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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 75

Physical Features

Physical Features.

Of mountains, the principal one is the beautiful volcanic cone from which the district takes its name, Taranaki, otherwise called Mount Egmont, which has an altitude of 8,260 ft. This mountain is the centre of distribution for a radius of twenty miles of the volcanic formation known as the "drift," which covers the volcanic rocks below an altitude of 3,000ft. Hummocks composed of trachyte boulders and cement crop up here and there and make excellent metal-quarries.

Beyond the volcanic formation—that is, from about Urenui on the north and Hawera on the south—the country is generally broken, and the formation is. known as papa, a calcareous blue clay, capped in many places by shelly limestone.

The northern portion, between the Tongaporutu and the Mokau Rivers, contains also limestone, greensands, and coal outcrops. At Panirau, a small tributary of the Mokau, about thirty miles from the sea, there is an isolated patch of volcanic agglomerate and tufas, and a similar formation is found at the north-eastern corner of the district.

Eastward of the base of Mount Egmont there are few, if any, mountains worthy of the name, although there are many ranges varying in height from 1,000ft. to 1,500ft. above sea-level, and, in a few instances—such as the Matemateonga and Waiaria Ranges—they run up to 2,500 ft.

The principal river is the Wanganui, which bounds the district on the east between Taumaranui and Pipiriki, a distance of about ninety miles. Its average width varies from 2 to 3 chains. For nearly the whole distance it is shut in by high precipitous hills, and in many places by perpendicular walls of rock. The scenery is very grand and beautiful. There are numerous rapids, but few of them are dangerous to skilful canoeists. A steamer runs regularly from Wanganui to Pipiriki, a distance of fifty-five miles. Another small steamer of light draught and considerable power is now being built. This is intended for opening up the tourist and trade traffic on the upper portions of the river between Pipiriki and Ohura, a distance of some sixty miles. A channel is now being snagged up the Tangarakau River as far page 28 as Putikituna, a distance of twelve miles. From this point it is proposed to construct nine miles of road to join the Ohura (or East) Road at a point about forty-seven miles from Stratford, and in the middle of the Whangamomona Improved-farm Settlement, the settlers in which and surrounding blocks will thus have double communication, with Wanganui on the one hand and Stratford on the other. When the road is completed through to Auckland (say within the next two or three years) tourists can enjoy a trip up the Wanganui River as far as Ohura, then back, and up Tangarakau River across to Ohura Road, then on to Auckland, or back to Stratford, as they desire. The principal tributaries flowing into the Wanganui on the Taranaki side are the Whangamomona, at eighty-two miles; Tangarakau, at eighty-five miles; Ohura, at 114 miles; Ongaruhe, at 143 miles respectively from the Town of Wanganui.

The next river in size is the Mokau, bounding the district on the north. It is navigable for small steamers of 20 tons or 30 tons as far as the coal-mines, about twenty miles from its mouth, and for canoes as far as Totoro, twenty-six miles further up. Several outcrops of coal are found on its banks, and, as limestone is also present, the river is likely to become the most important waterway of the district. The scenery on either side, although not on quite so grand a scale as may be seen on the Wanganui, is very beautiful.

The other large rivers are the Waitara and Patea. The former has its source about midway between the coast and the Wanganui River, in an easterly direction from Pukearuhe, between New Plymouth and the Mokau. It is about a hundred miles in length, and runs out at the Town of Waitara, some ten miles north-cart from New Plymouth. There is a bar at the mouth, but steamers of 300 tons can enter safely in calm weather, and, although there are numerous rapids on its course, it is navigable for canoes for about ninety miles.

The Patea River rises in Mount Egmont, and, after traversing a tortuous course of about 110 miles, runs out at the extreme southern end of the provincial district. It has a bar-harbour, with a depth of 13ft. to 14ft. at spring-tides. Steamers of from 40 tons to 50 tons trade regularly to the town of Patea, which is situated a mile or so north of the mouth. The Patea is navigable for canoes for fifty miles.

Besides these rivers there are many smaller ones, and streams innumerable—in fact, no district in the world could be better watered and at the same time so secure from disastrous floods. It is estimated that between the Mokau and the Patea there are no fewer than eighty-five named streams emptying themselves into the Tasman Sea, fully sixty of which flow from Mount Egmont.

Excepting the Ngaere Swamp, a block of open land near Eltham, 3,700 acres in extent, now partially drained and recently disposed of for settlement purpose, there are no plains, properly so called, in the district, although the stretch of very fertile country lying between the Waingongoro and Otakeho Rivers, comprising as area of about 25,000 acres, is known as the Waimate Plains. Of this area 13,500 acres have been disposed of, and the remainder, 11,500 acres, has been handed back to the Natives as a reserve.

There are no lakes worthy of the name. The largest sheet of water is Rotokare, situate about twelve miles from Eltham; it is about half a mile in length, with an average width of six chains. There are also a few small lakes inland from Waverley, at the southern end of the district.

The whole of the district, with the exception of a fringe of open country along the coast from Pukearuhe to Patea, averaging three miles in width, and containing about 250,000 acres, and some valleys at the north-eastern corner of the district, about 150,000 acres in extent, was originally covered with heavy forest. Estimating the area already cleared for settlement at 210,000 acres, it will be seen that there still remain about 1,630,000 acres under bush.

The larger timber is chiefly rata, rimu, matai, tawa, kahikatea, kohekohe, pukatea, re ware wa, hinau, with a few totaras scattered here and there. Among the smaller trees may be mentioned the kotukutuku or fuchsia, karaka, and mahoe.

As regards the timber industry, there are altogether twenty-two saw-mills, and the total quantity cut in 1896 was 12,422,000 ft., chiefly rimu (red-pine), kahikatea (white-pine), and matai (black-pine).

page 29

An area of 72,565 acres, measuring six miles on every side from the summit of Mount Egmont, has been set apart as a forest-reserve. At about two miles within the reserve the forest begins to get stunted; and at three miles it gives place to low wiry scrub, which ceases at four miles, or an elevation of about 4,000 ft. At 5,000 ft. the moss ends; beyond this point to the summit the mountain is composed of loose scoriæ and lava.

A comfortable mountain-house has been built at an elevation of 3,200 ft. on the northern face of the mountain, at a diatance of nineteen miles from New Plymouth by the Junction and Egmont Roads. Fifteen miles can be driven over, and the remaining four ridden. This house is maintained by the North Egmont Forest Board of Conservators, and is open for the accommodation of visitors from the middle of December to the end of March in each year. The keeper acts as guide also. There are women's rooms at one end of the house, men's at the other, with large common living-and dining-room in the centre. Visitors provide and cook their own food; a small charge is made of 2s. if stay is for one night only; if for longer, then 1s. per night throughout the visit. Guide's fee for mountain, £1 per party. During the past season there were 283 visitors, remaining various periods of from one or two days to as many weeks, while the total number of visitors to the mountain was for the season 520. In fine weather, when the snow is off, the mountain can be ascended without risk.

The mountain can also easily be ascended from Stratford side, the return journey occupying about thirteen hours, including stoppages. Tourists can ride over the first twelve miles to a rough shelter-shed near the grass-line, altitude 4,325 ft.: time occupied, about three hours. Here the horses are left, and the remaining climb has to be done on foot: time required for fair walker, a good three hours, although, coming down, the distance can be done in two hours. 436 persons visited the mountain by this route during the season. Good hotel accommodation, guide, horses, and provisions, can be obtained in Stratford on reasonable terms. The return trip can be varied by visiting Dawson's Falls and Kendle's Cascade.

Another route now coming into favour is from Hawera or Eltham viâ Manaia or Kaponga and Dawson's Falls. At the latter place a comfortable shelter-house, capable of accommodating over thirty people, has recently been erected (altitude' 2,990ft.). This house, which is close to the Falls (65 ft.), is within an easy two hours' ride of Kaponga. During the season the house is in charge of a caretaker, and food, bedding, horse-feed, and paddocking can be obtained. The number of visitors to Falls and mountain by this route is said to have been about a thousand for the season. From the house to top of Mount Egmont occupies a good six hours' climbing at a moderate pace. From the top, where the whole Taranaki District lies spread out to view at one's feet, the tourist can, instead of returning by same route, drop down to the mountain-house on the north or New Plymouth aide of and 3,000 ft. up the mountain. The walk would not occupy over two hours, easy walking.