PROGRESSIVE MATAMATA

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 826, 21 November 1929, Page 14

PROGRESSIVE MATAMATA

Mr. Mayor Says —

NATURAL HOT SPRINGS AT POPULAR OKAUIA CHARM OF KAIMAI RANGES The holiday season is approaching and j many Aucklanders who do not intend to I travel far afield t rill be wondering which i part of the province holds the most attraction for them. We have invited 1 the Mayors of the chief Boroughs outside Auckland and its immediate environs ' i to contribute articles setting forth the , holiday attractions of their towns. The Mayors (and, in some cases, chairmen of town boards) have responded cordially to THE SUN’S invitation. Each, in turn, will advocate the charms of his town. So. 10. ! (By Mr. JOHN BUCHANAN , Chairman ilatamnta Town Board.) gITUATED m tile midst ol’ tlie j Dominion’s most prosperous and j richest farming lands, the township o£ Matamata abounds with interest for the city and country traveller alike. A camping ground for the convenience of the touring motorist exists within a minute's run from the station and the shopping area, and all facilities > are provided for a stay in the district. A paramount attraction of the town. I which is fast gaining in popularity, is the group of natural hot springs at Okauia, three miles distant by a good motor road. Areas have been reserved where the natural flow' of the clear, health-giving mineral waters has been harnessed, and there has been provided full-sized, regulation concrete j baths, with up-to-date accommodation, situated amidst idyllic surroundings. The health-giving properties of the ; waters are fast becoming famous, and ; sufferers of various ailments who have visited most of the other more famous I hot baths in New Zealand are loud in ! i their praises of the benefits received j from local treatment, many having ; been cured after having felt little : j benefit from visits to other places. The 1 baths hold great attraction, also, for ! the able-bodied, and a visit to the j open air baths is rewarded with a ■ plunge as delightful as it is refreshing. The natural setting of these areas on both banks of the winding Waihou River has enabled the creation of. reserves of unparalleled beauty. A motorists’ camping ground is to be found at the springs, on the banks of the river, where some of the finest fishing the Dominion has to offer is to be obtained. Matamata can tnjly claim to be one of the finest, it' not actually the finest, all-round dairying district in the world' The town possesses a population of 1,200 people and is surrounded on all sides by gently undulating dairy country, on which it is computed there are milked some 40,000 cows. As showing the wealth obtained from the “golden cow’’ in the immediate vicinity of Mataniata town, the following returns of last year’s output from local factories at Matama, and at Waharoa (four miles), Hinuera (four miles) and Te Poi (six miles), are interesting:—Butter, 4,519 tons; whey butter, GS tons; cheese, 891 tons; milk powder, 1,315 tons. The value of this produce at current rates may be set down at well over £1,000.000, and it can be said with little fear of contradiction that no other district in the world can show such a record for the manufacture of dairy produce within a radius of six miles. When it is mentioned that the subdivision of the original large holdings on the Matamata estate has not yet become general, some idea of the future prospects of the town and dia- | trict may be gained. In passing, it ! may be noted that figures obtained i from the Railway Department disclose j that for the year ended March 31. I 1929, no less than 14,929 tons of artii ficial manure were unloaded at Mata- | mata station, this figure being 2,600 tons greater than that of Cambridge, and 4,000 tons more than for Morrinsville. Such is the advance made in a district which, to some extent, was condemned when opened for selection by the Government. 25 years ago, and from which several settlers left, having been unable to carry on. It is only natural that tile governing authorities of so progressive a town should show a progressive spirit and this has been done by successive town boards. Matamata has a water supply ! system drawn from the Wairere Falls, : ; some nine miles distant, which is sec- j ond to none in New Zealand, while j there are few towns so well endowed with domains, parks and reserves. ! The town’s roading and footpath sys- \ tem is some ten miles in extent, all : the main roads being either bitumen- ! ised or under schedule for this work. ! A commodious town ball is numbered i among the township’s amenities. The total rates compare more than favourably with towns of similar status in the Dominion. On the Kaimai Ranges, a mile or two beyond the hot springs, there are many beautiful picnic spots, on the banks of streams which splash through the lovely native bush, and these haunts are yearly gaining in popularity. Another interesting spot which ! attracts visitors is “The Towers,” on the boundary, a relic of the early days. This old creeper-clad building was erected in Old Country style by the late Mr. J. C. Firth, some GO years ago, as a protection against marauding Maoris. Many other fine attractions exist and there might be men- i tioned the racecourse, where will he held in February our annual race ! meeting, and the Agricultural and Pastoral Society’s Show, always eminently interesting, and successful gatherings. Taking all into account, there are few towns in the Dominion, or in the world, for that matter, which are so favoured as Matamata is, with a combination of wealth-producing land, scenic beauty and health-giving springs.