MORERE AND TE PUIA SPRINGS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16450, 6 June 1924, Page 5

MORERE AND TE PUIA SPRINGS.

NEED FOR. ACCOMMODATION

VIEWS OF GISBORNE RESIDENT.

Although there are a great many people in Poverty Bay who are fully cognisant of the value of the hot springs at Te Puia and at Morere, there are stiJi more who do not fully realise the asset these springs could become. This is especially so with the Te Paia springs, where no accommodation is available for those who desire to Obtain the benefits of the curative waters. It is not generally known, but it is neverthe less a fact, that both the Morere and Te Puia springs contain more iodine in their water than any of the curative springs in New Zealand. What is urgently' required is the construction of decent /bath houses, and at To Puia, adequate accommodation. This aspect of 'the matter was stressed by Mr. H. H. DeCosta,, who lias just recently returned from a trip to Heletisville. He said that during his last visit to HeieiisvillA he was more than surprised to find; that the Health [Department had erected a new bath-house for women at a cost of £1250 alongside the old one, which to his mind was quite adequate enough Tor many years to come. The old hath-hoiuise was well patronised by both, sexes at special hours. Mis. Keane, the proprietoress of Hinemoa, House,, lias baths which are unequalled ini any part of the Dominion, and his contention, was that the extra expenditure was unnecessary. in answer to a question regai'ding the properties of the different springs, Mr. DeCosta, said that he considered the curative properties of the springs at Morere and Te Puia second to none in New Zealand. At both Te Puia and Morere there were good l men in charge of the baths, hut the conditions were 'bad; The baths were of ordinary concrete instead of being finished with nice white tiles which would make the baths enjoyable, while the lighting was very primitive in the shape of kerosene lanterns whic'ii were insufficient to give any light worth talking about. You had to undress and dress again in the semidarkness and that did not add to the popularity of the baths. For the last seven or eight years £SOOO bad been oni the estimates to build an accommodation house at Te Puia in place of the one which was destroyed by fire, but no far nothing had been clone by the Government, The fact that it takes only 2£ hours to get to the Morere springs from Gisborne, and! only 3£ hours to get to Te Puia was also remarked upon by Mr DeCosta, who pointed out that we have two assets practically at ouir back door, and were yet content to sit tight and say nothing. The two local members had done gpod work, 'but in his opinion we would have to continue to fight for our rights before the Government would do anything. Many people in this district who needed curative baths could not afford the expense involved in going toother centres, whereas if the baths could, he obtained locally they would be able to take the 'benefit of them

The situation of the Morere baths was not very good, and it would 'cost only a small Bum to remove them to a, position beside the road. A present ono had to walk through the bush—a beautiful walk, but the three-quarters of a mile was too much for many invalids, and it woulldi be better if the bath-house could be shifted to a site near tho main. road. It was sincerely tie te honed, concluded Mr. DeCosta, that the public would move in the matter,, and that our natural resources would be neglected l no longer.