THE AUCKLAND GOLDFIELDS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 118, 29 September 1868, Page 2

THE AUCKLAND GOLDFIELDS.

The following letter, by Mr R. D. Bust, appears in the Auckland Herald of Sept. 19. Mr iiust is well-known in Christchurch, and it is unnecessary tbat we should offer any comments on the letter beyond pointing out that the writer, according to his own state* ment, had been only a few days on the goldtields :— In compliance with promises made to several friends before leaving Canterbury to return to this province, the scene of my early colonial 'struggles, I ha*' .n to give some idea of the present aspect an t future prospects of this place, but it must be understood that it is buc the result of a few days' exercise of eyes, curt, and lirnhc, combined with humble reasoning powera. We will first take the ' settlemeuts, traffic, &c, under our notice. In going down from Auckland, which takes from 4£ to 5 hours by steamboat, the first place reacbe 1 is Tararua Point, which, as well as the *»ther present digging settlements, lies on the eastern side of the Frith of the Thnmes, and consequently can only be reached by water, without traversing round an immense area of Maori country, presenting almost insurmountable difficulties. There is an area, apparently about 60 acres, of flat land at this point, which I am told has been leased from the Maoris by Mr Graham, who is reported to have it now under survey for a township, and that he will speedily put it into the market. lam also told that there is some 16 feel of water at low tide, not far from tlie Feint, which is not unlikely, as there must be a great Jr«sh of water during

freshes, and powerful tides at all times, besides, the main shore* on the Gulf of Hauraki side, at about two miles' distance, is somewhat abrupt. Nevertheless, a strong jetty might he run out to admit of considerable traffic, and enable the passenger steamers to run punctually at stated hours ; such jetty, however, must necessarily be very strong, and in form to shelter vessels, as the whole point (or half circle of jutting land) is exposed, and nasty cross seas cannot fail to be experienced all around it. This place has been christened '.* London," which I deem a misnomer, as the city of the world ought certainly to have a better representative in the New Britain of the South. It is true that ships might lie in the stream, the holding ground being good, but they would be , greatly exposed from several points of the compass, which would frequently prolong their discharge, and to a certainty the Auckland merchants need be uuder no apprehension of being puperseded by New London ; nnd especially with the facilities provided by a large fleet of steamers and cargo craft, tbe former admitting of a journey to and fro in a day. Then with reference to the suitability ol the site for a town, I deem it altogether too bleak for private residences, being exposed to the winds from the Gulf of Hauraki and Frith of the Thames, with a long reach down the Piako aDd Thames Rivers, which, with the Kaueranga, empty themselves jusr above ; and at the back of the block there is a deep gully extending some miles, down which heavy gusts must occasionally sweep, in addition to which there is a rapid stream running down the gully in question, which cannot fail to create occasional inconvenience. However, mining is likely to prove highly remunerative up the creek, and in the country at the back, consequently a certain amount of retail trade will be done here, warranting a moderate ..amount of settlement by persons who are not ambitious about a large trade. It will be principally for receivingwarehouses, and sites for foundries and manufactories, crushing works, and the like , that the ground will become serviceable, and I doubt not that every bit will be so wanted, nor that the fortunate lessee will fully realise his expectations on the score of profit. Going southwards from this place along the foot of the hills (which i* now all taken up by miners) travelling at high water is difficult, the tide washing the shore, while large boulders and rocks extend some distance out, but a good road can easily be made along the base of the hills to connect a pier at New London with the mining city. It is only about two miles between the point in question and the first part of Graham's town, and about the last quarter of a mile of the bench is occupied by comfortable cottuge residences, the occupants all evincing an air of contentment. Arrived at the first point of Graham's town, we at once find ourselves in the midst of the bu>y hum of business, and have to thread our way, at first, among crushing machines, tramways leading to the heights above, and shoots coming down from mines high up, nmythies, hotels, restaurants, stores, and buildings for various purposes, but soon come to a more defined part of the township with properly laid out streets and substantial business premises of every description. All are of a character far above those common to most new business townships, and quite equal to many of our old settled New Zealand towns, betokening an unusual confidence in the pUce, while on every hand fresh buildings are in course of erection. The form of this settlement is that of an irregular triangle, of which the point already named is the narrow corner, the beach forming one side, the hills and creeks now all busy with mining and crushing another, and the township of Shon land the third ; very few persons understand where the division between these townships really is, and unquestionably they will Boon be thoroughly united. The ground is held on lease from the Maoris by gentlemen who sublet it in building plots, I believe, on ten years' leases, making a somewhat handsome income thereby, and as the erections become their property at tho end of such sub-leases, they cannot fail to bave secured a tolerable competency ; the present rentals vary from 10s to £5 per foot, paid quarterly and half-yearly in . advance, and large bonuses are often given for site-, everything being for cash, while sawn timber has risen from 5s to about 20s per 100, thus to do anything money mu3t be forthcoming, and yet it is build, build, build away. There is a jetty in curse of erection about the centre of Graham's tov.n, and the cargo carrying craft coming near shore at high tide lie safely on the beach, nnd discharge in dray 8 at low tide, all along from the extreme end of Graham's town to the opposite end of Shortland, thus saving some handling of goods, and altogether this portion of the mining city (as it must shortly become with its north and southwards) seems in a highly prosperous state, which promises to be permanent; fortunate those who were early in it. We now come to the site of Shortland, bounded on the northern side by Graham's town, on the western by the beach, on the southern by the golden mountains, which, form a sort of amphitheatre at the back ot the township. The main urea is a flat, composed of the debris washed from the hills and left by the receding salt writer, but having sufficient fall to insure good drainage; between the flat and the bnse of the mountains there is a considerable extent of gently undulating or terrace land, suitable for villas and residental- streets, nice'y sheltered, healthy, and commanding fine views, altogether forming as fine a site for a town as a reasonable man could desire, and cap.ible of accommodating 100,000 inhabitants, while by throwing bridges aero 8 the Kaueranga. accommodation ad libitum could be procured ; it i 6 in this direction tbat the Puriri mines are located, at about 15 miles distance, which are fast, and I believe justly, coming into favour ; in fact, all the way up this stream, as well as the Thames and Piako rivers, are here looked to as likely to prove marvellously rich. The country alluded to, between Short-

land and Puriri, contain! several Maori pahs, some of the sites possessing extreme beauty, and if once in the hands of wealthy Europeans, would ke made fit for the residence of Princes. The site of Shortland belongs to Maoris, who lease it, through Government intervention, for mutual security, and are thereby securing incomes which they vill scarcely know how to utilise or enjoy, although some of them are copying the genteel pakeha in tlieir dwellings and grounds, and employing European labour to beautify them. [To he continued.']