HOT SPRINGS OF THE NORTH ISLAND.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 216, 24 October 1874, Page 2

HOT SPRINGS OF THE NORTH ISLAND.

(Continued from our last.) “ The bright waters ef the lake—green, transparent, and cool, and the eddying stream of Waikato, afford excellent opportunity for cold water bathing, while at no great distance are hot springs which might easily be turned to account. Of these there are three principal groups. “ 1. About two miles below Tapuaeharuru is a group of puias nr/awhas, the chief of which is an intermittent one known as the crow’s nest. It occasionally throws up a column of hot water 10 or 15 feet high, but was formerly more energetic and may be so again. Close to it are several less violent but very hot ngawhas, close to the edge of the river, affording great facility for intermixing and regulation of temperature. A person of the name of Mac— something, erected a bath here, with appliances for mixing the hot and cold water, but the number of bathers was not remunerative, and ‘ Mac’s bath,’ as it was called, has gone out of repair.

“ 2. About half a mile eastwards from the river is a small swampy flat, at the foot of an irregular cliff of 30 or 40 feet high, through which flow two small streams of a yard or two wide, one barely tepid, the other too hot to handle. At the point where the two unite, a tolerably good bath has been erected by John Loffley, for-

merly an A.B. sailor in Her Majesty’s Navy, who served in the Naval Brigade during the Waikato war. A dressing-room is annexed, and Loffley has a small house in the neighborhood, where he occasionally receives an invalid boarder. He has made attempts to clear and plant the six or eight acres of adjacent swampy land, and generally shows a creditable degree of energy in endeavoring with very limited means, to develop the hygienic resources of the two streams over which he presides as a sort of river god. I understand that the Government lias extinguished the Native title to the locality, and that Loffley only occupies on sufferance. I think it would be a good plan to give Loffley a lease, on condition that he should erect a certain number of cottages and baths within a given time. I believe he would be able to raise the necessary capital for such operations on a moderate scale. The proximity of the two streams affords the opportunity for the erection of several baths, both within Loffley’s ‘ domain ’ and lower down the valley.

“3. At the distance of a mile and a half from the Constabulary post and township, along the eastern shore of the lake, a warm stream a yard or two wide crosses the road and meanders into the lake. Following it inland by a Maori track, a narrow gorge is reached, in which the small stream expands into two considerable pools varying in depth from a few inches to several feet. They are both of considerable temperature, and a favorite resort of neighboring Natives, who, however, are few in number. These pools are not at present very accessible, and their banks are encumbered with raupo and rushes, presenting no very pleasant accommodation for bathers. The water has also a dingy and unattractive hue; and though capable of containing many bathers at a time, would require a good deal to be done to make them a place of general resort. The water, also, is probably much diluted and less charged with alkalineand medicinal substances. Besides these three principal bathing places, there are numerous fumaroles and steam jets in the surrounding country: one in particular near the coach road, which forms a. marked feature, and is, I conceive, the same described by Hoehstetter under the name of Karapiti. This fumarole and the surrounding fissures might probably be utilized as steam baths. “ Before passing on from Taupo, I may observe that its northern end is not without some attractions for the excursionist, though it does not present scenery of the highest class. Some writers (even Hoehstetter) have expressed themselves in terms of rapturous admiration of. the scenery of this lake. I cannot, however, think that any one familiar with the more remarkable lakes of the world, and even of those in N?ft> Zealand, such as Wakatipu, Te jHiau, Wan aka, and others, would assign to Taupo a first place in lacustrine scenery. It is undoubtedly deficient m almost all the features which distinguish the most admired lakes elsewhere. Its shores are generally low, it has few indentations, bays, or sandy coves, few rocky headlands, jutting promontories, or overhanging precipices, and absolutely no foliage on its banks or anywhere near. Only one small island diversifies its vast surface. Nevertheless, it is a grand sheet of bright, transparent water, and a charming mirror for the splendid atmospheric effects which form so picturesque a feature of New Zealand scenery, particularly within reach of such mighty rulers of the cloud world as Ruapehu and Tongariro. The scenery in connection with these mountains at the south end of the lake has already been alluded to. At the northern end, within three miles of Tapuaeharuru, is the much smaller Tauharu mountain, which may be easily ascended in a couple of hours, and which affords a sweeping bird’s-eye glance over the whole hot spring and lake country as far as the Bay of Plenty. The lively stream of Waikato, with its numerous rapids, occasional bold cliffs, and little wpoded islets, are also inviting objects for tourists. The most remarkable object of all, however, is the Huka Fall, which would be considered a fine one in any part of the world, though far exceeded in size by many. The river, which immediately above is about two chains wide, and of the exquisite transparent green which distinguishes most rivers which flow from deep lakes (and particularly the upper portion of the Waikato), after brawling in rapids and eddying in reaches fora few miles, is suddenly pentin between perpendicular walls of* rock some 50 or 60 feet high, and not ten paces apart. Between these the whole descending river rushes for a distance of two or three hundred yards, churned into a mass of snow-white foam, and roaring with the hoarse voice with which great cataracts are gifted, till the confining walls suddenly receding, it shoots forth as if out of the barrel! of a gigantic gun, and plunges in a solid white mass into a dark-green pool that lies waiting for it below at a depth of 50 feet perpendicular. A party of upwards of seventy Wanganui Natives, on a visit to Taupo, are said to have challenged the resident Natives of Tapuaeharuru to descend the Huka in canoes. The residents thought discretion the better part of valour; but the Wanganuis, in a fit of bravado, made the attempt. Their canoe was sucked under the moment it reached the foaming gorge, and only one Native, who leaped ashore, was ever seen again.

“ The next group of springs worthy of notice is at Orakei Korako, about twenty miles down the Waikato River. It presents one of the most remarkable groups of hot springs and fumaroles in the lake country, .or anywhere in the world, and is capable of varied adaptation to sanitary purposes. The banks of the river for several miles, both above and below, consist of steep and broken terraces, from every part of which, at distances of only a few yards from each other, there burst out jets of steam or runlets of hot water. Hoehstetter, when there, counted seventy-six steam jets at one glance of the eye, and at some seasons of the year more may be seen. The principal open waiariki, or bath, is a very remarkable one. It lies immediately beneath a Native village, which crests the high bank on the top of extensive old fortifications. A strong geyser, some 100 yards back from the river, has created a silicious terrace, called by the Natives Pahu Kowhatu, constructed in much the same manner as those in Lake Rotoinahana, but of less extent and elevation, and less curiously carved or terraced. At the top of this structure, which is at right angles, to the river, are three principal puias ngawhas, much resembling those at Tokano. The farthest from the river, which has been the parent of the whole terrace, is in a state of constant and violent ebullition, at a temperature of about 202 ° (Hoehstetter.) The next to it, the temperature being reduced to bearable beat, contains a most perfect natural ‘ Sitz bath,’ with elbow rests and a polished seat, let in as it were into the shallower and wider cistern which surrounds it. One peculiarity of this bath is, that in a very few minutes of immersion it covers the body with a most exquisite varnish or coating, quite invisible to the eye, but as smooth as velvet, and which gives the bather the feeling of being the most ‘ polished ’ person in the world. This I do not remember to have perceived in any other of the hot springs in which I bathed. It was a sensation of Paradise to sit in this bath after a long and hot day’s travel, watching the full moon rising above the craggy ridge of the lofty river banks, and gradually dispersing the dark shadows of the cliff which lay all along the deep eddying river below.

“ A stalactite cave is to be visited on the opposite side of the river ; but without a Native guide it is not easy to find, and the Natives being all absent from the village I had not the opportunity of seeing it, but it is said to be worth a visit. (To be continued.)