PIRONGIA MOUNTAIN.

Waipa Post, Volume XXI, Issue 1200, 2 February 1922, Page 8

PIRONGIA MOUNTAIN.

AS A SEEMC RESERVE.

"WILD, , ROUGH COUNTRY BEHIND

Te Awamutu residents are apt to ,regard Pirongia Mountain as the eouice of the borough water supply only, whereas it isi a scenic reserve of no mean importance From the three

main peaks of its summit are to be obtained panoramas of a wonderful extent, and the tree ferns and bush dn the gullies are very beautiful. Pirdngia itself as 'the start of the excursion isi a beautiful spot, with its old trees and many associations of the past, and crossing the river, 'deeply bordered with willows, one realises what a large part this slowly flowing waterway must have played in early communications, before roads existed. It is still a valuable asset to the disti'ict’si commerce, and down it is shipped the timber from the sawmill on the shoulder of the mountain. It comprises some very fine rimu, only the best of which is sent down, owing to the long and weatherworn track.

A detour of over a mile from Pixongia township via the bridge is necessary before the track makes up the hill. It is a clay road, and very heavy in wet weather, though a cycle 1 may be ridden nearly all the way down it when it is dry. It leads between high fern, and is the hottest ipart of the whole trip, and should be made before the sun gets in itsi work. For five or six miles the track winds in and out, steadily rising, and soon after the first patch of bush rises on both sides of the road the sawmill comes in view. From here the three peaks of Pirongia can plainly be seen. To reach .the lowest a bullock track to the left •Ss followed for a quarter of a mile into the bush, and then the pilgrim should turn to the left in order to reach the best spur for that peak. The walking, though tangled in places, is not bad, passing chiefly through tawa bush. The best view is obtained, however, from the highest of the three peaks, and to reach this the walker should take the track to the right, and thus reach the most convenient spur. The nearest peak is a full three miles in an air line from the mill. There are some fine silver pungas on either route, and the bush as a whole is well worth a visit. The character of the forest varies a good deal as one climbs. First one leaves the supplejacks behind and comes to smaller trees, growing closer together, and owing to the copious rainfall, the bush nearer the summit drips continually. The last quarter of a mile is very steep and closely overgrown, and on the summits the trees, which have become more and more stunted, are only some eight or ten feet high, though they grow very close together, and the gales have packed their tops into a mat on which one could walk. There are, however, clear patches of flax, dwarfed and growing in tall niggerheads, which permit clear views all round. The country to the back is very steep and broken, and is a tangled mass of growth that means hard hard work to break through. Bet wee .1 the main peak and the trig station, some five miles further back, is an old crater, and great ratas jut out from the sides of the precipices It is said that the survey party on this job claimed and received £5 each on account of their arduous work and hardships. It is said that a member of the party dropped his axe, and that it took him five hours to recover it and rejoin the party. When the sheer sides of the hills are seen this can be readily believed. The views from the summits are splendid. On a clear day one can see almost to Auckland to the north, Ruapebn to the south, and an idea of the extent and richness of Te Awamutu’s district is gained, as it is spread out below. The sea can be seen on the west coast, and so large a part of the Waikato is in view that it is a wonder that the view is not

more widely known. There are no tracks at present, the visitor must find his own way up, and + o those not used to the bush it is very easy to lose one’s sense of direction, particularly in fog or heavy rain. But it would cost little to open up tracks, when this trip would prove very popular to visitors from Hamilton, Cambridge. and other places within reach. The roads are good, and the Waipa River provides launch owners with an even pleasanter method of access t the foot of the mountain.