RAGLAN AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. (By our Special Reporter.)

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1195, 24 February 1880, Page 2

RAGLAN AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. (By our Special Reporter.)

I L . The first thing in Raglan which strikes a visitor is its almost insufferable dulness — the very air seems to be impregnated with it. But it is a state with which the people from ! long wont have become so accustomed to as to bear it with commendable equanimity. The Raglan I people, or the vast majority of them j appear to be the most contented on the face of the earth. The extreme depression under which the whole colony labors, the want of ready I and easily J accessible markets for their produce, the want of al- [ most any market for their stock, j their comparative isolation, and a (.hundred other ills which all flesh is not heir to, call from these good people little or no grumbling, i I do not think they would be averse to advancement. I believe they would welcome any sign of its approach, but in any event, they would not repine, so long as they have plenty to eat and find themselves provided with ample clothing. From any point of view they are estimable in all their dealings with one another, and with mankind, never imposing on a stranger, but always extending kindness to him. They live quiet good lives, send their children to school and to church, go with them to the latter, ; and in every way conduct themselves jin a quiet and orderly manner. But this is nearly all. The spirit of energy finds but a poor welcome ; there is simply nothing " go-ahead' 5 in the place. These are hard, and they may be disagreeable facts ; but i they are none the less true, and are J withal prompted by no hostile spirit. 1 For the cause of all this it would ! be hard to seek, and I do not pretend to have discovered it; but when valuable buildings are allowed to fall to decay for the want of a i brush full of paint or a shingle, where valuable goods are allowed to remain in inflammable warehouses, uninsured against fire, where the natural attractions of the harbor and the country are never extolled by those most fitted to discover them, there must surely rest some blame with the inhabitants, notwithstanding that which may attach to outside influences. For I say, unhesitatingly, that Raglan is a beautiful place, and one which deserves to be better known and appreciated. Let me embody all I have learnt and seen of the town and the country in the form oi a journal, and commence with

THE JOURNEY. Of the road itself sufficiently full accounts have been already pu - 1 Hahed in these columns, and little more need be said, except that the portion over the range is one, and not the least attractive, of the many points of interest which the journey reveals. Leaving Whatawhata on I Sunday morning last, 3 proceeded i easily o^er the mountain road, paus1 ing here and there to admire the pictures of deep solitude presented ' by the widely reaching forest — now deep and gloomy; and now lit lup with glances of the morning sun — and to look back on the wide expanse of country stretching away from the banks of the Waipa, near below me, to the foot of the Te Aroha, which was only dimly seen through the smoke and haze. On J gaining the summit of the hills the ! view towards Raglan is intercepted by wooded elevations, through the gullies dividing which the descent winds. A comprehensive view of the Waitetuna Valley is not, con.se- j quently, obtained. The level land reached, glimpses of the country round about are occasionally got i from some fern rise. The quality j of the land hereabouts does not ap- ' i pear to be of the best, the one or > two patches of grass which are to j be seen not impressing any one i ■with a favorable idea of its aclapta- j bility to grazing purposes. I was informed, however, that its quality, more especially near to and on the hills, is very good, and that it is fairly productive. To Suttons Halfway Hotel, the journey from Whatawhata occupied about three hours, but it can easily be accompished in two. Beyond Suttons the land does not improve in appearance, and to the eye of the stranger that in the immediate vicinity of Raglan is not of the choicest description. But without a minute examination it is easy to be deceived, and with proper treatment, I have no doubt, a more favorable opinion would prevail. Very little in the way of cultivation has been attempted, and that little not in the best manner. It would therefore be manifestly unjust and unwise to speak of the bad qualities of land which has never been fairly tried. There are several settlers round about; but little that is attractive presents itself in the homesteads. It is only fair to mention here — what I observed a day or two subsequently — that behind these

farms, towards the hills, in the Kauroa Valley there are some very good grass paddocks. On nearing Raglan the road winds along fern ridges and across gullies in a most tantalising manner, affording, however, by way of compensation, occasional glimpses of the harbor near the mouth of the Waitetuna. Here it was that I first became aware of a peculiarity in the inhabitants, the existence of which was, to my sorrow strongly verified afterwards, and that is their utter inability to guage distances. " How many miles to Raglan ?" was my egaer query to every one I met, but no two persons could possibly agree. What seemed three miles to one was four to another, and at least five to me. Despite all these drawbacks, I reached the hill above the township at last. The sun was just dropping down into the mist outside the bar. Dark rain clouds hung over the sky, and hardly a sound broke the deep monotony. Solitude rested on everything.

Sunday Evening in Raglan. In no very enviable mood I quickened my horse's pace and rode rapidly through the deserted streets to my hotel. Tea not being ready, I strolled on the beach to meditate, and never in my recollection were thoughts so gloomy. The tide was out, revealing the long mud flats not more dreary than the sombre waters under the dark evening sky. To a hungry man nature is seldom charming, and after tea had been discussed I found the prospect had gained much in attractiveness. The sea unillumined by sunshine was uniformly dull, but the dying light only served to beautify the surrounding objects. To the right, across the harbor, I saw the beautiful limestone cliffs gleaming in the uncertain light, and closer on the same side, the Te Akau Station, picturesquely situated among trees, and overlooking the sea. To the left the majestic Karioi, 2372 ft. high, stood out like a sentinel guarding the entrance to the harbor. The mountain is timber laden to the summit, and its sides, furrowed by deep ravines, slope down to the water's edge. The whole of the surroundings are exceptionally interesting. Of the town, the following brief description must suffice. It is situated on the south side of the Whaingaroa harbor, and stands on gently sloping land. On the west side, a creek divides it from the land in the neighbourhood of the proposed township of Karioi. It possesses a courthouse and gaol, a public library, a Wesleyan Church, two hotels, two stores, a school, and a number of private dwellings. The Government, some years ago, erected ten cottages for the reception of immigrants, but they were never used for that purpose. Several have been sold, one has been presented to the County Council and now serves as an office for the County and the Road Board, while one has been metamorphosed into an English Church. The European population is about 200, and there are some 400 natives either in the town or the immediate vicinity. For their accommodation the Government, some years ago, built a very commodious weatherboard house, which was presented to the friendly chief, William Naylor, who died 14 years ago. A neat column composed partly of the beautiful white limestone, found in the neighbourhood, and partly of Oam aru stone, lias been erected to the memory of this chief in front of his former dwelling. It bears the following inscription : — S.H'KEJI TO THE MKMOKY OV WIREMU NERO TE ANAITALA, \\ 110 DIED April 27th, 1800. He -was always a firm friend of the Europeans, and a Chief of much influence. L was told that his conduct during the troublous times of the war fully warrants the eulogy on his monument. Notwithstanding the blandishments of the mibguided natives who rose in arms against the Go\ eminent, Naylor never wavered in his allegiance to the Crown. Bettor testimony to the valuable nature of the Ra»lan limestone could not be desired than that afforded by this monument. During all the years which it has been exposed the weather has had no perceptible influence upon it. Very large deposits of the stone exist in the neighbourhood, and a kiln has just been erected with a view to its utilisation. Every facility for boating and fishing (and the harbour abounds with fish) is to be found at a most reasonable rate, and ferry communication is established with the north .side of the harbour, where stands the Te Akau Station, the residence of Mr Pearson,manager for Messrs Russell and Studholme. The Whaingaroa Harbour is rather narrow, scarcely exceeding two miles in width at any point, though the north arm into which the Whaingaroa River flows is fully 15 miles long. The south arm receives the waters of the Waitetuna, and is divided from the other by the Hauraki peninsula. The flax industry was at one time a very flourishing one, and at the present there are some 10 mills in operation in the district, but since the depres- I sion in the price of this commodity there has been a falling off in the production. Across tin- cm j k from Raglan, in the direction of Karioi, is a low range of sand hills, a feature I am informed, common to this and other harbours on the West Coast. Beyond these hills there is an admirable site for a township on the

gently sloping land between Karioi and the water. Near here there is a large native village, the inhabitants of which engage extensively in fishing inside the bar. The natives living in the town of Raglan are spoken of as being extremely well behaved and orderly, a compliment which cannot be paid to the Kawhia Maoris, who are not above the commission of little acts of appropriation.

A SAIL UP THE HARBOUR. The appearance of the weather on Monday morning was dismal enough. From a very early hour rain had been falling heavily, and there were not wanting indications that it would continue all day. At the kind invitation of two gentlemen who, like myself, were strangers in Raglan, I accompanied them in a sail up the harbour.. The state of the weather almost deterred us, but as the wind was favourable we determined to go, and an exceedingly pleasant excursion it proved. The rain ceased before we were half an hour out, and towards the afternoon there was a blue sky overhead and plenty of warm sunshine. In the hands of the most genial and careful of pilots, Richard Philips, the little craft (owned and built 16 years ago, by Philips himself) sped before the wind in most gallant style, sweeping round point after point until fairly out of sight of all signs of civilization. Philips, who has resided in Raglan nigh upon 25 years, building all the boats and handling most of them, meanwhile entertaining us with stories of " the time when the troops wore here," pointing out the place where General Havelock camped, and then wandering off into a train of recollections connected with those and other events. Then he would treat us to numberless anecdotes relating to the natives and the older settlers, tell us the names of every point of interest, connecting each with some little incident which its appearance called forth. Thus the time passed pleasantly and quickly, and in two hours and ahalf, we had sailed 15 miles, and were at our destination, the farm of the Messrs Wilson. The homestead, which is miles away from any other European habitation, stands at the head of the harbour, surrounded on all sides by bush. The Messrs Wilson own about 2000 acres of land nearly all timbered, and are principally engaged in cattle raising. At one time they possessed a flax mill, but finding it unprofitable they abandoned it. The house is built of slabs, but presents an appearance of I much comfort. Here we were accorded a hearty welcome. Such of the land as is clear is of good quality and is very suitable for grass. The bush affords excellent rough food for cattle, and there are also numbers of pigs running there, which thrive i remarkably well. The scenery at the head of the harbour is very deversified, but is uniformly pretty. For the most part the shores down to the water are clothed with foliage. Occasionally the cliffs rise bare and white crowned with bush, about half way up the harbour is a remarkable island called Tawata. It is very small, but owing to its form rising perpendicularly out of the water some 30 feet it is a very noticeable feature. Pheasants are plentiful on the shores of the harbor, which is also the abode of numberless wild ducks, and wood pigeons abound in the bush. Sportsmen can therefore find ample scope for the employment of their leisure. Leaving the Messrs Willson's place at Kirikiri, about 2 o'clock it took its four hours to make the return journey, owing to the wind falling light. Ample time was thus afforded us to admire the .surrounding scenery. J can honestly affirm that there are few places more calculated to delight lovers of nature than the Whaingaroa ; and I make little doubt that when it becomes better known there will be no lack of visitors. 1 had almost forgotten to say that few better places can be found for sea bathing. In order, however, to the greater enjoyment of those whose delight it is to take " a dip," some enterprising Rag'lanite should at once take steps, either to procure a bathing machine, or to erect a bath house in .some suitable spot.