A TOURISTS NARRATIVE.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 157, 19 June 1886, Page 3

A TOURISTS NARRATIVE.

A Scene of Terrific Grandeur. One of the English tourists thus relates his experience : — We went on Sunday to Wairoa. On Tuesday we went to see the Terraces, and are the last visitors who will probably ever see such. On Wednesday it rained, and at 10 p.m. earthquakes began rocking the house in which we stayed (Brent'B Hotel). The shocks became more frequent and severe from midnight till ' 2 a.m., when a terrific eruption occurred. Huge mountains of flame issued forth and went upwards toward the sky with a tremendous roaring sound, which prevented us hearing a word spoken. Then a dense mass of smoke belched forth, and gradually t>pieading over the heavens, we were presently enshrouded hi as gloomy a darkness as previously we were surrounded fey a dazzling light, tho'tran-sformation being very painful and terrifying to most of us. _ The earthquakes continued intermittently till tour o'clock, when fishes came up and a a great thunderstorm broke over the place, and still further intensified the alarm. The ashes wem found to be three feet deep at a distance of te\ en miles from the township. The tourist alleges that he himself Mas not a bit frightened, but gazed calmly on this magnificent fight- of the wonderland of New Zealand, and at 4 o'clock, getting tired of looking at the thing, he lay dov, a and went to sleep.

The Coach-driver's Experience. Harry Kent, man«i<ror ior Cai tei V coaches, ■says he first noticed the phenomenon at 11 o'clock, when 20 miles aw ny from Kotovua. the athe=. i..i\ ing- aetua'ly travelled i"at distance aiiai'i^t the wind an.i i^cf 3r.ni, the ashe 5 ! fdliiti^ suldy and noi^eler-ly on his coach and noises ; and the ne.uor h'strot to the town^hi) the thicker wa^ the tall. When 10 mile* fioin liotoru.i he met Mr Burrows, the iudutect, and Mr Keyes, builder, who i'cd tin, pcenc and stayed in the bu-h 1:11 the cca^h exiiie "aloncj tow-aids Wcinoa in the ujosc j»lucky manner, a^ it wa^ reported to him that Ha/arJ'i- and Mclv-tie s families were killed. While dialing through the Tikikapu Bush on hi> en.md of meicy, '"Mae" met four gib. Two were weepihtr very bitterly for the lo^ of parents and sister. The other two were Mcuaa's servants, one of ■whom had escaped with a window blind wrapped round her and a night dress.