THE MOKAU ROUTE.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1047, 15 June 1883, Page 2

THE MOKAU ROUTE.

' Very little has yet transpired as regards the line of country lately travelled over by Mr Carkeek and his party in the exploration for a route fin the trunk line of railway ; but sufficient is known, to show that, for many reasons, the section of country passed over is by far the most suitable of any of the routes proposed. Of course, the silence of the surveyor arises from proper official reticence ; and when Mr Carkeek has said that actually no difficulty exists, he has said , all that can bo expected of him until his report is made public by his department. - It is proposed to give some account of the line of country travelled over, gathered from the actual experience of one who knows the route well. Mr Carkeek has said that Mr Ch.eal was correct in. his statement that for the first 80 miles—that is, for the distance travelled over by Mr Cheal—no engineering difficulty existed. Mr Cheat and Mr Carkeek journeyed a]ong the same section of country without having chosen an exactly identical route : Mr Choal not going so far east at the and returning too far to the westward towards the termination of his exploration —a course which led him into the broken country bordering the coast. Any one looking at the published maps of Taranaki will see that the Patea river, which rises in Mount Egmont and thence runs eastward, receives, some twelve miles east of Stratford, a large tributary from the north and north-east. This tributary contains ns much, or nearly as much water as the Patea itself,- above theiiv junction, and is called the Mangaehu, and the branches of this stream have been the scene of the explorations of Mr Carkeek. It should be said that the' various streams which feed the Managaehu rise a great deal further to the north than is indicated on the published maps. The point of departure then is Stratford, ;and 'from 'thence the line of the .East road is followed, which runs,- along,the valley of:the Patea until theKahouri is crossed, some five miles by road from Stratford. A route east and south is then followed, and the Toko, another branch of the Patea, crossed, and, after a few miles still another, called the Makuri. Here Mr ChealV and Mr Carkeek’s lines separate, Mr Cheal going up the Makuri, whilst the latter gentleman’s course continues further eastward to the Mangaotuku, a large hranbli of

the Mangaehn, running north and south. From Stratford to the Makuri not a hill has ’to be crossed, and ,(he country traversed is lower than Stratford itself. Between the Makuri and Mangaotuku there is a low range of hills dividing the Patea and its tributaries from..the Mangaehu and its* tributaries;. These hills are low, not exceeding 500 feet even on the peaks, and many saddles exist from which to choose a passage across, or by going a little to the south the hills may be avoided altogether. The Mangaotuku reached, its valley is followed north and north-east, with not a hill to obstruct nor spur to surmount. The timber is good,, and much open fern land exists. Following this valley for many miles, Jinojpf; hills is then crossed, and the Makahn, a large branch of the Mangaehu, sometimes'callecl the left hand branch, is reached. The Makahu rises further north than any. .off the istreams which 'collectively make the Patea river, and the head of “Makahu is between .streams, running., intq Wanganui on the right and Waitara on./the jleft of ?one looking north., From . Makahu the line will run into a stream flowing south-east .into Wanganui, and after following this up for some.miles in a northerly direction, a further step eastward is made, and the Tangarakau reached. The latter river is the one spoken of by Captain Blake in a letter to the Wanganui Rerald sorns time last j’ear, as running Hhrough a country eminently suitable for: a line of railway. It passes through flats of botb limbered and fern land, and its general direction is north and south. Up the..stream extensive coal fields exist, being a portion of the same run of mineral which, is; intersected by the Mokau river. Specimens of the coal have been brought to Wanganui, and the natives have utilised it in the forging of portions of the ironwork, for a mill at Pipiriki. From the Tangarakau, the distance to the Ohura, another large river running into Wanganui, is short, and on the Ohura being, reached, extensive fern-clad f plains are found, along which the proposed line will .run/ . From theie to theWaipa' is all easy- travelling, over country daily traversed bj 7 horsemen, and across ‘which many'native roads exist. From the Waipa to : Te Awamutu the country is well known, and its suitability for railway purposes ascertained, The route of which I am speaking traverses a country unsurpassed in the island for the -.quality and quantity/of;.‘the; land which it would open for settlement, great portion of which'has passed from the hands of the Natives. The. Mangaotuku block -is- Government land;; and so are many more blocks contiguous to the proposed line. Government have advanced -money on two blocks of the Tangarakau country, which were; it is believed,: proclaimed, and the proclamation never-raised, and of which.Captain Blake, in the letter referred to, advised'the* Government to complete ' the purchases. The native difficulty, as far as the King country is concerned, has ceased to exist,-hnfl iff Mr Bryce’s late negotiations are as satisfactory as is ../believed, ; it -is equally absent through the dominions of Tawhiao. The section.of country which is most to be dreaded for native Tuhua, where gold is said to, exist,, and - Moffat was shot—is avoided, but not left so far away but that ,a short branch line would easily open it up, should the discovery" of gold be confirmed. The actual length of new line, to be made—viz., between Stratford and Te Awamutu—is shorter than any route among the many projected. It is’not proposed to compare the line spoken of with r others, for it is able to stand on its own merits, without such laboured advocacy as betokens a weak cause; and to seek to. overcome the prejudice which appears to exist against anything in Taranaki would be a waste of time. That prejudice is one which time, developing the resources of the country;swill dispel .—Star; ?‘; : /