Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1869. KAIMANAWA.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 739, 29 November 1869, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1869. KAIMANAWA.

Mr Tiffen and Mr Sturm arrived in Napier yesterday from this district. To the latter gentleman we are indebted for the following highly interesting account of their trip : It may be interesting to some of your readers to hear how our Napier prospecting party is getting on in the Kaimanawa mountains. I left Napier in company with H. S. Tiffen, Esq., on the 16th inst., and proceeded by easy stages to Ohinewairau, the Messrs Birch's station, which we reached on the evening of the 19th The rain which we had, before and after we left Napier, had left the roads in some places near the Nga* ruroro gorge in rather a bail state ; and they had been far from improved by the returning of a number of our friendly natives from Tanpo—of course all on horseback. After cro.ssing the Ngaruroro river we found the roads rather better. We were detained at Ohinewairau until Monday, the 22nd, when we left early in the morning, re crossed the Rangitikei river, and after returning some distance, we crossed over the plain towards the centre of the Kaimanawa Ranger, camping at dark at the foot of a i*ange of high mountains.

Early next morning—the 23rd —we ascended a high and rugged nioun tain, and after crossing from spur to spur, descended a steep ridge. In the gully below we met two men of the Napier prospecting party; they had discovered several quartz veins in this locality, but not of very promising appearance. After resting our horses for two hours, and refreshing ourselves, we proceeded, ascending a spur which brought us some 4,000 feet above the level country. A few early spring iiowers decorated the otherwise barren ranges; in steep and rugged i a vines clump-! of trees met the eye; and in the gullies and low ridges a grass — sheep fescue—is found in moderate quantity. The soil in this part is very poor, owing to the great quan tity of pumice and sand. The scenery from this high mountain is grand and majestic in the extreme —a magnificent view being afforded of the snow clad Rnapehu and Tongariro mountains. Towards evening we descended a spur, and cros-ing a small branch of the Rangitikei river, we came to where the remainder of the Napier prospecting party were encamped. Up to the 23rd the party had not been successful in discovering the precious metal, although the formation was very promising, consisting of schistose rocks with bands or veins of quartz. Mr Roberts, the energetic leader of the party, had, the day before we arrived, discovered a quartz vein about two feet wide, of very promising quality. The country is undoubtedly of auriferous formation, and we may expect any day to hear that gold in payable quantity has been discovered in the very centre of the Kaimanawa ranges, where our party is now prospecting. We left again at noon next day, and returned to the first party we had met the day before, and camped with them for the jnight. During the night we had ice a quarter of an inch thick, and icicles hanging like crystals on the sides of the little stream. "We left early, and returned by the Irack by which we came, with very little variation, reaching, on the night of the 25th, the establishment of the Messrs Birch. Next day we returned to the Rangitikei river, and camped there the remainder of the day, to give our horses some rest. Here we met Mr Baldwin's party, who are now on a prospecting tour in the Kaimanawa mountains. On

the 27th wo left early To return to Napier, where we arrived at noon on the 28Mi. The road in dry weather is good, and the tour from this town to the centre of the Kaimanawa may be made on horseback in two-and-a-half days at moderate travelling.