A Wonderful Tour

Southland Times, Issue 21949, 25 February 1933, Page 18

A Wonderful Tour

Knight’s Road, Lower Hutt, Wellington. Dear Cousin Betty,—l am afraid it is a long time since I wrote to you last, but this year I am going to turn over a new leaf—at least I’m going to try. We have just come home from a marvellous holiday about which I am going to tell you, as I think you might be interested. We left home on Saturday, December 31, at 1.55 p.m., amid great rejoicings, of course. There were seven of us in our party and we had a seven-seater Studebaker car, and a splendid 12ft. by 12ft. tent in which we camped en route.

Well, to proceed. We arrived at Masterton at 3.45 p.m. and picked up a passenger, a friend who was going with us, having spent five minutes at Carterton to see some friends.

Leaving Masterton with soaring spirits (and soaring petrol prices), we passed through Woodville, Dannevirke, and camped our first night in Norsewood, at the motor camp there. It was a beautiful spot covered with native bush. We had a good night in spite of not being accustomed to hard beds on the ground, and also in spite of the mosquitoes which bit mother and me and gave us each a swollen eye. I am thankful to say we encountered no more mosquitoes anywhere. We were awakened in the morning by the songs of bell-birds, tuis, larks, and many other birds, and it is good music to waken to. We left Norsewood at about 9.30 on Sunday morning and cruised along through Hastings, to Napier. We didn’t stay as we wanted to get as far as possible that day, so we started off for Wiaroa. Of all the uninteresting and twisty roads, this was the worst until we came near Wairoa itself. Then it was very pretty round the river. At Wairoa we had to be ferried—car and all over the river, r.s the bridge is still down. By the way, we saw many evidences of the ’quake still in Napier and Wairoa, though we were told that the difference in Napier since last Christmas is amazing. Well, we pushed on to Waikaremoana, and arrived there at 9.30 p.m. in the dark, and found it had been pouring there and so everything was soaking. However, we pitched camp and my small brother and I slept in the car. Mother and our passenger were all right as they had beds, but the big boys of our party scouted round and found a boatshed on the water’s edge where they slept the night. They were so tired they even slept in their wet boots, but they consider this one of the best night’s of the tour. Well, I can’t really describe Lake Waikaremoana. It’s just lovely. It is surrounded by hills which are covered with virgin bush right to the water’s edge, all reflected in the waters of the lake. The road winds for miles round the lake so the drive in and out is a dream. We didn’t want to leave but, of course, we had to. We set off again on Thursday morning and we had a thrilling drive out. The road was only about as wide as the car and as soft as it could be, twisting and turning in all directions, our greatest speed being ten miles per hour. That statement alone makes it very clear to you what the road was like to drive on.' Now, I nearly forgot to tell you that one day we were there we explored Waikareiti. This is a smaller lake near Waikaremoana, but higher up. It has lots of little islands in it, and the one we rowed out to had a little wee lake m it. It was marvellous.

Well, to proceed. The road, although very narrow and soft, was absolutely wonderful—the ferns right down to the edge of the road, and the lake hundreds of feet below looked like a mar-

vellous jewel—a wonderful emerald. We passed the charming Mokau Falls (in fact we stopped and had a drink of water from them and it was the loveliest water I have ever tasted). Talking of falls, I forgot to tell you that at Lake Waikaremoana we saw the beautiful Aniwaniwa Falls, which are very much bigger and more beautiful than the Mokau Falls. Continuing our way we passed through about forty miles of the Urewera country, where the road wound round and round for miles through beautiful virgin forest. It was simply amazing. We drove all that day till we arrived at Wairakei and I think I liked this the best of all the holiday. We visited the Geyser Valley and I couldn’t have believed there were such wonderful things in the world as I saw there—boiling mud pools, boiling lakes, and ever so many geysers including the famous Wairakei Geyser. I think the Devil’s Cauldron was the weirdest one because it lifted a big rock. In another valley at Wairakei we saw the most amazingly coloured lakes, some turquoise blue, emerald green, bottle green, and would you believe it—one perfect vieux rose colour. We stood in a stony trance and gazed at it. We saw also the Aratiatia Rapids where the whole volume of the Waikato River pours itself through a narrow, rocky channel, and the ■ beautiful Huka Falls. I don’t know whether it is due to the volcanic nature of the country, but the water of the rapids and the falls is the most lovely blueishgreen colour. Before leaving Wairakei we had a run through to see Lake Taupo, which is famous only because of its size and its trout. It is said to be the Anglers’ Paradise. While at Wairakei we had lots of baths in a hot stream which flowed through our camping grounds. Our next camp was at Rotorua which, after Wairakei, we found very tame, except for the Fairy Springs, which are beautiful and where the trout are so tame that they ate out of our hands. We spent a night at Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, and I had a bathe in the sea here. Taurange is very pretty and the beach beautiful.

Next we proceeded to Auckland. It would take me too long to tell you of all we did there. Of course we visited the Zoo, museum, gardens, Ellerslie Race Course Gardens and we went up One Tree Hill from where we had a magnificent view of the city and harbour.

On our return trip we were thrilled to find that funds permitted of a trip to the Waitomo Caves. I forget the names of the two we saw, but one was the one with all the stalagmites and stalactites which was the most marvellous thing you could ever imagine, and the other was the glow worm cave. It was like being in a fairy palace, gliding along the stream in perfect quietness. The glow worms put out their lights if there was a noise. We had one more never to be forgotten experience on our homeward way. We came out at the mouth of the Mokau River, right at sunset, and what a sight met our eyes! There was old Egmont, calm and serene, the blue sea at our feet, and a sky of flaming orange. I wish I could paint, but ai any rate the picture is painted in m r memory. Don’t you think we had a marvellous holiday? We hope to repeat some of it next January. I go to the Wellington Girls’ College now, Cousin Betty, and - think it is just lovely. The other day when I was in the Wellington Post Office, a young lady came up to me and said: I see you are a Little Southlander.” She asked me my name and we talked for a while, but I didn’t like to ask her name as she was so much older than I. All the same, I would like to have kndwn who she was. I am afraid you will be tired of reading all this, so I will stop-From i your loving Cousin, Kathleen Sharp.