Mount Egmont.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 29, 4 February 1914, Page 5

Mount Egmont.

GUR SPLENDID ASSET. THE STRATFORD HOUSE. Mountains never shake hands. Their roots may touch; they may keep company some way up ; hut at length they part company, and rise into individual, isolated peaks.

The writer of this must surely have had in mind Taranaki’s snow-clad sentinel, Mount Egmont, which towers above its fellows in height as well as in its wealth of scenic beauty as a tourist resort. In a lesser sense, too, tin' quotation applies with effect in relation to the trio of hostelries on the Mountain’s side. The Stratford House has never refused to shake hands with her sister of whom New Plymouth is never tired of singing praises, or with Dawson’s Falls on the opposite side, but Stratford has decided claims for the beauty prize that are not all parochial. The sylvan retreat of the drive, or. for that matter, the walk, up the track is a feast in itself for beauty’s eyes, and at the end the home away from home under the new management is a recompense of no mean value for all one’s trouble. Curtis Falls, a few miles further on, provides an easy and pleasant outing, with a fine reward in the sight of the two cascades, the top one of which has a fall of 35 feet. The trip through the bush opens up lovely vistas, which of their kind are unsurpassed anywhere. Then, again, only a short stop from the House, at the Crow’s Nest, a magnificent panorama is opened out to the traveller. This is an improvised outlook, from which Waitara in the north and the country beyond appears quite close; Stratford nestles at ►one’s feet almost, and some idea of the immense stretch of undulating land lying to the east is gained ; while, to the southward, F.ltham, Hawera, and the surrounding rich belt of dairying country can be surveyed in detail. To many, much of this observation may appear stale, and may fall flat, and may engender a feeling of unprofitableness, but, on the other hand, there must be very many—the majority of readers, there can be no doubt—who know of the great asset at their doors only from hearsay. For them, then, this article is specially penned, in the hope that their interest may be aroused, and that before the season closes they will be able to speak at first hand of the glory, grandeur, and greatness of Mount Fgmont. While it is considered •‘quite proper, you know” to blame the mountain for all the ills of wind and weather that human flesh is heir to in these parts, it is well to remember the compensating advantages to he found in “him” as a big, fat asset of attraction for all. Could half of Stratford know how enthusiastic only half the travellers are concerning the mountain, they would be twice as anxious to learn the extent and probe the mystery of his beauty. To the very Tip-top. But the real excursion into the domain of mountaineering is, of course, the climb to the summit, which, is just as much the property of Stratford as of anyone else. Indeed, with Stratford as the centre, or starting point, the summit is attainable by conditions of ascent easier than by any other track. To the House itself, from the Stratford railway station, it is a distance of only eight miles, half of which passes through some of the loveliest bush scenery be found even ,in the Dominion’s many picturesque spots. Leaving the House, the ascent is made by easy grade for a mile or so, followed by a comparatively level stretch which gives the walker just sufficient respite from climbing to put heart into him for the stiff ascent over the rocks to the top. On the other routes the climb is a great deal more severe from the very commencement after leaving the hostelries. These advantages also hold good to a certain t.xteat in the descent of the mountain. In reviewing the position, the writer, far from wishing to draw odious comparisons in this matter of the routes, simply desires to impress upon readers a, sense of the proper loyalty that ought to he observed to their own particular track and the surroundings. A TRIP WITH THE BAND.

So much for the general aspect. Particularly, the intention at the outset was to refer to the visit ol the Stratford Brass Band and other visitors to the House on Sunday last. With the object of creating public interest and advertising the trip, Mr Williams as one of his schemes extended an invitation to the Band to spend the day at the House. it was rather unfortunate for all that the morning should have broken dull and threatening, as there was every promise of over 100 people making the trip in the event of the day being line. As it was, however, fifty, of whom half were members of the fair sex assembled before midday. The track, by which that particular portion of the road after leaving the metal road is known, was heavy as the result of the rain, and the stiff grade—there is no “let up,” remember, until the House is reached—necessitates an equable temperament as well as a stout heart in the walker. However, all tilings come to an end, and when the destination was reached, the genial welcome of the illiames and a hearty meal set everyone in the best of moods, and before long various parties had been formed, and enjoyment was sought in excursions or in the realms of mirth and music. The Baud also played an enjoyable number of selections, adding to the