THE CHARMS OF MORERE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2106, 4 February 1908, Page 1

THE CHARMS OF MORERE.

A VISITOR’S IMPRESSION OF THE DISTRICT’S “SHOWPLACES.”

A visitor who recently cycled through from Auckland to Gisborne, and afterwards passed on to Napier, via Morero and VYairoa gives the following interesting account of his journey south: —Let mo tell you that you Gisborne people little think what you have at Morere. If you over need a change take my tip and go to Mororo. It is better than Rotorua or Taupo, AVellington or Auckland. Thero you have the hot- baths without t.lio inconveniences which pervade everything at- Rotorua and without-, moreover, tho extremes of climate, to which Rotorua is subject. It stands to reason that the climate of Mororo must bo more equable than that of Rotorua and Taupo.. Eeveryono should see Rotorua, but I never had a hankering to stay there. At Morere I could stay and stay and stay. I simply wallowed in the hot baths and sipped tho various mineral waters that oozed out of tho rocky walls of tho hill sido. Tho stroll through tho bush to the baths itself is delightful, at ono moment listening to the roar of a mountain cataract, at the next to tho stream babbling over stony ways, while tho oyo is charmed by the most luxuriant growth of Nikau palms which border the path for most oi the way. The mineral waters were unpleasant- to the taste, but whether it was the bath or the mineral waters I tasted, or the mixture, I don’t know, but the after sensation was Kapai. I relt“liko young eagles being irec. and from Morere to AVairoa every-

thing in tho garden was lovely. Even tho sand hills had no terrors for mo. My only regret was that I had not “road up” Morere before I wont thero, so that I should understand and appreciate it bettor. AA’aiioa is just AVairoa, a pretty little place, but impossible to get out of. Glorious rido to AA’aikaromoana. Left AVairoa about two in the afternoon, mid arrived to seo tho sun sot on AA’aikaromoana. I was astonished to find tho lake on top of a hill. Tou go up ovor 2000 feet, and after going up a hill about three miles long 1 expected to run down the other side to tlie lako, but there it was at the top of the hill, right on a level with you 1 was disappointed with AA’aikaromoana. Though it certainly is a beautiful lako it did not impress me so much. I was disappointed in its hills. They are not high enough to bo in proportion to tho grandeur of tho lake, and its bush suffers by comparison with the native bush on the slopes of Egmont. But its inlets are charming and tho waterfalls to bo soon round tlie lake compensate for that feeling of disappointment. Such variety of waterfalls. You might expect that when you had seen one river fall sixty feet that it would not bo worth while to seeing the same river fall another sixty feet. But tho second fall was just as interesting as tho first. No two of its falls are alike in character. Then AVaikaro Iti, though a much smaller lako, is to my mind much more picturesque. A’ou climb through a bush track another 1000 feet above AVaikaremoana and you come to the AVaikarc Iti (part of that- track has tho greatest wealth of Prince .oi AValo’s feathers Fern I ever saw) AYaiIcare Iti is a picture that no pen can describe. You simply row your boat out into tho lako around tho little-bush-clail islets rising a hundred feet or more from the waters edge, you rest on your oars, look around you, and feel how good it is to have lived to seo AVaikaro Iti. There is nothing there, only water, hills, trees and sunshine, but I shall never forget its charm. The birds around AVaikaremoana seemed to me to bo more numerous, and to sing more sweetly than in any other New Zealand bush I have seen. lam not expert in the matter of native birds, but there were several very sweet singers thero that I am quite sure that I never heard elsewhere. „ ,- I rode back from Waikaremoana to AA'airoa (about 45 miles) in 3) hours, so that tho road is not so bad for cvcling. I delayed two days in AVairoa. Foggy in tho mornings, and a S.E. wind blowing. Head wind and tliev said that the rain came from tho South, so I used the steamer. It was to leave at 12.30, but it never got into AA airoa, and the AA airoa launch could not got out to the steamer, so it left AVairoa lamenting, and took AVairoa’s provisions back to Napier to await- a more favorable opportunity. Next morning again foggy and blowing from the South. This" time 1 started. It rained for Ujc first ten miles, and I was wet to the skin. Then 1 got off the metalled road on to tho clay. Ono moment the wet clay got up and filled my boots, the next it plastered my face and hit mo in the eye. Uphin grade, the wheels go round but I am not getting up tlie hill. I get off and walk, but to this day I have not made up my mind whether walking or riding was best in the beastly sticky clay. I thought of turning back, but that was against my principle, and by and by I got to the top of the lull and started to ride down. The sun came out and, thence to Napier I had a very pleasant ride. Hills, but not very big ones, and the roads in fair order.