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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Taranaki, Hawke's Bay & Wellington Provincial Districts]
Plains and Settlement
Plains and Settlement.
There are few plains properly so called in the district. Near Eltham there is a block of level land, 3,700 acres in extent, known as the Ngaire swamp, which is drained, and thrown open for settlement. With this exception, the district is generally too undulating to be described as plain country. What is called the Waimate Plains—a stretch of fertile land, about 25,000 acres in all, lying between the Waingongoro and Otakeho rivers—includes too many downs and low up-lands to deserve the title. Of the Waimate Plains, 11,500 acres have been set apart as a native reserve, and 13,500 acres have now been disposed of for settlement. There are still 429,800 acres of land in the district in native hands. About 190,000 acres in the hands of the Crown are only partially explored, but will probably be found fit for settlement. About 167,000 acres, chiefly in the Whangamomona, Ohura, and Tongaporutu districts are now (1906) prepared for settlement; and all of this country will, it is understood, be found suitable for sheep and cattle grazing, and, in the more open stretches, for dairying. In addition to this area, there is a large amount of land now open and available for selection. About 130,000 acres on papa and limestone formations, mostly heavy bush country, well watered, but still uncleared, will ultimately prove to be some of the best sheep and dairy country in the district. There is, indeed, very little of Taranaki which, when it is once cleared of bush and stocked, cannot be depended upon to add permanently to the immense natural wealth of this highly favoured region.