THE ATTRACTIVE NORTH

Timaru Herald, Volume C, Issue 15304, 25 March 1914, Page 9

THE ATTRACTIVE NORTH

S.C. VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS. EXHIBITION AND WAITOMO CAVES. Mr GeoFge Butler, of Pleasant -Point, returned on Monday from a holiday trip spent in the North Island. Seen by a "Herald" representative he gave a few impressions, of his visit. THE EXHIBITION. "I had been told I would be disap- j pointed with the Exhibition," he said, "but I found it quite up to my expectations, considering, it was chiefly a display of local industries. _ Certainly a visitor is hampered in his inspection of the things of interest by the persistent efforts of stall attendants to sell their wares, but their zeal may be overlooked when one considers the expense which stall-holders are under. "The exhibits by the Government Departments added greatly to the interest of the Exhibition. Both the industrial and the agricultural exhibits were most attractive. The agricultural experiments in forage plants and grasses were of great interest to farmers generally, and were much admired for their healthy appearance., tut whether this was owing to the nature of the volcanic soil or some other cause it would be hard to say. It would certainly be difficult to grow some of them without special care. "The many and varied side shows," continued Mr tional interest .to the Exhibition as a whole, and when one wished to spend half-an-hour in being amused there were plenty of doors which opened widely to welcome that person," '. WAITOMO CAVES. Mr Butler said his visit to the North vyas not merely to see the Exhibition, but also to see the Waitomo Caves. _ "I had long desired to pay a visit to this wonderland," said "Mr Butler, " and having seen them I am satisfied that no pen can describe, nor camera pourtray, the wonderful works of Nature in these limestone caverns. No one can imagine how lovely and fantastic are the thousands of stalactites and stalagmites which adorn the numerous underground chambers or halls. One of the halls is 210 feet long, 35 feet wide., and nearly 90 feet high. A weird'effect, and lovely beyond description, is produced when the halls are lighted by magnesium." Mr Butler went on to say that there are three caves, Waitomo, Ruakuri and Arnnui. The latter has only been discovered within the last three years. Waitomo is about threequarters of a mile in extent, Ruakuri half a mile, and Aranui a quarter of a mile. All three are full of unusual interest from end to pnd, and there is small wonder that visitors from far and near extol their marvellous but weird loveliness. About 3300 persons visited these caves last year, and with three weeks still to go to the end of the presentfinancial year over 4000 visitors ' had found their way there. Probably the Exhibition had been partly responsible for the increased number this year. " WAIMANGU. , Mr -Butler had inquired if the Waimangu geyser was quiescent. He was informed that the pool itself, which formerly filled with black water "to a depth of about 30 feet, is now filled with" black sandj and while it is not in ally way active' at present there are occasional signs of unrest, and quite recently steam was emitted from it. At tthe back of this geyser and near., the. shelter -shed there is' another hole, or small lake which, is also more turbulent than usual just .now. "A friend of mine ; " said Mr Butler, "who holds a Government lease o$ several thousand acres around Waimangu, told me that he had noticed about a fortnight iireviously how much warmer one of the hills had become lately. He had also observed that while sheep, and sometimes cattle, had previously, made a habit of camping near the geyser, they now avoided doing so. These phenomena," concluded Mr Butler j" may have no significence, but they show how unsettled, and uncertain the position is when near to and in the line of volcanic action."