THE TRAVELLER.

New Zealand Mail, 8 February 1900, Page 50

THE TRAVELLER.

A PLEASANT JAUNT.

A TRIP ROUND THE NORTH ISLAND.

Owing perhaps to the trip round the North Island of this colony being such an everyday thing, particularly to the übiquitous commercial traveller, whose shabby leather and much belabelled trunks form a large proportion of the coastal steamers’ cargoes at this time of the year, such an excursion is seldom spoken or written about, and the thought has struck the writer who has just returned home that the amount of solid enjoyment to be derived from this trip might be of some little interest to future holiday-makers who reside in the Empire City. Leaving the Queen's Wharf in the Rotoiti on a recent Thursday, with a promising-looking lot of passengers, we steamed down the harbour, and thanks to the perfectly horizontal condition of the water the pretty blue and cream saloon with its holystoned deck was well-filled at dinner time. While thus touching upon the all important business of life, I consider it a duty to pay the Union Company a compliment for the excellent table provided is quite equal to, if not ahead ? of any coastal company in Australasia. Having eaten a good dinner not without dubious misgivings as to the immediate future—-for I was never, well, hardly ever “well” at sea—l adjourned to the deck and found the vessed stationary, and a small steamer that we had left away behind was almost up to us, and also discovered the fact that we were aft the forbidding promontory known as Cape Terawhiti. Instantly visions of drifting Waikatos and Perthshires came floating across the mind disc, but disaliusion came quickly whon . the engines began to steadily throb again in a few minutes, something very trilling having gone wrong with one of the air-pumps. ; Luckily the 'weather kept fine, although it seemed very much inclined to be foggy. The Sash of a lighthouse away on our port bow brought up the topic of the respective merits of revolving, flash and still lights, but as no one seemed to know much about the subject, and all talked glibly ip. proof thereof, lighthouses were dropped. One of the officers seemed to know, but he only smiled wearily, murmuring something about “turning in,” and disappeared in the gloom of an alley-way. By this time the wind was blowing coldly., and the ladies who had not retired wheiv alongside the wharf, prepared to do so now, and soon only ordinary men were seen to move about the slanting deck and these sought to borrow books from each other with varying success and a subsequent adjournment to the smoking-room. Now smoking rooms are all very well, but the near relationship of such an apartment to a couple of capable propellers—the Rotoiti is twin screw—is illiterately but positively “sickeniu’,” so I stole off to bunk, feeling rather unsafe, and with a horrible envy of a stout “commercial” whose nasal organ was loudly competing with the grinding of the engines and the play of the freshening breeze ahead. After an indifferent night’s rest, I awoko in the cold daylight with the awe-inspiring heights of Mount Egmont "“ing the whole of the landscape visible through the port. Even if only to get a good seaward view of this magnificent peak the trip up the west coast is well worth, taking. The top of the mountain was streaked with snow, but was severed some distance down from the lower world by a collarette of clouds, which later on obscured the whole mountain, much to the disgust of the passengers, wlxo slept better than X did. After breakfast an adjournment .was made to the bridge deck, where* in conversation with the genial Captain Qrant and a certain well-known traveller of elocutionary tendencies, we discussed the history of Taranaki, and found our skipper possessed of a fund 1 of information. o n this as on other subjects, ‘which . bo displays in the most unobtrusive manner. Onward we crept nast the fertile low lying lands that slope down from the mountain to the water’s edge, something that resembled the well-filled • nbgcr of a white kid glove appeared on a point ahead and grew into a lighthouse on Cape Egmont on our nearer approach.. The curling smoke of homesteads and Maori settlements could be plainly discerned, and here and there a clump of introduced trees could be picked out from the native scrub. Happening to glance ahead two or three grey lumps rising out of the sea caught my eye and these were discovered” to be the Sugar Loaves” (three in number ,and each with an unpronounceable naiue ) Peculiar volcanic formations which rise almost perpendicularly to from SO to 100 feet. There is a rough track which enables those possessed of the required amount of energy to scale them to the top, which is fairly flat butdhe stranger may meet with trouble" for here and there are holes about three feet deep almost .overgrown with vegetation,- in which the Maoris in foriner.years used to preserve their stock. of kumaras (sweet potatoes). Having a letter of introduction to some of thp nicest people in New Plymouth, I lost no time in cycling up to the town—about twenty minutes’ ride ■' over a beastly road, an aggravating mixture of ironsand and boulders. Ar-

rived in the town, which fringes one long main street, running parallel to the sea, with a big dip in the busiest part. I soon discovered my quarry, and as luck would have it, just on the point of starting in a drag to the breakwater for the purposes of a picnic. Naturally I was invited, and spent a very pleasant day under the shadow, of one of the aforementioned sugar' loaves, where the party was augmented by two of the engineers of the Rotoiti. At the close of day the party drove home, and I dined pleasurably with that excellent citizen, Mr R. Cock, one of the proprietors of the noted Crown Dairy Factory. After dinner a stroll was taken through the beautiful grounds attached to his house, an especially large orchard, including a veritable lemon grove claiming particular attention. Mr Cock has an interesting flag-pole erected in his grounds that was originally the first spar in use for signalling purposes in Taranaki, and the wood is said to be as sound as ever. We next visited the Recreation Grounds, perhaps the best laid-out spot ot its kind in New Zealand. The grounds enclose two or three charming little lakes, the larger of'which is spanned by a bridge (presented to the city by a gentleman, who afterwards committed suicide from the structure), and cricket and football grounds with close-cropped green banks on three sides terraced like the seats in a theatre. In the evening it is the habit —particularly of the younger folk—to “go and see the glow-worms.” These are to be seen in three artificial caves, which conjure one into thinking that they are fairy castles or tiny ballrooms, so sparkling are the hundreds of lights thrown by the phosphorescent worm. The trees, lawns and walks are beautifully kept and are a striking example of what can be done to beautify a town in this direction.

Leaving the gardens 1 was escorted over the town, and soon afterwards bade my friends a reluctant farewell, mounted my wheel, and rejoined the steamer at the breakwater, the express from Wellington having arrived with a number of passengers for Auckland. Now picnics are all very well, but, oh! I was ill that night, and in my lucid moments I could hear some well-condi-tioned brut-o in the steerage singing joyously, “What oh, she bumps,” and she did bump. I don’t think he liad had such a good day as I did, but I would have given it all for his night. Sick and weary I went below and strange to say, slept well. When I reached the deck next morning, it was raining miserably and we were steaming up the Manukau harbour, and that which struck me most was that if Nelson is noted for its girls, Onehunga. must be lor rts boys (buoys), for we steamed between lines of them until we reached wharf. The rain still pelted down pitilessly—a luke-warm rain, which was just as wet and not nearly so refreshing as the sharp, invigorating showers from the south, so frequently experienced in Wellington.

After exchanging greetings with the harbourmaster, Captain Neale, formerly of the Government sf earner Hinemoa, I boarded the train which steamed east thiough th© rain to Auckland. Arrived m the “Queen city of the North”—it still rained—Queen street was found to have been turned into a black, evillooking stream of mud, into which I plunged on the machine and received an awful “doing” in reaching my hotel. After spending over an hour in ascertaining if there were any bicycle under the mud I had a bath, and felt a better and more amiable being. The rain had meanwhile cleared off, and the sun was shining bright and hot, and the real beauty of Auckland began to dawn on me.

The lovely harbour glistened in the semi-tropical sun and reminded me somewhat forcibly of Sydney, an impression which gained strength when the numerous ferry steamers were seen pushing their way from the various bays round the shores of the lake-like enclosure. In the afternoon I strolled over to the Domain, and saw 6ft 4in McCrae, late of Wellington, put up over a century in brilliant style in a senior match.

The week was devoted to “doing” the city and suburbs, perhaps the most enJ<?yable feature being a visit to the extinct volcano Mount Eden, only about half an hours walk from the centre of tne city, and there, in company with some visitors from Australia, I drank m the glorious scene which meets the wr 6 ' i on Tx lie , side the reaches of the Manukau Harbour are plainly visible and on the other the altogether lovely intricacies of Auckland Harbour lav glistening in the morning sun. There had been a little rain the previous evening and the surrounding country with its scoria-walled paddocks, presented a scene of transcendaut beauty, which sent my cornstalk” friends into rapw 3 ' t- A r. y l3 P aid to the much, frequented Lake falcapuna a fine, veri!!l Cl n shee , t of water, of immense depth, and yet only some 250 yards inland from the sea. Takapuna ?iear h fbf \° f I th ® bays ° f the har bour „ L the 7 he f (]s 7 ,s one of the finest in New Zealand, and' quite equal to South. Sumner or New Brighton in the

• Shore is an ideal seaside resort for residental purposes, and is connected with the city by an adequate ferry serivoe. Cheltenham Beach, St. Helier’s Bay, Judge’s Bay, Ruth Island, Chelsea (where the sugar works are) were all visited in quick

succession and each jaunt served to strengthen my opinion as to the natural beauties adjunctive to Auckland city. ■ , The Art Gallery is a place where any intellectual person could easily spend a few hours. Some of the pictures—notably the discovery of New Zealand, by the Maoris, “In Time of,Peril,” and the play scene from Hamlet—are vary fine engravings, each being filled with artistic detail of . a high order —and Sir George Grey’s collection also commands attention. Conveniently in the same building are the public library, school of art and Council Chambers, the whole being surmounted with a tower and clock which chimes the quarters in the same monotonous refrain as other town clocks.

Auckland is essentially hilly. .To get out of Queen street in any direction on* lias to climb a hill and a pretty steep one, too. It is almost a painful sight to see three horses dragging a loaded car or ’bus up one of these inclines, the third horse being hitched on in front at the bottom of the rise with a boy on its back as a persuader—one sometimes fails, and more motive power in the way of horseflesh is requisitioned until the car is pulled up to the top of the hill, meanwhile the Aucklander is comfortably ensconed inside the car, buried in a which, feebly agitates for a cable systeffiAjfetramways. My time having expired-1.-secured a berth on the Te Anau, and rip. the noonday blaze of a glorious day steamed down the harbour past Fort. Cautley and gloomy Rangitoto, into the placid—thank Providence —waters of the Hauraki Gulf. Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands were soon visible, but too far off to be descanted upon. The coast-line is of a very interesting formation, but the grass land seemed brown through want of rain and the distant rises were completely blotted out by the smoke of bush fires. This was before we reached Cuvier Island, whereon burns a revolving light. The Bay of Plenty then opens out and the land is not very distant until approaching East Cape. On East Island,which rises sheer out of the sea off the cape ar.d is the most eastern part of the colony, the Government have erected a much-needed lighthouse, which will be ready to guide the “ships that pass in the night” in March next. Wo left Auckland at 1.30 p.rn. on Saturday and arrived off Gisborne at 4 o’clock th" next afternoon—Sunday. Here, instead of finding the tender waiting for the larger steamer it was fully half an hour before she showed up, when her red funnel appeared to be gliding through the centre of the town. I afterwards found out that she could not get out owing to the lack of water in the river, and after seeing that noble body of water I forgave the captain of the tender, and my heart went out of all Gisbornites.

The township congregates round a fine main street—Gladstone road—and it is here all business is done, and where all the principal buildings stand. Gisborne has extremely pretty surroundings and struck me as an ideal place in which to rusticate for a week or two. Hearing the tender’s warning whistle sounding I hastened back to the mud-bank and amidst the wailing of a party of Maoris who were seeing some friend's off, we stood out to the Te Auau.

Ouce on board and the tender clear we got under weigh just as night closed down and went on iinder easy steam to Napier. On awaking next morning w-e were lying at anchor off Napier, and after some little delay we got alongside the Glasgow Wharf, under the leo ?.*.,, e breakwater, which is costing the little city so much money and with very little benefit to the place as a seaport I walked out to the end of the breakwater and was pointed out the spots where, the immense stone jetty had been bioken through by the tremendous seas which rage there during north-westerly storms. To obviate a similar recurrence nnniense blocks of concrete are being piled up on the seaward side of the breakwater to break the force of the seas. It is obvious even to the east informed eye that the wharf and breakwater have been erected in the wrong place a nd that the Spit proper should be the port of entry for all Sf ai } d a ver y serviceable little port it would have made if the amount utilfsed C f 01 i tdle . breakwater had been utihsed for dredging at that spot. There wool in'll, “ip Sai i m ? v ® ssels loading wool in the bay and further out could for N™; qUl * e a u? et -. of steam trawlers, LiT 1S cultlvatm S the fishing industry to some purpose. A ten minutes’ drive from the breakwater brings you to the centre of the own, and whilst driving hence the visitor ,s struck by the befuty of what is pei haps the best seaside promenade rL h p Wh i° le °1 Australasia—th^Manne Parade, a long well-kept road rs e n p * ra "f 10 8011 and faced & a solid concrete wall. Trees and of^ P ott d d d °T n . tbe whole len §th the Parade, while immediately in

front of the Masonic Hotel (which face* y-w the sea, and is one of the first hot«S&’’.' in the colony) is a pretty rotunda. Tv ' tering the town I was struck with the remarkable cleanliness of the streets’-- ■ which are of limestone formation, and ' gleam white in the sun. In the busi- ’ ness part of the place, the Council have 1 experimented by tarring the streets and the surface thus formed,, is hard, cojapact and quite free from mud or dust ’ Clive Square is a pretty little reserve in the centre of the, town, studded with ‘ seats and possessing a splendid hand ' * rotunda, where open air concerts are: frequently given and enjoyed by a music-loving public. Passing through the square we threaded a lane past the - “Hawke’s Bay Herald’s” substantially-' built office, and reached the Cathedral,' of red brick and Oamaru stone, “with L ivy trailing o’er,” which, when the ’ steeple is added will be one of the prettiest as well as the largest of Cathedrals in New Zealand 1 . After leaving ,V the sacred edifice, a party of tlie pas- ? sengers, including myself, drove to the' Spit and round the “Iron Pot,” and at this place, owing to its proximity to the shipping, most of the wholesale houses, . do their business and here also are seve-_., ral very commodious wool sheds. A /-Jy : -

We strolled through the store of',Messrs Robjohns, Hindmarsh and Co., and were surprised at the comprehensive,,' - stock they hold, it being almost im- i possible-to ask for anything they do not ' i keep. Driving on we reached our r\steamer, not, however, before I had s•' been introduced to Constable Harvey, < - an institution at Napier, whose appe- ~ tite for cigars—good bad or indifferent _* - —is insatiable. We steamed away, '' l still in perfectly smooth wator, at nooa ' and ere long the pretty little city was lost to sight in our wake. That evening a series of rope quoit matches were 'ygot off, the mild excitement engendered ' thereby taking away all thoughts of •' sea-sickness, though the sea had becomelumpy. In these contests the “Percy’ (purser) of the ship, the second engineer, and the writer found themselves to be about a match and close finishes resulted. After a futile.attempt to ax- ' range a concert—the sea, as aforementioned, having become lumpy—those above deck settled themselves to their, books or in “attending to the wants of the sicker sex.” S;4> -

Six o’clock next morning found us'', steaming into Wellington harbour with a cold southerly wind blowing and ncavy ram iuluug, a crml welcome back, , after such a sunny sojourn in the north. , I cannot close without a word of ap : - preciation of the kindness of Captain a Bernech and his officers, not forgetting ■- the chief steward (Mr Roney) and the engineers, who, all pull together in a , remarkably amicable manner that- makes ) matters exceedingly pleasant to those travelling by the good old Te Amu. This little account goes to prove—at least I hope 'it does—that a very good time indeed cap. be obtained by making the prosaic circle of the North Island in the manner described, and the hundreds of Wellingtonians who nSver see further than their noses I heartily recommend them to “know 1 ' their country by making the trip. ■ ’ -.>• H.P.