OUT-DISTRIOT RAMBLES.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1372, 23 October 1883, Page 2

OUT-DISTRIOT RAMBLES.

(By “ Clement ”in the North New Zealand Settler.) Sketches in Poverty Bay, Cook County. Gisbornh, the chief town of Cook County, sit uated at th e junction of two rivers, the Wnimata au<L the Taruheru. Seen from the bay, in the early morning light, with the fogs just lifting and rolling away over Hie istanf hills, the first long yellow steaks of sunlig t gleaming on the row* of white hou»«'«, and glisteniiig on the surf linrs on the bewh. the little to'Wn presems a cheerful atpeot particularly ’o the se» >ick voyager on the New Zi'alariri coast. To the southward gleam the white <1 ft* of Young Nicks Hrad, really h<<aut.iful to ’•Ae eye, wih i the |r ghui'p, H'eep, cr a m coloured sides, fl.x ked \vnh Matey shadows, rising from th® blue Waters of the hay. It if, < f that sp-«t that on* hrtUi‘B the oft-'-epeifted talc of aptain Co<>k*« first landing in New-Zeal uid. On the northern aide of the bay lie low hills clothed with flag, f. m. and cabbage trees. At low tide, long lines of j'Hged rock may be seen proj iving into the s aat every point at the fo >t Of the hills, an appearance < oin non to many capes and points on the Kant Coast. Between them* linen of roc’# lies the Boat Harbour, which affords an entrance for b-irts when tha state of the bar renders the river impraaHcxblo. This seldom occurs during die Slimmer months, but occasionally in winter d«Mng the prevalence of a south-easterly gale. On entering the river at high Ude one is very favourably impre«*ed. The wide river filled with water from ba >k bank, the re-fl-ctions of the buildings anil green willow* indie water, and the wlimpse one obtains of the two »treams parting above the junction make a pretty picture At low tide the scene is not so cheerful. The imposing Fiver has sunk to a narrow stream, in a broad mu-idy b-d, arid the refl actions are not On the right hand, as lhe b"at floats up the river, lies the region known as the Kniti, Haiti The land ascends in a gentle slope from flats toy the river bed. On the rise is a Maori settlement. A Maori church is a strik ng object, and *everal respectable weatherboard houses are dotted here and there, as well as raupo houses of Maori manufacture The Kaiti land rises to the Kaiti Hill, which has b-*en sai l to bear a s'rong resemblance to Arthur’s Seat, in Edinburgh town. Nearly all the land on the Kaiti is leased from the native*, by the New Zealand Native Land Settlement Companv, and is used for depasturing sheep. A ferry boat and a punt convey men and hors- s acrus* the river. The road to the East i 'oast runs across the Kaiti block. The Town of Gisborne Is built on the o’her side # of the river, On landing one is struck by the breadth and length of the main street, Gludstctie Road, which extends away to the country in a straight line. The town is well lai I out, all the utreuta being broad and plaited on either side wit h poplars There are several good brick urn I cone e'e bail lings, bm the houses are mainly b idt of wood. Gishorne now numbers about 2 »*•<> inhabitants. There are EnaEsh, Ho-imii <'atholic, Presbyterian, an I Wesleyan churches, an excellent hospilal, two th- atres and large Government buildings, is in all colonial towns, th re are many hotels. The new Union Bank of Australia and the New Zealand Bank are handsome building's.

The town extends for some two miles along the 1 •ladst-me Hoad, and <>n either aid** it is bordered by a river. The Taruheru stream on the northern side is crossed by a fino wooden bridge leading to the What&upoko block. This Urge block of land, which covers some thousand!* of acre*, is at present "he property of the New Zealand Land Company A portion of the block was sold by public Hiiction, in Vlarch, 1883 The whole block has been surveyed and cut uo in sections, and is shortly to be offered for sale. It is fine land for either building or farming pur oa«s The greater part of the hills at the hack of this block are used for depasturing sheep, being partly laid <own in gra<is. On the southern aide of the t »wn lies the W lika’ He stream, the foresliO'M of which- i« reserved to the Nutiva® a- a fl dung or pipi ground The vYaikanae >t simply a tidul ceek. at high tide a river, a,’ low tide a tiny stream in a mu-»dy bed. It is crossed by a foot bridge, and higher up by the Grey Street bridge, for carts drays, etc. These bridge* lead to the beach, which i* a mo*t charming one. At low tide there is a great expanse of hard dry *and, extending about seven miles delightful for walking ridi- g, or driving, and always affording a dry and pl<-a-saiit road to the couwry. At. high tide the bathing is excellent and fully appreciated by the in ahitai-Is. numbers of w om may be seen, eirly on summ-er mornings, wending their wav to an I from the beach. The distiiet known as th« Poverty Bat Flats

Covers an area of son le 200 s piure miles at the foot nf hilly ran.gee, and is one of the finest agiicutural districts in the North bland. The early settlement and progress of the Bav wis much hindered by d (Acuities wilh the natives, bv th e massacre which occurred there in 1869, and bv its being the seat of war during several succeeding years Of late years lhe chief drawback to the dis

■Het 'as been ihe difficulty of purchasing land from the Natives and of obtaining reliable titles. These difficulties are being gradually overcome. Each year sees some land secured to Europeans, s»me title male good. Sure and steady p-ogress has been made during the last few days, but there i» ••till much to be done. There is too much land unutilized, and still covered with ti’iee, cabbage trees and scrub The na' ural ad vantages of the flat* are marvellous. Tey are well watered, well graced, well wooded, and wherever cultivation has b en sedulously carried on, one sees how well 'he land repays the care bestowed. Beau'iful green paddocks, well stocked with sheep and cii'tln, fields of mangolds, occasionally magnificent crops of wheat and maize, fields of potatoes, all show the capabilities of the land. Why then,, is it that the people import wheat, flour, maize, oats, jams, preserves, and even potatoes, and common vegetables ? Is it that they do not make use of the advantages that nature has showered upon them? Ho s a-e said to succeed admirably, giving incredible returns to the ac r e, yet there are no people regularly engaged in this trade. An a< re here and there is tried ns an experiment, found to auc -eed admirably, and there the matter ends. Apples, lemons, p-aches, al! kinds of fruit grow luxuriantly, yet apples lemons, and oranges are largely imported. Lemons would grow almost a* easily apeaches. A sma 1 lemon, citron, or lime, planted in any garden, will yield fruit luxuriantly while qmte a small tree. The soil seems to exactly suit ih m. Silkworms should succeed admirably, the climate being warm and equable, and the mulbe ry growing freely. Strawberries grow eas y. Tne Maoris cultivate them largely, and sell them round the town early in the mornings during many months in the spring and summer. Gisborne is a municipality boasting a mayor and borough council. A County Council considers the needs of the country districts A great work has just been accomplished in metalling the main road from Ormon I—a country villiage, to Gisborne, a distune of some twelve miles. There is no good metal to be obtained nearer than Or* 4

| mond, which Ins been a great drawback progress, lhe rortds hare hitherto tlmod. impassable in winter. A contract mt'-ing the tnuin road was taken by a Mr Oxenham. A tram lino was laid down, and an engine and trucks have boon bringing down metal day and night for many months pist, gr.*at!y to the terror •of the country br«d horses In the district, which have never become quite accustomed to the aggressive snorting of the iron steed. The work is now oomi let-ed, the road is finished even to the t I'iver bank, and the snorting engine known id / the ’own as Puffing Billy, no more disturbs | the peace of the inhabitant! wfi it rtltttble! through iu tip’ dead ef Hight The rood is now really good, and people edn fully appreciate it after all their past fetUfcrings. The planting of thd streets is one of tha most pleiggnt fdatbres of the town in summer. Poplar and Willows grow very readily, and are to be seen otl nil sides, lending a t’ural a-p«idb t-» the street* and roads. Flowers Itteceed f-dfrly well, particularly th.iso to * .ioh a sandy • 'll ’• agreeable. Gor*>ilutn* and pelargodiums and verbenas 10 not grow sd readily aS in \u<'kliind or Napier. Pldox -s and various flowering annuals, itlso roses and violets, succeed w. 11.

MAKARAKA ts the first village one arrives at on the main road to the country,*and is some four mild! from Gisborne, It is the centre of a small agricultural district, »utl here we find hotel, several shops, and a few soatreredr dwelling-houflHs, more or less pretentious, Tha Rosel .nd Gardens Constitute one feature of Maki aka, being a fine orchard and bee* f*irm, vented by Mr Knight. The cemetery is near Makuraka, and is prettily situated on the hank of the Taruheru river. There is a remarkable artesian well at Makaraks, ga< and water coming up through tho same pipe. On applying a match to the apart Um, the un* usual Hight may bo witnessed of fire anf water issuing side by side from the same small oavaity, There is a racecourse at Makaraka, The country immediately surrounding the village is very fine, being laid down in beautiful well grarsed paddocks, the property of Mr Espie and others.

Turning to the left and leaving the main road, we pursue one equally good, and arrive after a distance of one mile at Matawhflroi another rural village, similar to Makaraka. surrounded by the same excellent farmings land Sad memories are awakened here, fori Matawhero was tho chief scene of the massaerr in 1869, Which has given such widespread notoriety to tho misnomer, Poverty Bay. One is shown the rows of old poplars still Branding, planted round their homesteads by the victims of the raid. One is also shown •n old church, which was standing there long t before the massacre took pls.-e. It is -trange that the Maoris spared the church although they did not hesitate to burn and destroy all a else, either animate or inanimate, that came Witbin their range.