PIRONGIA MOUNTAIN.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15900, 26 January 1924, Page 15 (Supplement)

PIRONGIA MOUNTAIN.

A SUNDAY'S EXCURSION.

(By "A.W.")

The neighbours on Hillcrest Road made an excursion into the country every Sunday. Last Sunday it was to Pirongia; the Sunday before it, was to Te Aroha; the Sunday previous to that it was Cambridge Lake; before 1 that again, it was some other lake; and so on back into the misty past. Last Sunday a party filling four cars motored through, crossing at the "Narrows" and going through 'Ohanpo, Paterangi, and Pirongia village, with its historic church surrounded by its old-time redoubt, and the old Alexandra Hotel, which must be 60 years old, if not' more. The host was unfortunately away at Kawhia, and had his keys with him, so we could not celebrate. A Large Party. At Pirongia our party was increased by some charming young ladies' and dashing, swains, bringing our number up to, about 36, and now, besides cars, we had traps, gigs, and several on horseback. We crossed the Waipa at ■ a very pretty bridge surrounded by weeping willows and many varieties of greenery, and a most picturesque little apiary on the terrace above the riverbank. On we went past homesteads and orchards, cornfields and pasture lands, turning .at last from the Waipa River flats and going towards the mountain we traversed a fern range up to a homestead which happens to b.e situated on the spot where the surveyor, Mr Todd, was camped when he was shot one morning 60 years ago while at his breakfast by some infuriated natives. At that time this spot was away in the depth of the forest. Now the bush is all destroyed, and for more than another mile further on the axe and the flrcstick have eaten away into the forest, and all the standing bush has been destroyed, seemingly to no useful purpose. At this homestead we called a halt, and did ample justice to a lot of refreshments the good ladies had brought with them, and then wc started on our climb. A Hint. People invariably go wrongly clad for a trin of this sort; it would be better to wear denim pants and sprigsoled boots for ladies and gentlemen. High heels and silk hosiery, etc., are not suitable, but it was wonderful how our ladies struggled on under many disadvantages. First, wo had about a mile of track overgrown with fern Oft high or more to start with; this took the' wind out of everyone, but we reached the forest with its pleasant cool shade and a deliciously cool mountain stream running away and no one there to drink it. "It takes an old clog for a hard road," and as a rule, with most people, it is generally unwise to drink cold water before starting to climb a mountain. It invariably happens that, persons doing so are attacked with' intense thirst as soon as they begin to get warm. Old hill-climbers know this from experience. Most of our younger members- took in a good supply of* water, and were soon very thirsty again; however, they struggled on, and "eventually reached a point registering 2840 ft by an aneroid. The highest point on Pirongia range is 3156 ft, but as some of our party showed signs of fatigue we decided not to go any further. Our party was too big and "too noiry to be likely to see many bush birds', but three tui flew past us on the track, one in the lead and the other two fighting as they flew along behind her; a solitary pigeonflew past us, and I am certain I heard the whistle of a bush robin, railed by tho natives oiloitoi.. This is a rare bird now. The Pirongia range would be a likelv place to find them. I also thought I saw a glimpse of the whilehead,- or bush canary, known to tho natives as popokotca. Change In Vegetation. Our ascent was just high enough to enable us to see a change in the vese- , tation, as it was gradually changing I from the trees that inhabit the lower levels to those of an alpine nature. | Great disgust was expressed at the : smell of the hupero, a vile smelling I plant (Coprosma foetidissmo), and ad- ! miration was freely expressed at the ! novel-looking tree the "spider wood," or neinei of the Maori, and away in the ! distance could be seen toi trees peeping out from amongst oLhor foliage. On the western side of the range the great cold westerly storms' that blow have trimmed all the trees in the exposed places, -making them look as if some giant gardener had gone over them with a pair or hedge-shears. Pirongia is of an old volcanic formation: the trachyte rock is there in evidence, and -the old crater can be seen with the northern end either blown out or eroded away, leaving a procilitous gorge forming the head of the Te Pahu stream. A Disappointing View. The view from where we landed was ! disappontins, as we could only see towards the north, and -then the smoke was so thick that our outlook was limited. But there is a range further : west than tho one we were on; this ; is a leading range, and a motor road 1 could be constructed along it io within j an easy walking distance of -the highest ! pnint. and with a good footpath along ! this latter part this would bring the i mountain to within three hours easy 'journey of Hamilton. Tho vjewwo.uld j be a noble one. with all Waikato j spread out to the north and the Waipa J ai your fecf, the coastline with all its

headlands and harbours to the west, the snow-capped mountains in the south, and rolling downs backed by manv mountains in the east. lam not attempting to describe the view—no amount of word-painting would convey to anyone the majesty of such a grand panorama, but what a wonderful trip it would be for Hamilton people to go and see and send their visitors. Such a view would lift their minds out of the usual little rut, and our visitors would be writing to the Times in admiration of this great scenic display, instead of writing fatherly letters advising us what mixtures to use with our water supply' and how much tar we should us'e to repair holes in the roads.