Mr. Mitchelson's Tour of Inspection.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 118, 29 April 1884, Page 2

Mr. Mitchelson's Tour of Inspection.

THE MAIN TRUNK (NORTHERN) LINE ROUTE. INTERESTING DETAILS. [Per Press Association.] Auckland, April 28. The Hon. E. Mitchelson, Minister for Public Works, started on Sunday morning to make the second of his journeys of inspection along the proposed routes of the North Island trunk railway. Mr. Mitchelson, who was accompanied by Mr. Knorpp, left Wy a special train, which carried them to Te Awamutu, whence they went on to Kihikihi to join Messrs. Holmes and Ross, surveyors. They started on the journey with pack horses this morning. The two surveyors named were engaged on the survey of the western route for a railway line, and know the country well. Mr. Holmes is of opinion that it will take a month to accomplish the journey by the Stratford, Ohura, and Tongarahau route, and the party determined, therefore, to go by the Mokau route. They will strike the Mokau river about sixty miles from the sea, and on arriving at Mokau will spend a day or so in inspecting the country and deciding upon the route to be followed. Their first stopping-placed will be Te Uira, and including all delays they expect to reach Waitara in nine days. It will, therefore, be a fortnight before any news can be got of the party—when they reach the telegraph station at New Plymouth. We may add that the distance between Te Awamutu and Stratford is about 135 miles, that being the extent of the line required to be made in order to connect Wellington and Auckland by rail. The surveyors estimate that the line will cost £B,OOO per mile to construct, which reaches a total of rather over £1,000,000. The connecting line via the central route would be over 200 miles in length.

The following is the interesting account of his first journey:— The Hon. Mr. Mitchelson arrived in town yesterday from Wellington rather unexpectedly. He was a passenger from Te Awamutu and Waikato by the down train. His present visit, however, is specially interesting, as he is on a tour of inspection along the proposed railway routes between Auckland and Wellington, collecting information to be laid before parliament dining next Session of the General Assembly. With this object in view, he travelled overland from Te Awamutu, accompanied by Mr. Knorpp, civil engineer, and a guide with packhorses He left Wellington on Monday, the 7th instant, and Martin’s station on the same day. His route lay along “Rochfort’s lino” or, as is better known, the “ central line ” of railway route, which extends along by the head waters of the Wanganui river. On Friday, the 11th, the party reached Tuhurangi station, where

they examined the bush country along the western side of Ruapehu. They travelled through the Marimoutu and Rangihoa country, and reached Te Kaana on the night of the 12th From there the party proceeded to Kakaramea, and thence to Maungatapu, on the western, side of the burning mountain Maruhoe (commonly known as Tongariro). It may be stated that it is not alone the direction but the character of the proposed line which this inspection is concerned. The Hon. the Minister for Public Works took observations of the character of the country on either side of the line, of the nature of the soil, its adaptibility for settlement, and the advantages likely to be presented for special industries. From Maruhoe the party proceeded to Waimarino, whence they could see right back to Tuhurangi and to the Upper Wanganui country. They mounted to every accessible trig station from which an extended view was to be obtained of the surrounding country, and from Waimarino they proceeded to the trig station at Hahungatahi. Here the party entered bush country, and found the land for most part very good. On the road from Waimarino to the trig station known as Pukelapu (a very high hill) they met the first of the King natives of Wanganui country. The party slept at the settlement on the Pungapunga River on the night of Tuesday, the 15th instant. They were received with welcome, and kindly treated by the natives. On the morning of Wednesday, the 16th they reached Taumaranui. It was at this place that the unfortunate Mr. Moffat was murdered. The party was received very kindly by all the natives there, but they were “ troubled” about one thing—they said they were annoyed by Europeans going into the Tuhna country to prospect for gold. They had heard that a man named Berry had been in the country for two or three weeks, and they had sent out scouts to look for him, but had failed to discover any trace of him, and at the time Mr. Mitchelson left the place, they had not succeeded in finding him. From Taumaranui the party passed to Wimiha, where they were also welcomed and hospitably treated by the natives. They slept at the latter place on the 17th instant, and from there they proceeded to Te Kuiti, in the Waikato “ King Country, ” where they were received in a manner even more friendly than by the Wanganui natives. From Te Kuiti they travelled to Kihikihi, which place they reached on Sunday last. So far as the “ central line ” itself is concerned, Mr. Mitchelson speaks of it very favourably. He considers Mr. Rochfort deserves great credit for laying it off, considering the country he had to go through. The grades are all easy, 1 in 80 being the steepest. As the party had to observe the features of the country that lies along the route, they were obliged to follow a somewhat zigzag route. The distance they travelled was about 600 miles. As already stated, they ascended to every trig, station that was at all accessible. Mr. Mitchelson thinks it scarcely possible to obtain an easier line than that surveyed by Mr. Rochfort—that is, one that can be constructed for £5,000 a mile. The distance from Martin Station, on the Wellington side, to Kihikihi, on the Auckland side, is 200 miles, If this line were constructed, the railway distance from Auckland to Wellington would be 420 miles. The Hon. Mr. Mitchelson next proceeds to inspect the Taranaki or western route. The above information must be regarded as somewhat in the nature of a bird’s-eye view of the central line. Mr. Mitchelson has gathered a large mass of interesting information. This information, which will be laid before Parliament in detail, will be accessible to the public by its publication in the next Parliamentary Blue Book.