NEW ZEALAND.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume I, Issue 30, 9 July 1892, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND.

(Honorable mention, James] Coote) New Zealand is a British Colony situated in the Pacific Ocean, about one thousand miles east of Australia. It it not the most important of the British Colonies but it is perhaps the most pleasant to lire iv, on account of its mild climate. It resembles Great Britain very much in sice and climate, this being the case it is often called the Britain of the South. Many people visit New Zealand to improve their health, but the chief attractions which brought people to our sunny shores were the various discoveries of gold and other minerals. We may mention here that gold fever is very prevalent in New Zealand, and the victims are only cured after a very long term of hard luck and bitter disappointment. Ardect longings for free and indeftendent lives brought numbers of people, who were assured of , the fact of obtaining land at low prices, and as the railways would gradually traverse the country, land would in- \ crease in. value, so settlers could send productions of the soil to town easily, thereby making a deal of money.. Abel Tasman, a Dutchman, was the first man to our knowledge who sighted' New Zealand, and who gave it its came. The first European who landed in New Zealand was Captain Cook. Before that time the country was only visited by whalers and a few missionaries. The first capital of New Zealand was; Russell. When the Maoris were on the verge of civilisation they made an! agreement in a form of document called the Treaty of Waitangi, which was signed by over five hundred of the leading chiefs, who gave the country over to England and agreed to obey

English, laws. New Zealand is about one thousand two hundred miles long, and the average width is a boat one hundred and forty miles, this giving an area of about one hundred thousand square, miles. There is very good farming land in many parts but it has not all been cultivated, because in the interior of the country it would be difficult to get productions to town on account of there not being many rail, ways. In the rest of the land there is some very good scenery, chiefly in the Hot Lake district,'which is South of the Bay of Plenty, in the North Island. There are beautiful hot lakes, there can be seen steam rising from the boiling lakes and boiling mud. The, chief I attractions in that district were the pink and white terraces, which, unfortunately ' were destroyed by the late eruption of Mount Tarawera. This place even now attracts many people 'from . different parts of the world. Some go just for the pleasure of seeing the place, and others .go to improve their health by bathiag in the springs. Some beautiful scenery can be seen elsewhere, for instance, in the South Island, there are the sounds and lakes of Otago. The scenery surrounding the sound is weird in the extreme. Massive cliffs ran up on each side, while the water-fowls swim quietly about with no sense of fear, scaicely anyone being near to frighten them. The chief productions aie gold, timber, kauri,gum, wool, coal'and flaz^ besides these frosen meat, fruit, fish and flour are also produced. The Government consists of two Houses, the Legislative Council or Upper House, and the House of Representatives. The present present party in power are the Liberals, of .whom the Hon. John Ball&noe is the leader.