Explorers of the Plains.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 2, 27 September 1907, Page 3

Explorers of the Plains.

* — : AN ARDUOUS EXPEDITION. Of striking iniprest and importanco in the history of old Wellington was the first exploring jiu'r.noy into the interior, and spying out of tho Wairarapa Plain's as a place for future settlement, by Mr. Charles Kettle, an assistant surveyor of the New Zealand ompany in Juno 1842. Accompanied by Mr. Alfred Wills, ono of tho Company's cadets, several labourers who carried the provisions and baggage, and Maori guides, ho ascended the. Manawatu river to a. considerable distanco above the gorge. Striking to' the cast and south, the party left the river, and crossed the low ridges into tho.upper, part of the Wairarapa Plain. Thoy proceeded along the plain's eastern side, crossing several' tributaries of tho lluamahuiiga river, until they reached a villago at the Ngatikahuhunu tribo. The Maoris received them hospitably; and the explorer's proceeded ssouthward, keeping about halfway between tho base af the eastern spurs of the Tararua mountains and .the main river. '...'.- .....' . "Although the party suffered severely from the weather (writes Mr. E. J. Wakefield in his "Adventure in New-. Zealand"), which, wa3 constantly wet at this season of tho year where'thoy were travelling, round the spurs of one' of the great dividing ranges of tho island, yet all concurred in describing the plain of fluam'ahanga as a most delightful tract of country. ■ . • . . They failed- in two : successive attempts to discover a. passable path over the Rimutaka; and endured considerable hardship' from.tho continued 1110.IJ pun 's[|iij .o'tp Snpuitt suite.! JJvßpn, the want of food experienced since thoy had left tho' plain, where/ tlio numerous pigeons, and an occasional pig caught from the wild herds whoso traces thoy wore constantly observing, had for some days supplied them. A third attempt,, ascending the Rimutaka- nearly duo west of the middle of the lake, was more successful ; and they found their way to the head of the Pakiritahi, a small tributary of the Hutt running northward for five miles.. It joins the Hutt about fifteen miles from the beach at Pctone. - Descending' the courses of tho tributary and tho main stream, they at length arriypd at the houso of Mr. Mason,- the most distant outsettler in the lower valley of tho Hutt, on Juno 7, thirty-two days aftor they had started from tho survey station at tho Manawatu.

"They arrived half-starved and nearly worn out with fatigue (Mr. Wakefield continue)), with but a few rags left on thoir backs. I mot somo ->f them oir the road between Wellington andPctone tho same evening; r,:ul they certainly did look most miserable objects, although thoy had procured a change of clothing from their friends on the Hutt. "Great credit was duo to them for tho perscvoranco which thoy had shown.in attaining their object. They started from the survey station with only a week's provisions: and had only tho clothes on their backs when thoy left the Manawatu, after paying t'.'.c natives who had poled the canMi up. More than once tho men and z,-.?. natives had despaired of reaching Wellington, after repeatedly losinr: their way in the eastern gorges of tho Rimutaka; and during several days before reaching the settlements they had lived en tho wild cabbages which they found near tho'banks of the river. But Mr. Kettle had encouraged them to proceed,, by his cheerful spirit. Wet through during nearly tho wholo journey, and lying on tho damp ground every right oxposed, to heavy rains,-with tho scantiest covering, not a singlo member of tho party,' however, -suffered -any injury to his health; natives and-white, men wore all as fresh and hearty as 'over."