Trip to Marokopa.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 297, 15 February 1907, Page 2

Trip to Marokopa.

IN THE ROTHESAY, On Tuesday Jaet, the 18th lost., the s.B. Rothesay made her first run to Marokopa. •By invitation from Mr Langley, the th'p'B agent, several Kawhia psople went with tha vessel and had a very enjoyable trip. The weather was fine and the sea as smooth as inside the harbour, consequently the d>scomfoits that usually accompany eea travel by lindsxnen were at experienced. The . trip down was not a fast one, tha coal not proving very suitable. When the Marokopa bar was reached the tide had turned, but Captain K r mp was not to' bo denied ; with MOke Pumiki acting as pilot he headed for <>he 1 aeons and took the Kbthecxv through a confused and rather heavy sea and against a strong current, safely into quiet water. Quite a number of Marokc pa people who had assembled to see the steamer cross the bar expressed hemselves as highly pleased with the way she behaved aud was handled. Since ovr last visit to Marokopa Heads, some few months ago, a very great change has taken place—then it looked s?mewhat forlorn nod detolute, Mn Willison’s boarding houeS bsinj tha only building, now it is literally hummiug with life. This is largely dueto the Me okop; Milling Co. their flax mill being now in fr’! work, giving constant employment to ove • 80 hinds, with a pay: sheet jof *abjut £3OO a month. The gema! manager, Mr Toomath, met the

steamer at the ’ending, snd made all hands welcome in a way that was much approbated, It was Captain Ketnp’s intention on leaving Kawh a to go in and out of Marokopa by the same tide, but through the delay in reaching the river this part of the programme was not cu tied out. Captain Kemp took advant. j-e of the wait over to thoroughly inspect the bar at low water, and with Mr Kevilie, the Government Road Overseer, orecLed a beacon on the rocks near the channel at the river’s mouth. The captain also suggested putting np another beacon higher up the cliff, the two beacons now erected being too low down to be clearly seen from a distance,

Of course a good deal has to be done before Marekopa becomes an ideal place' for shipping, notably the erection cf a wharf or landing stag a. At present everything has to he landed in a small row boot. The flax mill people are waiting for timber to build a punt which if available will be a great boon, but more is urgently wanted. The Marokopa River is a bourn ary between the Kawhia and Awakino Couuties. The mill being on the southern side of the river is in Awakino and in this County the Counties Act has not been brought into force. We would suggest that application be made at once to the Government to find accommodation for shipping; it would not mean a large outlay, protably not more than £lOO or £l5O, the expenditure of which amount would give all the facilities necessary for some time to come, lu the evening Mr Toomath entertained the visitors and local people to a smoke concsrt. It took the usual course, toasts of the Marokopa Milling Co, and the Nortnern 8.8. (. o. being among the chief items Songs were indulged in and a very pleasant evening was epent.

At high water next me ruing the Rothesay made for the open ses, the weather still favourable. On arriving st Boll’s mill a surf boat loaded with flax came into view. The Rothesay anchored in about three fathoms of water not far from the beach, and after two or three trips by the surf boat had all the flax she could carry, taking a considerable number of bales o i deck, pn all from the two mills 113 bal l. The Rothesay arrived back at Kawhia wharf at 4 p m.' on Wednesday, after a very successful initial trip.