THE VOLCANIC COUNTRY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XII, Issue 1733, 14 June 1886, Page 2

THE VOLCANIC COUNTRY.

Eotorua by trough measurement is as the crow flies about 120 miles south east from Auckland, and about 240 miles to the northward of Wellington. It is about 54 miles nearly due north of Taiipo, and about 38,ymjles by i coach from Rotorua. Of Mount Tarawera the following description was given' a number of years '. ago m the Otago Daily ' T-ifaes by a correspondent of that paper.:— *\ It fills up the background of the S.E< shore of Lake Tarawera. It may be described as a high sloping; terrace base from which spring three mounts, that to .the left, a tiuncated cone rising, to a of nearly 3000 ft above sea level, and named Te, Whanga. The centre one, Buawahia, 3000 ft above sea level, and 'the one to the right.vTarawera, three or four hundred feet lower,wnd sloping very decidedly to the South, Euwahia inaccessible',, though it appears is a Maori «place xioepultureT-that is a final Cresting •• place, wherej; Sfter haying, been scraped, bo T nes are deposited. This nbble mountain also overlooks Lake Bbtomahana. sAt! the foot of. Tarawera is a remarkable mount, which tradition says was an> active volcano not many centuriesago." This is separated from the White Terrace by only a gully. Wairoa lies iO miles S.S.E. of Eotorua by road, and 10 miles from Tarawera across country, and 12 by the lake. Te Arihi is a Maori, settlement at the landinp- place on the 6hqre of Lake Tarawera, where the stream that drains Lake Botomahana joins it. Ngae is an old Church of Eng. land . mission station, about eight miles from the township of Ohinemutu round ; thej S.E. .shore; ofiLake Rotorua '"tqward Tikitere.C ; jj, -. ; /' ; l t;" ; - .--^ ■''■'■■'y* i --~' N - At one time the;; peninsula at Ohinemutu was nearly double its present size, &nd nearly all the tribe Ngatiwhakawae ,liyed there ; but during one memorable night the outer end suddenly collapsed and sank into the lake, and scoresjbf Native perished, only one woman being •'saVed'.- ' -' ''* ■■'*' ■'■'"'''. About two years aeo Boto Kakahi, a small lake m the neighborhood, rose to a boiling point, but the temperature afterwards fell, and has remained as usual since. Lately there have been certain signs of volcanic activity m various parts, especially m White Island, where the men accustomed to get sulphur have been unable to work from' the showers of stones and dust Lake Botorua has •lately been lower than has been known before. The hot springs also have been extremely low. Close to the hotel a bath which has been closed for five or six years has recently been opened again on account of the water once, more flowing freely. The volcanic district, of New „ Zealand is well defined, and the present: disturbances are at the most probable' spot for eruptions.