"ADVERTIER" ESSAY COMPETITION

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 13 November 1912, Page 3

"ADVERTIER" ESSAY COMPETITION

IST PRIZE—MISS E. RUSSELL [Published as written.]

THE HELENSVILLE HOT SPRINGS.

« The Helensville Hot Springs' of to-day would hardly be known as the Springs of the olden days.

The first appearance of a hot spring was a dirty looking mud hole into which the water used to bubble. All around this hole grew ti-tree. The people who wished to have a bath baled the water out with a bucket and put it into a tub and in this tub they bathed themselves.

Some years later the ti-tree was felled and a four roomed bath house' was built. These rooms had large tubs in them, and the water used to be pumped into a trough, at the back of the bath house. The well from which the water was pumped is still to be seen at the back of the front bath house though it has been enlarged.

A sum of money which the Government lent, allowed the Town Board to have a larger and much finer building built. This building had six bathrooms, and a large waiting room in it. The baths were enamel ones, and they had hot and cold water laid on to them, which was certainly an improvement and a lot less trouble

The next improvement was a garden which although it made things look a bit brighter was not a great success. A gate with a fine drive was also made and this made the distance for the Helensville people much shorter for the original entrance was further up the road.

A fine swimming bath was the next building to be put up. The bath is five feet at one end and seven at the other. At first enough water could not be got and the the bath used to take some days to fill up, but now it will fill in a few hours. This swimming bath caused much excitement in the district at first and men used just to crowd in there on Sunday.

Another bath house with four bath rooms and a furnished waiting room was put up. The water was much hotter and so was a lot better for those who suffered with rhumatism and siatica.

Of late the grounds have been greatly improved. Flower beds have been laid out and a tenis court and a bowling green have been made. The bowling green was opened a few weeks ago by Mr Mackenzie, but the tenis court is to be opened on the seventh of next month.

Although the spring water is very disagreeable to the taste one soon gets used to it, and to drink the water is said to do as much good as the baths. At some of the hot springs in New Zealand the water is too strong to be drank but here this is not the case for several people like it very much.

The Springs are little by little becoming more known but at one time very few people knew of them at all. If more people did know of them they would agree with many other people, the water is just as good for diseases as are the other hot springs in this country. In several cases people have been cured here that one wj^nd think almost hopeless. One f.;;an when he first came took twenty minutes to walk from the baths to Mrs Goads boarding house across the way.