FURTHEST NORTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 84, 8 April 1936, Page 10

FURTHEST NORTH

INTERESTING MOTOR TRIP WANGANUI TO SPIRITS BAY THE JOUItNEY DAY Bi DAY Vll. On Saturday, L’cbruary 2, after breakfast, we went to the Fairy ■Springs. 1 had seen them beloiv l»ut as I consider them (lie best sight vf Kotorua I was keen for Jack lu see them. Into biris pool of crystal clear water live million gallons come up I rom uudeig;(Hind per day. Here duzeus “f | tiout of all sizes swim about and are ! so tame that they will cat bread from one’s hand if it is held just undec the water. Jack appreciated this sight as | much as J did. Returning to L’oturua, I we had a look at the Maori village and tMvrmal activity at Ohiuemutu ! and then on to Whakarewarewa. This was all new to Jack and he was very interesting. We had a walk through the village and took several photos of the boiling mud pools. This boi.ing mud leaps up in fits and starts and is a wierd sight. After looking over the model pa we saw the Puringi geyser playing. The boiling water rose to a height of 2(1 feet and was most impressive to watch. The heat was very intense? and with the hot steam that rose from the boiling pools was very much like being in a Turkish bath. The. Maoris lure are very commercialised and even little children of fiv’e and six years of age ask for a penny Io sing or do a h:ika. I bought a poi from one of tibe guides. They are made of native flax and arc very pretty. NVe saw ail the famous guides there, b’angi, Susan, Bella, Tima, and several others. These women look \ p ry pirt uiesque in tiieir red skirts and blouses. They charge Is per bead for guidance fee am] for tile, information * hey imparl, it. is well worth the money. Jack soon got t'red of the heat and ] fumes and suggested (hat wv move on and 1 was only too willing. I his thermal activity is worth I raveling round the world to see. It is truly wonder* fu! and awe inspiring but. for my part I do not care to linger over it. Dull and Dreary Pumice Country. Leaving WiiLakarewarewa, we headed for Taupo and before long we passed the Hainbow Mountain so '-aiif.l on account of inc many coloured rocks on the- mountain side. The road was now dull and dreary running through pumice country which grew only scrub and tern. Later, wo entered a district where for miles were state forestiy plantations of pine trees. The trees are mostly only a few feet high but. there are millions of them and stretch, away for miles oji both sides of the road. If ever a lire starts here in years to coin-e it will take some stopping. The lluka falls on the Waikato Jiiver were soon visible, and they made a pretty sight with tin* sun shining on them. We reached Taupe at. LOO p m. just as a thunderstorm passed o\cr. I'.ic rain simply pelted down and water was running everywhere in the sheets. This lasted for half an hour, and then the sun shone again. The road now skirts Lake Taupo, which lies 1225tt. above sea level and is the largest hiTTe in New Zealand. There were numerous fishing camps and week-end baches scattered along the shores of the lake. At. the southern end of the lake we Jett the main road and followed a l side roar along the shore of the lake to I i Tokaanu, where Jack had friends. | After a cup of tea the daughter of the i ■house and a girl friend she had staying with her took us to the outskirts of the | village where he had the novel ex- ' pericnce of a swim in a cold pool into which a coupl-e of streams of boiling water were constantly running.

We pitched oui camp in a vacant section, It was not a pleasant job as it hail commenced to rain while ne were looking for a camp site aud continued steadily for two or three hours. However, we got the tent up had tea aud, calling lor the girls, took them io a dance run by the Al a oris at Waini a native village, about three mi.es away on the edge of the lake. On the way we noticed steaming pc-ols close ' up on either side of the road which was none too wide. 1 promised myself that I would be perfectly sober when 1 drove back from the (lance so lhat boiling water made me shiver and 1 h-ad no I'.iney for a ducking in it. The dance was well run and a most enjoyable one, the Maoris proving themselves good hosts. T h ere was a fan number of while people, many of them campers like our.selves as well as Maoris there. We rolled into bed at 2.30 a.m. (115 miles). Homeward Bound. On Sunday, .I’ebruary 3, after break | fast, we snuck camp and loaded tne j car and then went to the pool for another swim and found the girls already there. Later they showed us round ail the boiling pools both water and mud. This place is a miniature .Rotorua. There is also a small geyser winch plays regularly. Aider taking some photos we drove the girls home and at 10 o’clock lelt for .Ravt.ihi. The road now for a considerable distance was pumice with a good hard surface after the rain and we made good time past Lake Aria. Later got a view of the Chateau To-ngariro. 'file road passes the t'hree mountains, Tonga riro, Ngaurohoe and Jluapenu and we, had a. splendid view oi these. We reached Raviihi at 12.15 ami had lunch with some friends. This was a fairly busy place a few years ago when a. large number of timber mills were quili* close to 1 Lie town, but it has gone back somewhat though, it can still noust of a wi<ler and better surfaced main street than most of the cities of New Zea la ml. At 2.30 we left f°r Wanganui via the I’arapara Road, having aftcrnooii tea. with some friends on the way. This road is narrow and winding and we were unable to in ike fast. time. We reached home about 6.30 ami so ended one ot the most enjoyable holidays L ha.ve overspent. Altogether we, had covered 1573 miles without a puncture a.nd, except for a breakdown at Kaitaia, the car had behaved very well. It was a. trip we wilj both remember for many a lung day (139 miles). I have made a statement of Ihe expenses of the trip. My share of the benzine, oil, tucker, camp and ferry expenses, together with 4s spent, on meals in Auekland, came to tbe modest sum of £6 7s Id, Benzine for the trip amounted to £7 5s 2d ami oil £2 2s (>d —total, £9 7s Bd. Tucker amounted to £1 17s GAd. and camp fees at Auckland and Kaitaia Ss 6d and ferry fees 12s 6(1, making a grand total of £l2 (»s 2d. My half share thus canre to £6 3s Id, and plus 4s for meals, totalled £6 7s Id. (Concluded.)