KAPONGA

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1678, 27 April 1904, Page 50

KAPONGA

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Although Kaponga is not an unknown quantity for a radius of one hundred miles or thereabouts, posfeibly it is not well known to many of your readers, andi a short sketch of the district and township may be of interest to them. The ma jority of the early settlers came from the Wairarapa, Hutt, Manawatu and Rangitikei districts, but now there are some from nearly every part of the colony. ' n Kaponga is situated eight miles south of the well-known Mount Egmont, eight miles from the nearest railway station (Eltham), eleven miles from the nearest coast at Manaia, eighteen miles from Hawera, seventeen miles from Opunake,

and twelve from Stratford. I hope intending visitors will be able to find th« place from the above directions. Kaponga township is not yet fifteen years old, but it is a nice little place for all that. The population within a mile radius is about 350. We have three general stores that would do credit to some of our large towns, two blacksmiths, two butchers, two bootmaker®, two saddlers, two fruiterers, one jeweller, one tailor, three banks open two days a week, and we are visited weekly by two firms of auctioneers, two lawyers, commission agents, etc. There are two resident doctors and one chemist, four churches, but only one hotel, no gaol, and no policeman. The school, numbering about 100 pupils, is officered by two teachers. There is one firm of builders with a numerous staff kept constantly busy. Although there i® but one hotel there is sufficient aooommodation for travellers. A boardinghouse of 22 rooms has just been completed, being the second in the township. We have a large dairy factory, also a creamery in connection with the Mangatoki dlaiqy factory. Lalst year (1903) about £30,000 was paid in Kaponga for milk. I believe that this year’s operations will have even better results.

A hall, costing about £350. well finished, has been built in the town. Nob only is it free of debt, but there is a substantial credit balance. We al&o have a nice little publio library of good books of all classes consisting of over 1000 volumes. It, too is sound financially, and also lias a substantial credit balance.

I must not forget oiur brass band; it would do credit to a much larger town.

Nearly all tourists from the south en route for Mount Egmont pass through Kaponga. More than 1000 have passed through this season. For their accommodation two commodious houses have been built at the foot of the mountain, capable of housing one hundlred visitors. A coach runs daily from Opunake, through Kaponga, to ELtham, leaving Opunake at 6 a.m., Kaponga at 7.30 a.m., arriving at Eltham about 9 o’clock. It leaves Eltham on the return trip at 3.45 p.m., Kaponga at 5 p.m., and arrives at Opunake at 8 p.m. April 23rd.