The Central Route.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 127, 24 April 1884, Page 2

The Central Route.

Mr Mitchelson's Overland Tour to Auckland. Highly Interesting Details. (UNITED PKt-SS ASSOCIATION.) Auckland, April 22. | -jTlie Hon. Mr Mitchelson arrived m town yesterday from Wellington rather unexpectedly. He was a passenger from Te Awamutu and Waikatoby the down train. His present visit, however, is specially- interesting, a* he is on a tour of inspection along the proposed railway route* between Auckland and Wellington, collecting information to "be lafd before Parliament during next session of the General As-; sembly. With this object m view^ he' | trayellcdoyerland from Te Awaniutu, 1 i accompanied by* Mr Knorpp, civil en-; gineer, and a guide, with packhorses.; He loft Wellington on Monday, the 7th instant, and Martin's station on I the same day. His route lay along " Rochfort's line,"" or, as it is ■better; known, the "central line" of railway route, which extends along by the head waters of the 1 Wanganui Elver. On Friday, the I lth, the party reached T'Hhnrangi station, where they examined the bush country along the western side of Ruapeha, They travel-led'through-the Murimoto and ' Ring* hoa country, and- Reached Te Kanua on, the night of the 12th. From there 1 the patty proceeded to Kakararaea, and thence to Mawngatapu, on the western side of the buruing; mountain \Taruhoe (commonly known as Tongariro). It maybe stated that it is not alone the direction but the character of the.pro- I posed line which' his "inspection, is con- ] cerned. The Hon thY Minister'- for Public; Works took observations of the character of the country on either aide of the line, of the nature of the .soil, its adaptability for settlement, and the advantages . likely to be presented for special industries*. From Maruhoe the partly proceeded to Waimarino, whence they coull see right back to Tuhurangi, : and to the Upper Wanganui country. ' They mounted to everya ccessiblo trig station from ; which an extended view was to be obtained of the surrounding country, aud. from Waimarino, fchoy; proceeded to the trig statio . at Hahun gatahi. H«Te the party entered the bush country, and iound the land for most; part very good. On the road from W ; aimariuo to the trig station known as Pukatapu (a very high hill) they met the first of the King natives of Wanganui country. The party" slept at the settlement on the Pungapunga! Rivernon the night of Tuesday, the 15tli inslank s They were received witt». welcome, and ' kindly ti ea ed . ;by the natives. .On the morning of Wednesday, the 16,tb, they reached , Taumaranui. It was at this place the unforlunato Mr Mortal t was murdered. The patty was received very kindly by all the natives there, but they were :' troubled" about one thing —they said they were annoyed by Europeans going into the Tuhua country to prospect, for gold; They had heard that a man named Barry had been m the country for two or three weeks, and they had sent out scouts to look for him, but, had failed to discoveFany trace of him; at. the, time of Mr Mitchelson left the place, they had not succeeded m finding him. From Taumaranui the ; party passed to Wimiha, where they were were also welcomed and hospitably treated by the natives.. They slept at: ith^-1 latter, place ori the 17th \mstarit,; laud irom there, they proceeded to Te Kfiiti, -m '■' 'the Waikato 1 " King Country," where they w.ere re;cei ved m"a ma nhei even r niore '* friendly thean by the Wjmganuj natives. From' Te Kuiti they travelled to Kihihihi, rwhic.h plae.» ;they; reqehed. on >§(siidayi last. So far as the "central line" itself is ; concerned^ vlr- Mitchelson speaks of it very favorably. Ho considers;Mr I Rochf6rtideserve3great''cre 1 3H for laying it ofl^ consideiing the country he had to go ilVrougli. The grades. I are all easy, 1 ia JSO/being-.thp steepest.; •As the party had to observe the feaItures of the countiy_that lies along the' jroute, they were obliged to follow ai jsomewhat zigzag route. The' distance jthey travelled was about 600 miles., JAs already stated, they ascended to! every trig station that was at .all ac-; jceisible. Mr Mitchttlson " tiiinka it scarcely possible _to obtain an easier (line than that surveyed by Mr Rochthat is, one that caju be constructed |fbr £5000 a mile.The distance from Martin Station, on the * Wellington; side, to Kihikihi, ou the Auckland side, is 200 miles.' If this/line were' conjstructed, the l'ailway distance from jAncklaud toWellington would be 420 , miles. The Hem Mr Klitchelson next ; proceeds to inspect the Taranaki or j west crn rou te. THe above information i must be as somewhiit m the ! nature of\,a bird's-eye view of the cen-

tral line. MY Mitchelson has gathered a large mass ofTntefestinsf information. This? ialhrrolbion,: fwhicb. . will: jbo- laid before Parliament ia detail, will b«i accessible to -the-puMic by its publicaf tion m- the nWt Parliamentary Blue Book.: •,,.,.•■..;,; ■ :i , . . ..--■'