Views on the Waitakerei Coast.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue XXVI, 29 December 1900, Page 1216

Views on the Waitakerei Coast.

(By

E.A.)

To the average Aucklander, whose knowledge of seaKca|>vs is limited by the |>erspective of our own lovely harl»our, a visit to the West (’oast conies as somewhat of a revelation. The sight of the rolling, tumbling waves that break along the coast tills one with' contempt for the petty ripples we are used to see, to say nothing of the awe of beholding the great expanse of ocean that stretches as far as eye can see, without land or vessels in sight. I spent a few days there this summer, camping on the bank of the Waitakerei River, a swifttiowing stream, from which it is proposed to augment our water supply, and returned quite impressed with the Isanty of the coast and the delights of vamping. The two seascapes given herewith were taken close to the vamp, ami are representative of the place, but no picture could do justice to the breakers as they change from, deepest blue to yeasty foam, nor yet to the spray which rises from them and dashes its force against the lofty cliffs. That has to lie seen to l»e appreciated. The other views are pictures of a lake which lay about two miles from our camping ground, buried in a dip of the bush-elad hills, and reflecting all the beautiful surroundings on its calm surface. It is known as Shag Lake, and covers about half the area of Lake Taksfpuna: further inland lies another lake, quite as large ami beautiful, and this goes by the name of the Serpentine, for it fills the snake-like windings of a valley between two spurs of the range. Neither of these lakes has any visible outlet, though both are above sea level, ami it is thought that they drain underground to the bed of the river, and are thus responsible for the quicksands that extend for yards along and from its banks, it is a horrible sensation to put your foot in one of these. One van hardly describe it. for no sooner does the sand slide under you in a perfectly incomprehensible way than it is followed so quickly by the natural impulse to spring up and away that you haven’t time to analyse vour feelings. The cliffs that line the coast are very tine specimens of conglomerate formation. They are all tunnelled by great caves, the height and breadth of which in some eases would fit them To do duty for churches should ever population become numerous in that district. Occasionally these caves go right through a jutting promontory, and then you get what is known as a blowhole, for the waves rush through these apertures with tremendous force, making a noise like heavy artillery. and. as the vent is generally smaller than the entrance, a grand effect is produced when the water bursts out, sending spray all round. The seaweed is among the strangest met with on our coasts. It grows like strips of leather belting, and is apparently as strong: some pieces I came across were quite 15 feet long, and when seen in the water looked quite uncanny as they were' tossed about. Other natural wonders of the roast are jelly-fish, that tilled themselves full of air and exploded with a pop when dissected; crabs of monster size and all hues; and the sea anemones, some of which were six inches across, and of all possible colSo much for the beach ami its attendant interests. The coast land itself has nothing to commend it. till you reach the bush, for the sand, swept hither and thither by’ the strong sea winds, kills all vegetation except a tough species of manuka and flax. A few sheep pick up a living in sheltered spots, and that is all. The West Coast will always make its main reputation on the beauty of its seascapes. the delights of surf bathing, and the grotesque grandeur of its cliffs, raves and blowholes.