THROUGH THE WAIMATE COUNTRY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6191, 12 December 1881, Page 3

THROUGH THE WAIMATE COUNTRY.

,(BY OUB SPECIAL REPOBTBSi.J

The tract of country designated -the WaiJt c Plains, which ha, so recently been Hold by the Government, and which has been over rince th« successfully developed by many ■enterprising settlers, naturally presents itself aB a subject of some Interest to all who wish to see the resources ol the Colony thoroughly utilised. It is impossible to traverse the plains, Ton»h and almost untouched by the hand oi progress as thoy are at present, without speculating as to the aspect they will wear in the •course of a few yews if enterprise and iisi'd Lonest work are allowed a fair field ; of .operation In the course of a return journey from Parihaka, the scene of the late excitement, there are, however, many other points #n tho route which it seems desirabje to touoh upon, and for that reason tho specific title chosen above would appear decidedly inappropriate. However, the exercise of a little leniency and patience in this, respect may naturally be looked for, and" the writer is therefore cm. boldened to shelve for a time his actual subject, and offer a few renwka concerning the camps and country northward, To commence, Pungarehu, which may, be. designated, the headquarters of the late military operations,l is a camp which offers scope for an indenniw amount of .description, but which has beon as yet very lightly.:touched upon. Jfc is by far the strongest andmostelaborately designecTof alltho Constabulary itaigholds on,the West Cpftat,

the redoubt being thrown up upon the summit of a most commanding eminence, and provided with an excellent blockhouse,. During the recent proceedings at Parihaka the massing of so largo a force in the district necessitated many hundreds of men being quartered outside the actual defence works, and the camp presented as a consequence something of a straggling aspect. To the east of- the redoubt, and on the opposite side of the road, a conical hill has been utilised for the erection of a small circular redoubt for the occupation of an' outpost picket. On an adjacent rise two companies of the A.C. were encamped, and for .100 yards round, every available patch of level 'ground vras "canvassed." The "lines! of tents extended before the advance right into the redoubt, p number of ickdvcsion a lowerj terrace Jconstituting the officers'..quarters. These in themselves are well worth, a visit of inspection, displaying freely tho .domesticated qualities of their occupants.'- ' Efforts are observable on every side to imbue camp life with just a flavour of home, and. the result is in many instances very creditable. Rough, but pic-turesque-looking railings , enclosing a faint attempt at a flower-garden, and the presence of divers embryo geraniums in pots, betray the warrior of botanical tastes; and a chair of quaint -and nondescript manufacture marks the residence of his neighbour and 'brothor-in-arms, who likes to live at his ease. (Passing through tho officers' quarters and ascending a few roughly-carved steps, entrance is igained to the actual fortress (if such it be), and here a very neat little telegraph-office, store, &c. have been erected. In a far corner, enclosed by an extra line of breastworks, is situated the blockhouse before mentioned, pierced for SO rifles, and commanding a steep semicircular slope downwards and a wide stretch of flat country beyond as far as Parihaka. The west side of the slope is wooded; but this could, of course, be easily cleared if necessity arose. A guilty sense of having delayed too long upon irrelevant matter urges me to push on withont more waste of time. Pungarehu from constant acquaintance, however, has como to bo looked upon in the light of an old friend, and it is hai;d to part. At the foot of the hill we pass tho small group of galvanised iron sheds which supply the daily needs of our defenders. Here are canteen, store, contractors' depot, and billiard-table heaped together,'and farther on the long cooking whure. Turning with unwilling step* from Pun'garehu on our journey south, my travelling companion and myself entered upon a dusty and tedious ride to the next station (Opunalce), a distance of 1G miles. O» this portion of the journey Ido not purpose to dwell. As regards the road, I may say that it is horrible; and as regards the country, that it is untouched, save by the insertion of an anything but symmetrical line of Jtelegraph-po3ts. Max, fern, and fencing describe the line of route pretty adequately, save perhaps for the occasional fording of a creek, an operation that has to begone through almost every quarter of an hour. At some of these spots the scenery is bolder, but oft-repeated splashing and stumbling over stones disincline both man and beast to view these passages with delight. On the left side of the road lies the much-disputed Native reserve of 25,000 acres, dotted here and there with Maori settlements, and some mile or so beyond runs an uninterrupted line of bush enclosing a vast area of good grass-growing country, as yet unfenoed and uncleared, extending to the base of Mount Egmont. A vrord here must be said for Egmont, the most important feature in the landscape. Its _ snowcapped summit rises perpetually just in front of the spectator, in whatever precise locality he may find himself. From Hawera and far beyond, almost to New Plymouth, the mountain is visible, preserving the same frozen and ye,t benignant aspect throughout the scorching heat of a November day, and filling tho beholder with envy at its coolness and self-posses-sion. Both Maoris and Europeans are unaffectedly proud of Mount Egmont, each regarding it as an article placed there for his or her special behoof, which visitors are permitted to gaze upon in admiration, but without familiarity. Decency again, however, demands that if I cannot reach my avowed destination — the Waimate Plains—l shall push on asnear thereto as practicable, and we must therefore lightly skip over an indefinite number of miles, and see the township of Opunake rising in the distance before us. It is unfortunate that I cannot point to any striking piece of architecture in Opunako as attracting tho traveller's gaze from afar : not even a church steeple is available, the simple truth being that attention is first directed to a few galvanised iron roofs scattered indiscriminately along the high road some quarter of a mile from tha sea coast. Opunake, however, for all that is a growing place, and although not overburdened with population at present, boasts two hotels, a camp, and a harbour—touching the safety of which latter there is bitter difference of opinion. Harbour is, perhaps, as yet a misnomer. It is, in fact, an open roadstead with good anchorage, safe and unsafe at different times, as all opon roadsteads are, and protected to a great extent by a reef, which runs out seaward in a southerly direction in such a manner as to partially enclose the bay. Here would be good foundation for a breakwater, which; although' not productive of the gigantic results aimed at in Now Plymouth, would prove solidly beneficial to tho coasting trado of the North Island. There can be little doubt that £20,000, or oven £5000, of the money lavished upon the more favoured seaport would render Opunake a sure harbour in all weathers. Upon tho cliff immediately aboyo tho bay is situated tho fort, woll designed, and furnished as headquarters to the stationary force on the Plains. Captain Morrison commands here, and has erected a small houso for his own accommodation immediately outside the redoubt. All kinds of schemes aro afloat for the futuro and rapid advancement of Opunako, which at prosont comprises a straggling street, fairly lined with houses and stores. That general expectation will bo verified in this respect there can bo little doubt, providod always that t)>o land in the Opunako block is bought or leased from the- Natives. The block com-1 prises about 44,000 acres, of which a ridiculously small patch only is occupied by the township and Government reserve. Tho land around, although light, is good, and will be easily cleared of the flax and fern that encumber it if arrangements aro once made for leasing it to Jiljropeah settlers. The land available for cultivation' and pastoral purposes may be confidently said fp oxtend to within a few miles of ' the bas.o pi Mount Egmont, Mr Hursthouse having discovered good; country well within the six.-mile radius. The block, as is well known, was made over by the Government to the chief William King for good behaviour during the last war. Hapus are held by various chiefs under him. The majority of these, including the august "William himself, were lately willing to enter into satisfactory arrangements as regarded the land, and it remains to Jjp seen whether or no -the recent operations at JParihaka have altered their reception of these proposals. Bpth Adam Black and Ngamouri, both owners of h w/tis, were formerly eager to have the matter sottled, and upon these negotiations depends undoubtedly tho future of Opunake as a town. All there a?a fully alive to the fact, and unlikely to let the grass grow under the feet of the Government wljen the late disturbances have entirely blown over. Having advanced so far, within soven miles of O'eo, whjxjl) is virtually the commencement of the Waimate Plains, I am constrained to pause, having miscalculated the breadth of my subject, and must leave the remainder of my letter for a subsequent oppor turiitvl'