Rev J. Me William and A. Small hold about 1500 acres between them, and Mr J. A. Anderson has about 140 acres, the latter absolute freehold, whilst the others are all leasehold and freehold combined, the greatest difficulty having always been experienced in securing the fee-simple. On the south side of the Otaki River the holders of property above 100 acres are Mr, Bart (IS6O acres), Mr Gillies (about 1600 acres), Ling (1400), Mr Fernback (about 700 acres), Mrs McDonald (about 600), and Messrs Taylor, Jones, and Powell (with about 200 acres each). There are a good many holders of smaller lots, but all who are in occupation are intensely disproportion, ate to the area of country absolutely untouched.

The first impression of a visitor to the township of Otaki is that it wants tidying up badly. The hedges are luxuriant, but untrimmed ; the sides of the streets' littered with a growth of docks and thistles; gardens are all more or less slovenly ; in wet weather the streets mast be sloppy ; and fencing, generally, is dilapidated. This is all explained by the preponderance of Maori influence. It is said that the numbers of the races are about equal in Otaki township, bur then it is to be borne in mind that many of the whites are rare old identities, and have become in a measure Maoriorised, to coin a word. And as Maoriism is perfunctory and languid and slovenly, and—well, it is dirty, one can’t get away from that—one may despair of real system ever being established among our brown brethren. All this is very apparent at Otaki. The County Council is at its wit’s end how to deal with it, in the matter of animals straying. Horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs are permitted to wander at their sweet will, and the Council in its dire extremity has at last—oh, horror ! —decided to establish a pound ! And there will be Maori trouble, over that pound, or I am very much mistaken. The township, however, is not destitute of interest. It is, first of all, the site of the earliest Episcopal mission in the Colony, and the name of Bishop Hadfield will ever be associated with it. There is the quaint church, open day and night, of mixed Maori and European architecture. It has been renovated of late, the foundations having been strengthened, and the shingle covering of the roof made to give place to iron. Before this restoration the church was really shaky, but now it is as firm as a rock and tidy outside, and has quite a comfortable ap-; pearanco within. It is there that the hand of the Maori artisan is most apparent in the carved rafters and the reed lining between them, and the intricate flax lacings over the reed work. Three massive trunks of totara support the roof. At one end of the church is a seat before which depends the rope from the belfry, and immediately facing it at the other end. is the communion table enclosed with a railing very curiously carved and chased by Maori handiwork. The communion table does duty also as a reading desk and pulpit. Just opposite to it is a curtained enclosure, wherein is the harmonium. Maori service is held every Sunday morning, and the Europeans assemble for worship in the evening. A snug parsonage is by the church, and further on are a college and schoolhouse, all under the care of the Rev Mr MeWilliam and Mr Jennings, the Maori schoolmaster. He is also clerk to the Horokiwi County Council. Of other peculiar features of the Otaki village there is the enclosure containing a tall wood column, on which is recorded the progress of the church from the year 1841 to 1880, and by its side is a Bort of obelisk, erected to the memory of the great chieftain Bauparaha, and surmounted by his bust in marble. If the likeness is a true one it reveals a rarely intellectual and commanding face for a Maori. In another part of the town is the Maori meeting-house, built in the usual style of such structures. There are singular alder trees about Otaki, venerable trees, with trunks a foot or more in diameter, and spreading branches and umbrageous foliage, quite unlike the ordinary type of the übiquitous and accommodating alder; and there are huge willow trees, curiously contorted out of their natural seeming by the prevailing zephyrs. The trees literally are blown into horizontal positions. I am afraid it does blow sometimes at Otaki, but. on that point let me touch lightly, as a Wellington man should do ; in fact, the trees about the village tell an unmistakable tale. Perhaps there is nothing so woe-bsgone in appearance as the Maori gardens. A desperate struggle for existence is waged by weeds, fruit and flowers, very much to the advantage of the former ; but for all that the place is honestly worth a visit. Wellingtonians could very well put in a pleasant day there, weather of course favoring. There are a couple of hotels—the Telegraph, and the other Bright’s Family. The former is well known, if not much-beloved, by the travellers of the coaching days. There are twe stores, one Messrs Miller and Booth’s, who succeeded Mr Anderson, and a Bmaller one, known as “ Marshall’s.” I noticed that Messrs Casey and Macdonald have a branch drapery store in the main street. As regards the various residences, the ancient raupo whare has given place to wood structures of various kinds, some of them quite respectable-look-ing cottages, while the residences of Europeans seem to be roomy and comfortable. The amenities of social life are not overlooked at Otaki either. There is a Harmonic Club, that, however, has not made much progress', Otaki has its Racing Club also, and the meeting at the coming new year is looked

forward to with much interest, albeit it ia. feared the various events will be rendered, invisible by the astonishing growth of thistles that has sprung up all over the flats.' Thistles are an Otaki feature. They are everywhere, and of the worst variety—the variegated. The Maoris apparently regard them with much favor, for they take no steps to either eradicate or hinder their growth. A very superior variety of dock is also cultivated—at least I should say it was carefully tended from the way in which it prevails.. There are two schools at Otaki, one for Maori and the other for European children. The Maoris muster fairly well, but the Europeans do not do credit to the free education provided for them. There are over 100 children on the roll, and scarcely half of them are regular attendants. The parents are, it is said, all to blame ia the matter. There is much crass ignorance that declines enlightenment, and there is persistent opposition to progress. The vis inertia of prejudice, begotten of a protracted term of barbarous existence, has to be overcome. There is also worse in the way—the degradation of civilisation in one or two instances. There are two unattached billiard-tables in Otaki, i.e., they are not connected with either of _ the hotels.

; The railway has left the township in the lurch. It runs about a mile arid a-quarter from it, and passes through fine country. Only a few months ago there was no road in the place worthy the name. In fact, the district had been neglected, and it was not until the formation of the Horowhenua County that any attempt was made to do justice to it. It is about two yeai-s since the County was formed and the first Council elected. The formation was effected by taking a elice from the Manawatu County, and then, before anything could be accomplished, a schism arose as to whether the County or Road Boards should prevafl. Three of the newly-elected councillors—two of them favorable to the Road Board system —resigned in order to test the opinion of the ratepayers. It was given emphatically by the rejection of the Road Board men and the endorsement of the County system. The names of the members of the Council are Messrs Smith (Chairman), Davip, Kebble, Cootes, Hadfield, Anderson, and Eager. It was resolved to adopt the County system in order that a main County road might be constructed. The road was commenced some eight months ago at a point where the road from the township stopped short at a small creek. It has been carried across the railway line and through the bush to the north about two miles, to an old Maori clearing named Paruauku, and is to be pushed on to its terminus on the Manawatu River. South it is to go as far aa Waikanae ; the total length of the road when finished will be thirty miles. As the County is ■ long and its various interests not easily reconciled, it is probable that the Road Boards will take sway in the hereafter. There are two elements contending in the Otaki District—the conservative and the progressive. It was between them that the battle of the County system was fought, and victory rested with the progressionists, as I hope it always will. Of all the places opened to the public by the Wellington and Manawatu RailwayCompany, Otaki is far away the most attractive. It has marine and land features of great beauty. On the one hand is an expanse of beautiful beach, with the clear sea breaking on it, the high water-mark not far from green meadows; and on the other virgin forest andgrassynooks and “purling brooks.” Lovelier situations for picnicking than some spots on the new County road could not be desired. The road goes right through a virgin forest of tawa, rata, and rimu, the undergrowth, a rare fernery, associated, of coarse, with the übiquitous supplejack and the pretty white climbing convolvulus. I noticed tree ferns there fifty feet high, with very fine nikau palms, while the wealth of other ferns is bewildering. Where the County Road is now resting at Paruauku there is a charming expanse of green sward that dips off into a gully full of bush. There is water everywhere, almost, but about three-quarters of a mile from Paruauku the road crosses a strong rivulet named Waitohu. It runs quite a body of water, clear and sparkling, and has scooped out pools suitable for bathing in. There are cozy nooks along its banks. Paruauku is immediately under a high range named Pukehon. At the point of this range the high ground trends away still further inland, and it is there that the beginning of the large holding of the Manawatu Railway Company is situated. The land held in the Horowhenua County by the Company is valued at £210,000, while the total valuation of the County is £514,106 —the estimated revenue £2549, round numbers. Accompanied by Mr J. F. Anderson, one of the County members, who kindly piloted me on the day of my visit, I walked over some of the clearings, and was much impressed with the depth and richness of the soil. Providing the great desideratum of shelter is attended to, I should say the land would grow anything, even to sub-tropical products. The quality of the land on the north side of the Otaki River is superior to that on the south—to the north the land is good loam ; to the south it runs more to gravel, but yet is fertile, and carries capital pasture. I mentioned further back that 50,000 acres of land were waiting for occupation. This wide expanse of country lies between the Otaki and Ohau Rivers. Beside this there are thousands of acres, further back, of good pastoral land, and several thousand acres already in occupation. From the flat country, bordering the sea, the land rises gradually to the Tararua main range. And all that is wanted to make this beautiful County blossom and yield abundantly is population. Settlement is the great desideratum, and untold riches must flow from it. The County has charms that cannot fail to impress when closely examined. The intending speculator will not waste his time in visiting Otaki, and pleasure parties will find it a charming resort. I hope to hear of many from Wellington visiting it. A long summer’s day there would be profit and pleasure combined. All necessary directions of how to proceed when there can bo obtained from Mr Anderson. I may observe that besides the two or three miles or so of the County road already made and formed close to Otaki, five mileshave been constructed at the Foxton side of the County, while five miles more are in hand there, it being the wish of the county

to help Foxton to establish communication with Heatherlea a promising piece of country between the incipient townships of Levin and Kereru, both wayside stations of the Manawatu Railway, r