THE ASCENT OF TONGARIRO.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6495, 21 December 1881, Page 5

THE ASCENT OF TONGARIRO.

TO TUB aOITOSt. 6l», —To-day's 2V«ee contains a from Taapo describieg a recent ascent ot Die volcano Tongariro by a Mr Manson, " with five guides.” Except that I learn by the telegram that Mr Maeeon ie "an American • tourist,” 1 know nothing of him, and have so wish to call In question hi* veracity. At the tame time the telegram to which I refer contains so many inaccuracies that f take the liberty of eontradieting oneortwnof its statement * and challenging the correctness of other*. Readers of Dr Hochstett#/* interesting work on New Zealand will remember that lie and geographer* generally aseign to Ngaruho*. tba crater cone of Tongariro, a height of only some 6500 feet, 1050 feet leeetbao that .stated in tho telegram in question. And alshosgh Dr Hochstetter woe, unfortunately, prevented from ascending the mountain, he gives a fail account of the ascents made ro«iy years ago by Meters Dyson and Btdwell. Not having a copy of his book at hand, I will not refer farther .o him, ae I am only quoting from memory. But in 1670,1 had the good fortune *o be one of a party of throe who—considering the time of year, mid-winter—made a very escceesfol ascent of Tongariro; and the fallowing year one of our party made a second and still more successful ascent in tho summer. And since then, during the lost ten years cue or two parties of tourist* have succeeded in ascending the mounts to, so that to say that Mr Maosoo it tb* first pokeba who hot been permitted try the Natives to ascend the moantain, it a mistake. The fact is that the natural difficulties in ascendiog Tongariro, and the opposition of the Natives to anyone ascending, are both very much exaggerated. Tongariro itself is not a large moan tain, and can be ascended from either its eastern or westers elope, but the cone in which ie the mein crater, called by the Native* Ngantkc* (not Orton), is at the south end of Tongariro and rise* to a height of 600 ft above the rest of the mountain. To climb Ngaruhoe « a formidable task, for in addition to its being very steep, and almost precipitous in most places near the summit, it is covered for a great part of the way down with loose sand, ashes, and other dibrit thrown from the enter.

Unices tbe statement that the volcano is in the King country, comes on better authority than tbe rest, I should attach ud* importance to the Native* cot interfering with Mr Uanson'e wish to ascend. The country through which we passed in going to Tongariro, belonged to the loyal tribe Ngatikahungnnu, but our approach was made frem the south and east, and no opposition »se offered a* by this tribe; though, I mart admit, that as the country to the north of the mountain at the time 1 refer to was inha hired by the disaffected, or Hou-hau tribes, we might have met with a very different reception bad we appseehed the mountain from Taupo on the north. But the war w*» going on in 1870, and only a few months after our visit some sharp fighting tool place near the northern track to Tongariro. 'I he Natives themselves have a holy horror of Tongariro, partly because Te Heu lieu’s body lice somewhere on the mountain side, whkn alone would render any place intensely ritjs« (taered) to a Maori, and alio because they consider the mountain a sort cl general rendezvous of all the powers of darkness. Experience showed us, however, and mv impression still ie, that whilst the Natives avoid and even dread the mountain themselves, they are not now given, as a rule, to interfering with those who are “foolish” (pc it hi) enough—as they term it—to ascend it. I must apologise for trespassing at such length upon your space, and have only been led to write at all by the wish to discs’ a little of tbe mystery that envelops Tcn*»riro in the publis mind.—l am, Ac. P. C. ANDEBSO.V. Papanui, Dec. 20,