West Coast Tour.

Patea Mail, 4 November 1880, Page 4

West Coast Tour.

From Hawera to the town of Patea, or as it is also called, Carlyle, the distance is about fifteen miles. The road is excellent, and passes through grand open, rolling country, covered with the richest pasture, and sub-divided into many farms. The fences arc nearly all alive, and of gorse, and their green and yellow and the almost rank pasture dotted with sheep and cattle, formed a truly taking picture. For miles right up to the mountain this kind of country extended, and constitutes a landscape rarely attractive. Of course, the land varies in quality; whilst much of it was superlatively good, patches of lighter soil were to be seen. Some of it certainly might challenge comparison, and, taking it throughout, its pasture is not equalled by that of any other part of the colony. A paddock of one thousand acres belonging to Mr John Hare, situated between Patea and Waverley, was brought under my particular notice, and I must say that I never saw anything to equal it elsewhere. Such pasture! and such cattle browsing it. All about here the land was unquestionably of good general farming character. About midway betwen Hawera and Carlyle is situated the small settlement of Manutahi, comprising a store (kept by Mr Foreman), a publichouse, and one or two other buildings. Carlyle is a pretty little town with an unmistakable air of prosperity. There is a long main street flanked on each side by substantial buildings, the various banks being represented, and every kind of business. Haywood’s Albion Hotel is of the best, and is far above what might be expected in such an out of the way district. Carlyle, however, has a great future before it ; the Patea river, upon which it is situated, is quite a large stream with a comparatively open entrance, that has been vastly improved of late by the few thousand pounds spent upon simple harbor works. It is now easily accessible to good sized steamers, the depth of water having been increased to from nine feet at low tide to sixteen feet at high tide. It is, in fact, the port of the district, and when once the rail way from Now Plymouth is connected with it, it will be the inlet for southern trade, and will open the entire Taranaki district to the enterprise of Wellington merchants. It is here that check may be given tc the push of Auckland, but no time must be lost in completing the railway, or Auckland will secure a grip of the Taranaki trade that it will be next to impossible to relax. It is a subject that demands persistent agitation on the part of Wellington. With good water carriage to Patea, an improvment upon the existing steam service, and the railway right through from Patea to New Plymouth, there is nothing but apathy to prevent Wellington from successfully competing with Auckland in supplying the district. The port of Patea is situated about a mile from the town. The latte l '

slopes to the river, which is spanned by a snbstantal bridge. The high road crosses it and leads to Wavcrly, ten miles further

Waverley, another thriving township, but much smaller than Patea, is surrounded by grand country. The hotel accommodation is good, and every description of ware is obtainable at the stores and other business places. The last coaching stage is from Waverley to Waitotara, distance about ten miles, across more broken country than any we had passed over from Hawera, but still first-class for agricultural purposes. A word about the coaching, which, whilst on the whole good, is open to improvement. For instance, I would suggest that, when the curtains of coaches became too old to be tagged down in the usual way, they should be cither replaced by new ones or repaired, instead of being nailed down, thus converting the interior cf the coach into a sort of dismal cell, from which nothing is visible. Also, that the box scats should be placed at the service of strangers, who desire to see the country, instead of preference being giving to half-drunken constables, who descend at every opportunity to nip with the driver. This hint I hope will not be thrown away. At Waitotara we are on ground comparatively familiar to the public. The Waitotara Block is almost a household word, and its easy acquisition by the present fortunate holders is a matter of history. The township, a snug little place, is situated in a deep valley, out of which the railway to Wanganui climbs at quite a steep gradient. And what a country the railway tra verses in the some twenty miles to Wanganui, In every direction rich pastures, promising crops and flocks and'herds, truly a land of high fertility and flowing with milk and honey. I was much pleased with the excellence of the railway arrangements. Evidently the line is carefully managed, and in this respect reminded me of the well ordered railways of Canterbury and Otago.—A r . Z. Timex.