BROWN AND JONES TAKE A HOLIDAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2649, 21 December 1904, Page 90

BROWN AND JONES TAKE A HOLIDAY.

AND VISIT THE PHYSICAL AND SCENIC WONDERS OF THE NORTH.

By Tahati Patexe.

■ ii. The sites of the lost White and Pink Terraces were pointed out, and the stirring and sad incidents connected therewith were fully and minutely explained. The White Terrace was situated at the north end of the lake, and is supposed to be completely destroyed — blown up; while the Pink Terrace, situate at the south end, is supposed to be still intact — submerged by the erupted dust and ashes and the subsidence of the .ground. The steamer skirts the shore very olosely along the western side of the lake to give tourists a good view of the bubbling, hissing, and boiling waters. The lake shore rises pretty abruptly here into a small hill, ©very inch of the surface of which is belphing jets of steam; while streams of boiling water', flow . from its base into the lake, which -fact probably accounts for the rumour that the lake is a boiling one, while, as a matter ' of fact, . the boiling '- inflow is not sufficient to affect the , lake's temperature for 'more than a few yards from its shore. From here, too, a fine view* ie obtained of Mount Tarawera. The immense gap left by the, section of the mount blown out by the • eruption and the long, yawning cleft where the mountain -split are plainly visible. All i the district adjacent to Mount Tarawera | and Lake Rotomahana is highly historical and very interesting. After landing here a , stiff climb to the top of a hill has to be faced. ' Here a shelter shed i has been erected 1 , and' a cup of tea. may be had if the crush be not too great. From this hill a, good view of the site o£ the great Waimangu geyser is obtainable. The | Browns and Jones never once entertained a single hope of seeing this world's wonder play. Its eruption is erratic and infrequent. In the month of October, last the great geyser played only 13 times, each ,'time I lasting bub a few minutes. Since then" its i muddy charge, confined 1 in a deep,, jiarrow I crater, has taken a fortnight's undisturbed 1 slumber. One would be safe in taking -long odd's on the offchance of seeing this wonderful blow-up.

After a short rest on the- hill the party pressed on a, further stage to the accommodation house, Waimangu .-JJouse. Many people stay here long-v/aftftlSvisit often, "and for hours glare expectantly, craning their necks stiff and disjointed; but how very few have the rare privilege of seeing this mighty geyser play ! Brown and , Jones did very, little craning, but they indulged in frequent cups of tea, which Mrs Jones pro-nounced-excellent: she had performed .an arduous task in toiling from the' "boating stage to Waimangu House, and she ''came through creditably. When the little 'party threw a retrospective glance over the Back track,' with its long stretch of intervening hills and valleys, they .were heard to thankfully mutter, "What a blessing' we [left Mrs Brown behind !" We now prepared for/ returning. Drags, buggies, and a motor car were, in waiting to convey the^ repleted sightseers back to Rotorua. - Mrs Jones's heart was bent on the motor, * and its proprietor soon fell an easy victim to her captivating pleadings. Once arranged, Mrs Jones lost no time in making for the motor ; but she met with a' temporary rebuff on arriving at the stepping stage. She was told by a few gentlemen already in .possession that the vacant seats were preengaged for other ladies. Now, Mrs Jones has a strain of French blcod coursing through her veins, and' when that little body displays any tendency to geyse Jones has long since discovered the wisdom of ■withdrawing and '* waiting till the clouds roll by, Maggie." Jones felt the position was quite safe if left to the care of his wife. By the time the pre-arranging ladies mad© their appearance the motor proprietor had discovered the advisability of having Mrs Jones quietly and comfortably seated. When things looked snug and settled Brown and Jones made for a drag, in which they were soon comfortably seated and rolling on their way. Very soon the motor overtook and passed all other vehicles. In passing, Mrs Jones was discovered to be well pleased; she looked) happy to a degree, and was smiling the very beam that captured the coveted position she so proudly held. The motor proprietor had no chance against the influence of such a persuasive smile as that.

The drive home was pleasant and inhering. Evidence of the destructive eruption was seen for many miles on the waj- — sometimes long gaping fissures, where the earth ha 3 opened and again closed; then sudden depressions in the ground, as if the bottom had been mined out and the surface had fallen in ; and at other places immense slips scared and disfigured the distant hills. Home was reached in good time, and the evening spent planning for the. niQU'OJK.

Thursday, November 3, found the party doing the rounds of the sanatorium grounds in a motor car. There aro many well-kept paths, straight and winding, through the sanatorium grounds. The motor n«et-ly negotiates them all at 2s 6d per head. The round is pleasant. The "Fairy Spring" was next visited by motor. At the entrance gate stands an old Maori Custom House officer. Jones tried to borrow 2s 6d from him to pay the entrance fee, but he soon found that the bronzed veteran was not in the money-lending business. The spring is full to the crowding point of fine rainbow trout, ranging-, say, from 21b to 81b. The desire to fish here was irresistible, but while Brown was looking about for a grub, a bit of flax, and a bent pin it was discovered that fishing was a " close season " at Fairy Spring. The party motored home again after this discovery. The 4th, sth, and 6th of November were spent in and about Rotorua and Whakarewarewa, doing and redoing all the local sights and wonders. A constant outflow of coppers ensued. " Gi'e me a penny" is the first and last greeting of these copperskinned urchins. For a penny they (boys and girls alike) will jump or dive off the bridge into the river below. They will dive for a penny, scrum for a penny ; they will pull the ugliest faces that ever disfigured the countenance of man, woman, or child for a penny; they will twist and contort their joints and limbs, and pose in the most fearsome attitudes for a penny. They call these last items, combined, a hafca. If your copper flow gives out they will repeat any of the foregoing items for a cigarette. • Brown and Jones, day by day, finding themselves gradually becoming poorer, ' were pleased to escape the prospective exhaustion, and find themselves on the morning of Monday, November 7, safely and securely entrained. As the train sped along on its way to Taumara-nm, Brown and Jones cautiously craned their heads through the side windows, and silently listened for the cry, " Gi'e me a penny " ; but its copper-draining sound had died away in the distance.

It is but just recently that the railway line was opened for traffic to Taumaranui. Its opening is a great boon to the tourer, all tra-nshipping of luggage and coaching being now avoided. Tourists are now practically landed ait the boating stage. It was pitch dark when the train arrived. The passengers were bewildered, and knew not which direction to steer. The Browns and Joneses followed the gleams of a stable lantern, which led in a direct line over ditch&s, quagmires, and slushy tracks, but whioh finally landed them in very comfortable quarters. The train journey was found to be long and tiring, so the party dined and retired early. On the following morning Jones rose very early, and repaired to the jetty (a plank). He found a small oil launch moored to the banks of a river, which river, after flowing a short distance, is joined by .another but less considerable one. Thereafter the - joined streams become the Wanganui > River. Alongside the launoh was' a dug-out Maori canoe fitted with an oil engine. , .The canoe was some 40ft long. Jones felt thankful the touring party had not got to face the Wanganui, with its reported rushing rapids, in such a frail-looking craft as this canoe appeared to be. We were all breakfasted and aboard t-Ke oil" launch soon after .8 a.m. on Tuesday, November 8. We left the dug-out roped to a bush at the riverside, and steamed away, and 'were not long before we entered the Wanganui proper. After coursing about a mile and a-half from Taumaranui, we came to a boathouse (Noah'e Ark) moored -in the stream. This ark was built at Taumaranui for service as an accommodation house on the river. The ultimate intention is to have the ark moored about midway between Taumaranui and Pipiriki ; but when she will (if ever) reach that stage, no one can tell, for she had „ taken three full days to reach where we found her, which goes to show the difficulty and danger in floating a structure of this kind down such a river. Our oil launch swung round here, and pulled up alongside the ark. This afforded an opportunity for inspection, to whioh the party were all invited. The house is , fitted up ship-cabin fashion — two bertha to a cabin. It is remarkably clean and comfortable, with excellent cooking accommodation, good baths, and all other necessary conveniences. It will afford comfortable and novel quarters for a resting , stage to those who can spare the time. [ When the hour arrived to re-start, it was found that something had gone wrong with our oil engine. After- spending conJ siderable time in trying to find' the cause of the breakdown, it must have dawned upon the engineer that the prospects of reaching Pipiriki up to time was becoming very doubtful. Someone was secretly despatched to Tauramaranui for the dugout canoe, and , after a delay of about an hour and a-half, 'she was discovered to be rounding a bend in the river in charge of a few Maoris. She soon pulled alongside, and the cause of her appearance and mission .explained. " Then shook the timid and stood still the brave." Mrs Jones was classed among the former, and declared her intention not to go in. "We shall be all drowned." Jones saw premonitions of a geyser, and made for the stern, where he l<id himself. There was nothing for it — no upturning, and the ark was tuckerless, — so into this dug-out Maori canoe we were — 20 all told — constrained to enter, bag: and baggage. The position was a very cramped one. When things were a little fixed up, and the canoe bogan to glide down the river Jones bobbed up his head to have a look round. Ho saw his wife seated in the prow timidly casting her eye about for Jones, but he ducked and she missed him. The river scenery and the novelty of canoeing on the Northern Rhine scon expelled every fear, and invited the attention of everyone. The next time Jones ventured to bob up his wife saluted him by a wave of hei 1 handkerchief. Brown and his spouse were enjoying the canoeing well. Thirty miles of rapid-shooting and coursing round river bends through a fairyland of scenic wonders was spent in the canoe. Everyone aboard was more delighted with this part of the trip than any other. Here tho oil launch caught up again, after repairing. All were soon transhipped, with their baggage. The- canoe glided upstream again, saluted by parting cheer?, while the launch pursued her downward course to Pipiriki, reaching there some time before dark. The Wanganui is a turbid stream, totally wanting in that sparkling clearness that characterises the snowfed streams of the south. The ranges through which the Wanganui winds its course attain and altitude of probably 200 ft to 600' ft, and their slopes are clothed with the richest and most charming bush, fern, and forest scenery it is possible for the mind of maa to dream

of. Forest and bush timber is well repre* sented. Five or six varieties of pine wero counted; clumps of the nikau palm were seen; the kowhai was in full bloom all the way along the river, its dark golden bloom contrasting very effectively with the various shades of surrounding green. The long stretches of lovely tree-fern groves were much admired. Lomaria was the other prevailing fern ; other varieties were scarce, probably not identifiable frdm.th© moving steamer on the river. Bird life was far from plentiful. With such- a display ofi kowhai blooms it was surprising the tui was practically unrepresented. Pigeons were. fa.irly plentiful; ducks less so. Other forms of native bird life were no\^iere to .bo &<2eii. Beautiful and charming: as tho Wanganui River scenery is, it is not to be compared with our southern scenery. Its character fs entirely different — the Wanganui scenery charms ; the Clinton and Arthur Valley scenery inspires. The confining monarehs of the valleys range from 2000 ft to 8000 ft or 9000 ft: The river waters flowing through these granite confines are of the most brillia-nt, sparkling, and transparent purity. Tho crash of the avalanche, the rattle of the falling snow and ice, and the rush of its pure mountain streams is the music of that wild but sublime region; and the music is eternally present. In season, too, its moun-' tain slopes and passes are carpeted with" a floral display beautiful and charming to the eye. This thrilling and inspiring magnificence is totally wanting in the Wanganui scenery. The- Wanganui will always attract; please, and charm like- a well and gailydressed doll does a ; but its effect upon, the memory is widely different from that left by a tour through the Arthur and Clinton "Valleys and Milford Sound. The touring party put in the night at "Pipiriki House." It is really a mansion, of a building for that purpose. Everything is well up to date, the tably of the best, and everything in keeping — even tub charges (Brown's remark). The touring party re-embarked in the morning and finished their river trip. Maori villages or camps are mot with every few miles from Taumaranui to Wanganui; and every village had its swarm of children, pigs, end ' dogs. As the Wanganui traverses the King Country no grog is available, so the dark proprietors of this region are rarely found drunk; but they smoke, ar& idle, squat about, and herd with mangy dogs. Wanganui was made^ on Wednesdays November 9, and a relation of" Brown's again came to ihe rescue and advised Foster's Hotel for quarters. That relation scored again. Mrs Jones can't forget him — she loves solid comfort and gopd living. The Joneses had a kindly_ invitation to the Girls' College* In their touring rounds they had' previously had the pleasiire oi meeting the college's ' intelligent principal and one of her fair assistants. They were touring together in the cold lake district, ■and they knew how to get about, lost no time in solitary , confinement ""at a novel; ,

but they perpetually , explored I,'1 ,' expandedtheir geographical knowledge of ihe "district; and ferreted out its- beauty spots.', Alfter afternoon jtea arid inspection. of the. college ptipils' comfortable' quarters' the Joneses bid adieu and re.turned to Foster's. Two more days were spent here in responding, toj Icindly invitations, calling, on. c full brigade of Brown's friends and ' relations, and doing the little go ahead town and - its surroundings. On Saturday the party reached Wellington, and as this was their last resting stage, the Browns and Joneses separated for the first time. The Joneses struck a relation this time, while the Browns struck an old friend. Both parties being satisfactorily Quartered, each had a freer range of movements. The .Joneses were tired, and wanted rest; while the energy of Brown was still unimpaired and his going unrelaxed. During their short stay in Wellington Brown accounted for every* fri'3nd and blood relation within a. radius of 10 miles of its centre. He repeatedly struggled up a stiff-graded hill to where the Joneses had put up, and disturbed Jones from his slumbers. . For their return trip to Duuedin two comfortable double cabins were secured in the Moeraki. The morning oif Thursday, November 17, was devoted to packing up and bidding a host of warm and kindly friends good-bye. The Moeraki departed with the Browns and Joneses aboard, well up to time — 4 p.m. Their friends and relations mustered strong, and fluttered theiv nose-rag as the good ship departed on her way. On clearing the heads and entering the straits a very uncomfortable swell was discovered. Brown had posed as a fair seaman, but he- did not turn up to dinner. Jones has frequent sea out- . ings, and when a man fails to turn up to the menu supplied by the Union Steam Ship Company he knows there is "something rotten in the State of Denmark." Be it recorded the Joneses both turned / up. It may be true that an early retirement was deemed advisable — that will not deter them from crowing that 1 they dined.

Dunedin was reached on Saturday, November 19, after a good passage. The , touring party, was marvellously successful in striking good 'weather and warm and genial friends. The Brown and Joneses will long cherish, if spared, the warm-hearted^ ness of their friends, and will never, while memory serves them, 'forget the scenes of wonder and surprise they have witnessed, the variety of pleasure they have enjoyed, and their safe return to the home and city they still hold dearest after all their wander-* ings.

A notioe issued from the Colonial Office states that Mr T. C. Kerry's auxiliary eteam yacht Pandora was to sail from. Greenhithe, Kent, for Tristan D'Acunha, and would convey mails and small paroels. "-Parcels should be addressed T. Hussey Freke, Esq., auxiliary steam yacht Paridora/ The gifts most acceptable to the inhabitants are tea, flour," clothing, and seafishing tackle." Kerry and Freke, it will be remembered, were connected with the yacht Ariadne, which was wrecked on ihe South Island coast a few years ago under sensational circumstances.

The rescue of a drowning boy at Russell's jetty, Dunedin Harbour, forms the subject of an application for an award received by the secretary of the Royal Humane Society (Captain Linn). It is stated that the evening ferry boat from Dunedin on January 8 had just reached Russell's jetty, when," Herbert Drewitt, a boy of nine, fell off the wharf into deep water. The accident was seen by Daniel Joseph Falkner, a man of 34 years, who plunged into the water ati once, "without," as a bystander states; "even taking his pipe out of his mouth,"' and brought the boy ashore. The Imperial Bbass Spray Ptjmp: Wiflj Stream and Fine Spray Nozzle. — Made by, American noted manufacturers. Are obtain* able from Nimmo and Blair, Dunedin. Friul* Eiowerg and Oxchardists should use them*