RAMBLES IN NORTHLAND.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 6689, 16 August 1919, Page 4

RAMBLES IN NORTHLAND.

INTERESTING IMPRESSIONS. Mr C. G. Martin, of Tahakopa, who li.'lk recently returned front a trip to the Auckland province, supplies us with tlio following interesting description of hin impressions:—

To those residents of tlie South who have never ventured fur from home, the tales of the North Island's rapid progress during the last decade have excited considerable interest. Newspaper comments 011 this booni and the reports of the Parliamentary, troupe that toured the Far North have undoubtedly' caused many farmers aiul business mem to in-

vestigate the evidence first hand. With this purpose in view I joined l the passenger list of the s.s. Monowai at Dun edin on Saturday, March 1, bound for Auckland, via wayside ports. On iboard I met a few farmers northward bound, too. 'We arrived at Lyttelton Heads on Sunday evening in time to get a view of t'he damage done by serious and extensive tussock fires, which were still burning on the Port Hills. One man, a returned soldier, estimated his loss at 1000 sheep. Prior to leaving the cramped and tiny port of Lyttelton we shipped- a quantity of P. and D. Duncan 's farm implements for northern farmers. Calni' seas and Hire weather prevailing, we had' a quiet run up t'lie coast. Reaching Wellington on the 4th, I was keenly interested in all 1 could see. The extent of the shipping here was, to me, surprising. The wiiarvcs were packed wit'h vessels, from the bulkiest transport to t'he tiny coastwise ketch. The city showed enterprise and business confidence. The artistic side of architecture was not neglected, for some buildings , were beautifully designed. Many of t'he main streets, however, are ridiculously narrow (only 50ft). They will have to 'be improved upon in the future if t'he city continues to Hemmed in' by high rugged hills, with difficult roading and awkward building sites, it seemed to me that Wellington's expansion' will 'be seriously- hindered 'by immovable natural obstructions. I could see the cause of high rents and w'hy tire housing problem was giving anxiety to the civic authorities. The new Parliamentary Building was well advanced, and I admired the New Zealand marble of whicli it is constructed. The weather was perfect, wit'h 110 evidence of the high winds claimed as Wellington's main affliction Late that same day the Monowai

steamed on. lier voyage. 'Early morning found' me on deck to see this part of the country, of which I had' read! that m.uch of it remains as undisturbed' as when first seen by Captain Cook. Sure enough it seemed quite uninhabited. As the day wore on an occasional oasis could be seem', where some homestead embowered in trees gave a human touch to this high dreary looking coastline. So far all the land of the North Island X had seen was "broken, rough', and high. As we turned inwards, past Cape Kidnapper a vista of fine level to undulating land was obtained on our approach to the port of Napier. About this tim'e 1 'became conscious that the air was distinctly warmer than I was used to in

Clutha, and southern garments too heavy for comfort. On mooring within the artificial harbour at Napier bluu, we passengers arranged for a run ashore. At this place I saw for the first time a Norfolk pine, whose straight, evenly | tapered! 'bolo and curiously palmated branches, raidiating at right angles at even intervals 1 up "the- trunk, made it a conspicuous and interesting tree, When we cast loose to start for Gisborne I found the decks swarming with people, inauy of whom' were Maoris. These latter were preparing to spend the night on deck rolled up in rugs and blankets. Dawn found us at anchor in Gisborne roadfttcad. Shortly afterwards a tug came out to us loaded with passengers and luggage. These were taken on board. Presently the word went round that the Monowai wa® ordiered hack to Nairier with this* latest lot of pas®en L gc-rs, so I went ashore to have a look at Gidborne and await the steamer 's return. I found out two former residents of Tahakopa in the persons of Messrs George' an*l 'Alex. McKemzie, well known in the Valley 20 years ago. Under their kindly guidance I wis shown the chief features of interest about this charming little town, A good look through the huge meat'preserying works was most instructive, conveying some idea of thc : resources of the country round about. Gibsorne is sadly handicapped 'by having no railway connection with other centres, and the port is t-oo shallow and small for large vessels. Hence all oversea goods have to be lightered to and from the open roadstead- The heat of the sun was great, and as a sample of what the soil and climate could produce Alexander Showed me his garden, where lemons, tomotoos, melons, etc., grew outdoors in profusion, while over an arching,:gateway hung clusters of luscious grapes. Next day the Monowai, fully laden, i pulled up her mudhook andi sailed at 3 p,m. By the time' w$ reached East Cape a heavy swell was running, which made tfhe old boat buck and pitch surprisingly, ' Distress taw visible on many faces, i'Ss' coniplexioins turned to pale green. PrTOn' ; the''way !mOBt r 'ft>lk« ignored the tw gong and k«pt to the sold deck, I [flftt'coaviH&a tfoeytfete #»rsttipp«ra of wpijW'M®' devoted tribute. By'ttft'on diy"*® got sight let Great Barrier "right- aheadHwritiraa I •»» flying fiat as' they skimmed out of the, way of the advancing 'ship. B<x> n aft-erwardfl we : passed Coramandfl Peninsula, aa<L efcttaed omthd Hatiralri Gulf, whose, sheltered «*pan«e cheerfully ini the afternodn sunlight. Manyeagertadß pointed' out to the, stranger the'various iplaces of interest, we poised, such asi islos of Wailukij Motuih}, and

Mototapu. 8y.6 o'clock we passed a high bushclad volcanic island, Rangitoto, jutting- out of the sea. A turn in the channel round North Shore, and the splendid city of Auckland came into view. 1 gazed upon it with the keenest interest, as its many beauties slowly unfolded. Here, indeed, was the Queen City of New Zealand, bathed in the, rosy softness of the setting sun. Around on all sides flasfhed' by tine loaded ferry boats. Launches skimmed' past us on business or pleasure bent. Ahead lay the wharves, crowded, with shipping and twinkling with points of light. After ! several attempts the skipper got us alongside a wharf, and everyone seemed as anxious to quit the ship as if she had the plague. By Mm* time we were all ashore darkness came on suddenly, for twiliglit does not linger in. these latitudes. On reaching the station 1 was amazed to find it such ji shabby deadend of a place, hemmed by tall buildings.

Taking train to Ota'huhu, nine miles out, I reached the home of my maternal aunt, and was most- affectionately welcomed. Making this home my headquarters, so to speak, I was conducted under guidance of a relative- to the many interesting features of city and suburbs, 1' also saw the rich farm lands at Pan-mure, Papatoetoe, and Mount Albert. Volcanic soil obtains in these localities, but further north poor-look-iny land could be seen. Taking passage by the t.s. Manaia one ; evening, 1 set off for Whangarei, where I was met ! by an old friend, Mr Win. G-wyn, of Houipapa, and more 1 recently (if Tantukii. Having put sawmilling aside and tako-n- to farming in t'h-» Far North, he speaks cheerfully of the future that now looms ahead of the Northern Peninsula. Although much of flie land I saw was only second' class, the farmers declare fhat the splendid i limate permits two crops annually with a -minimum of labour, compared with the one crop and maximum effort demanded by the southern climate. My observations concurred with this statement, for I had seen sufficient around Vucklaml to convince nie that northern farmers did not have, to work so hard 'or success as the southern men.

In Whangarei 1 met Ted McPhee, formerly of Owaka, now a fields jnspec'or for the- Agricultural Department. Me is a staunch convert to the North Island, its climate-, soil, and prospects. I learned that fodder for stock, dairy < ows, chiefly, is fed to them ; n early autumn-, when the hot sun has scorched up the pastures. In- late autumn the rains conre, causing quite a vigorous growth of grass, as the land is still warm from a long period of sunshine. Or.tinary English grasses do not thrive well i» this hot climate. Farmers find that deep-rooting plants such as paspaluin, danthonia, etc., stand the dry seasons best. Before the- use of these plants became general some pastoralistsi sowed gorse as' sheep fodder. This- weed has now- spread over areas to the south and west of Whangarei. Mr Gwyn had some line samples of oats in- stack, and was selling chaff to his less enterprising neighbours.

Gumlands abound on the outskirts of Whanga-rei, and tough, tenacious pipeclay soil it is. Minus frosts, the climate has hardly any effect in pulverising this land. Experiments with lime 'by Mr Gwyiu and! others had shown there were good possibilities! in t'his gumland. Maize will grow oni it after liming, and 1 was shown orchards where l apples, lemons, and oranges throve, also the: tobacco plant. The aspect of the country to the north and west showed an eudloss nrass of steep 'broken hills, more or less covered withi forest. When cleared it is subject to being overgrown with bracken' fern. On the good land you can judge a farmer's prosperity by his comfortable home and tidy surroundings. On the guinlands, however, I noticed tliat many homes were small, the area reclaimed very limited, and the prospects (under present condition®) not too good. 'Roads are 1 mostly clay, with plenty of evidence to show that in wet seasons Catling roads have their duplicates in North Auckland. In days to come, wthea the railway comes along, I feel quite sure the North will support a large population.. But it is a place for young men, as the Ibest part of a lifetime will 'be needed to reclaim 1 and develop this wilderness. Business 'having recalled me to Auckland for a period, I proceeded subsequently. by rail to Hamilton, 85 miles south. On l the way could foe 1 seen; some splendid farming land, particularly between Auckland! and Mercer. At Piikekolie the fresh green- appearance of the country reminded me of the Oreti Plain near Winton. Between Mercer and Ngaruawahia a varied class of country obtains, from the swamps of tlie Waikato to the barren, rugged hills and dales of Huntly and Taupiri. I found' 'Hamilton a Ibusy, progressive little town, nicely laid off and very picturesque with greenery, which grows luxuriantly on 'both banks of tto \Vai-, kato Eiver, which runs through the heart of the town. It is the centre of a large farming district', and I saw; more motor oars in its main street than I've c-ver seen, at Duiiedin or Inveruargill. Farm values 'here are" high—too much so, I think, eonsi'dcring the quality of the land. From what I could learn land l speculation is prevalent, and the recent amalgamation 1 of the dairy companies within the Waikato basin, combined with ft# higk price for milk given by the <Haxo factories, will not lessen the gambling evil. They demand more than' double what th« same quality of land would) sell for in Otago and Southland. Taking train one 'afternoon from Frankton Junction, I went to' Te mutu,"to*miles off. On' the way could' be se«ii"laTge'4>eas of swamp land, covered with*fern< or stunted manuka. Draining operations were in progress, dne'fly by;

Hindoo labour. This laud is considered very fertile when fully reclaimed. At To Awamutu the country is all nice rolling downs, and 'looked well. Dairying seemed to be the occupation. To date I had seen no attempt to grow cereals or turnips. So far as I could ascertain' 'hay is the main fodder, with maize and lucerne. The largest haystack I saw was just outside Auckland City. Returning once more to Auckland, I'j j made further excursions to its 'bays, i beaches, and island resorts. This fine city is undoubtedly the busiest, largest, and most progressive of the four. I found out afterwards that it was not healthy to make such a statement iij Wellington. About this time a warning that JlcAllen, McJluddle and Co. were going to stop the express trains running was given, so 1 had 'to make a sudden dash for liberty and Wellington. The rush through by train only gave a panoramic view of the country, but a lot of it showed up high and rough. A week's stay in Wellington with relations brought ine some fine trips to the various bays and suburbs. The coal famine was giving much distress to the aged people, and supplies were doled out to try and divide, what coal was available. Deciding I had se'en enough of the North Island in the meantime, 1 took passage on the Maori for Lyttelton, arriving in due course at Balclutha, where I fell into the clutches of the editor. .From my observations I consider that the North Island has much the better climate, but the> South has the richer soil. I saw enough to make me desire to see more, and it won't be 25 years before I make a move next time.