STAR EXPEDITION TO ROTOMAHANA. The Eruption Yesterday Witnessed at a Distance of Two Hundred Yards. NARROW ESCAPE OF THE PARTY. (BY TELEGRAPH -"STAR" REPORTER)

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 161, 17 July 1886, Page 6

STAR EXPEDITION TO ROTOMAHANA.

The Eruption Yesterday Witnessed at a Distance of Two Hundred Yards. NARROW ESCAPE OF THE PARTY. (BY TELEGRAPH -"STAR" REPORTER)

Rotorva, July 10. The uncertainty that sHll ehadov.-ed tbo fate of the wonderful tcrrace-s of Rotomahana, coupled with tho information received from Captain "Way, the well-known Rotorua guide, that tho oxploration of the metamorphosed lake might now be attempted with comparative safety, decided the proprietor of this journal on Saturday last on equipping an expedition at the Lake district and despatching a reporter to the scene of the i-eeent great upheaval of nature. To carry out this object your reporter left Auckland by Monday morning's train, and reached Ohinemutu town shortly after one o cluck ou the following day. The whole of the afternoon was spent in making arrangements for an eaily start on the morrow. Horses and provender weio procured at Rotorua prices, v hich are rather stiff. Guides had then to be ongaged,and our leporter was plea a ed when he secured the services of Alf. Warbrick, the plucky half-caste, whose organising of the boating expedition to Te Ariki, and whose subsequent brave conduct on various occasions entitle him to rank high amongst the heroes of the eruption — aye, even with Mcßae, of Wairoa, and Dansey, of Rotcvua Two natives — one a lad n;\med Toko, ■whose subsequent endurance and fidelity entitle him to honourable mention — were al?o employed, while Captain Wav also volunteered to accompany the Darty. The water bottle had to be filled, for there is no drinking water on tho volcanic deserr of Rotomahana Finally an early start for the following morning is oideren, and after a refreshing bath in the Lake House bath, all go to bed. The Start. Early rising i* not of one the tenets of the natives of Rotoruu, and when in addition to the physical exortion of getting out of a warm bed, is added the knowledge that the whole countrywide i 3 white with frost, perhaps «0 should not complain of the delay caused by the dilaronne^a of the native portion of the expedition. Though we had hoped to got under weigh betoio eight o'clock, it «a? fully nine before the expedition fairly started. First of all arrived your reporter, then Warbrick, the euide, then the two native?, and last of all Captain Way, who pegged complacently beside the packhorses. Several tourists also accompanied the party in tho first stage of the journey. As the road takon by this expedition will next summer be the beaten track of travel for tourists to the most awe-inspiring w onders of the Lakodistrict, a description or the route may. here bo given. The Government lnve, since rho eruption, commenced the Cutting of a biiJlu track by the route, and the track is being pushed on ■with commendable expedition. Leaving Rotorua, an excellent carriage road loads along for two mi'e? to Whakarewarewa, which is passed on the right hand side. At a point a short distance pa^t the boiling ge\sers the load gives place to the bridle track which, before the eruption was very seldom used except perhaps by the natives residing at Kfiitereria. The country between Whakarewarewa and Kaitereria con=ists of a series of ■ uninteresting treele?rf hillouka, though the luxuriance ot the fern scrub in 211 uiy places shows that the land might be profitably worked by the husbandman, is ear Mount Moerancri, about two miles to tho northward of Kaitereria, and on tho opposite side of Lake Rotokakahi, the flr^t indication of the eiuption is seen in a thin deposit of volcanic dust, -which the recent, rain has converted into aficky mud. Though the fern stands intact, the covering of slime has caused nearly every trace of srass to disappear, and thu natives of Kaitereria are compelled to graze their horses and other stock fully foui miles to the northwards of thair settlement. The track passes Kaitereria a mile from the shore of Lake Rotokakahi. which ii 1 * not visiblo through the intervention of large hills. After leaving Kaitereria, the track pust-es aotne undulating country of a character similar to that already described, and two or three miles from the settlement a bush IB reached, the eastern angle of which mark* the commencement of the heavy mud deposit. Before reaching the bush an exten sive plateau is crossed. This ia called • Earthquake Flat. This discouraging nomenclature is applied to it from the fact that in several places it is riven by great earthquake cracks, and which are rather dangerous to the unwary horseman. From the bush is an expanse of hills and vallej s covered by the grey earthy matter ejected from the volcanoes. This has to be traversed before the hill can bo reached, from which a view 0* tho P^otomahana craters n:ay be obtained. During the recent fine weather the footsteps of visitors have worn a track which is practicable to any vigorous man not afraid of a little hardship After a little rain it would probably be impassable. The deposit is from nine inche3 to a- foot thick on spurs, and deepens in the valleys, and a very little moisture is required to turn it into an adhesive mass. At the time of writing it is the consistency of soft clay with a thin, sun-dried scale on the top, which is broken in all directions. A Flying Visit to Rotomahana. Having thus generally described the overland route to Kotoraahana, we will re turn to the doings of the expedition. Owing to the eagerness of tourists to Teturn to Rotorua before nightfall, the party pushed on, leaving the paokhorees hopelessly in the rear. The weather was beautifully fine, but even the meridian sun did not do away with tho necessity of wearing mittens on the hands, and one gentleman caused considerable amusement by coddling himself up in a mackintosh deapite the brightness of the day. The horses were ridden past the place fixed on for camping, and almost a mile along the foot-track through the volcanic deposit to a spot where a few blasted stalks of tutu stand, the only vestige of vegetation ia this wilderness of slime. To the tutu ptalks thehorses were tethered, and all superfluous covering removed, and tho party proceeded on foot to Rotomahana. The road is notneai'ly ao difficult a«i certain persons at Rotorua, whose love of the miraculous overcame their respect for the truth, would have had us believe. There are two steep ascent?, and in a few places tho walk is rather heavy* but the party succeeded in reaching the hill, which was first ascended by Stewarts party and the Star special on the Sunday after the eruption, and from which Hector subsequently viewed the craters of the lake, in an hour and a-half after leaving the bush.

A Magnificent View. Standing on the brow of this eminence, which i8 probably 600 feet below the level of the lowest new ground surrounding the lake, a magnificent panorama unfolds itself to the spectator. The intervention of a sinal. hill obscures a great portion of the bed of the luke from view, but a good gono al idea of the surrounding country below can be obtained. Tho whole btrctch of the Lake, from the Kai waka Creek, or moro properly, where the Kaiwaka Creek used to be to the site of the Pink Teirace, lies almost immediately beneath, while clouds of steum issue from the hidden crater amid the noise ot a thousand escape pipes. Immediately behind this mass of vapour, ahat tered Taraw era rears its head, and now and then a glimpse of it may bo caught through the steaming hill to the eastward. Tho wuleis of Tarawera Lake glimmer like a sheen of silver in the bright sunlight, the lake, lndoed, forming the only natural looking feature on this fair landscape. All else is mountain and clay, covoied with grey volcanic mud, the colour of a photographic background Warbrick pointed out a high peak of underground at the eastern end of the Luke, and which he states he leached on Sunday last. The Maoris were very doubtful of the probability ot the feat/**6nd even insinuated that he had been dtawing the long bow, and he promised to repeat the performance oti tho morrow ; and, moieover, to plant a flag thereon to convince other doubters. Several Earthquakes. took placo while the party were on the hill, dnd we were grateful to obeervt that landslips did not follow the shocks', as it prestaged less danger when the lower ground about the lake came to be traveled The party paitook ot such creature comforts as they had brought with them. The return journey, lying principally down hill, occupied le.-s than an hour, and on reaching camp, the tent having been erected during their absence, the members of the expedition bade the tourists adieu and ad dressed ihemsolve3 to the mastication ot tinned beef and other cieature comforts j Nighjb came speedily on, and tho light of tho jountr moon gave a weirder aspect to the weird suiroundings ot our camp, but the coldness of the night di-s-ipated any desires we might have felt of gazing lcmantieally at the moon. Siberia id allowed to bu cold, and Greenland peihaps colder, but for a Christian country within a temperate /one, I question if a colder spot could be found than the site of iho Stak Expedition camp. Logd were piled on .in immense tire close to the tent's door, and, unable to sleep, the paity huddled round it, the Euiopeans to utter anathemas against Jack Jb'io^t, and tho Muoib fco " Kanui te ir.ukariri'with hearty goodwill. The Maoris' Loss in Rotornahana. Around that camp fire interesting foots apropos Rotomahana weio recited. Tho j revenue of the Maoii" from the visitor? to the terrace^ the year before last was £(5,500. The money was collected in the form of toll and boat fares, and was banked ueokly and divided at interval^ of two or three months between the (50 or 70 leputed owners of Rotomahana Dit»tiict. Warbrick and hi=< brother- 1 , in who'o veins runs the mo-i" aristocratic Maoi'i blood of this part of New Zealand, veie part owners, and ib wa« but a ie*v day-* before the eruption that .Tot. W t vbiick up in the C'iurt house at Botorua, and objected tn tho granting of a license for an hotel at the Terraces I wan also told that Tarawera Mountain before the eruption was agicat taj>n, in consequence of tho inteiment thoie of W.irbiick's grandfathci and others of his kinr'red. One story, which if not "Trovato" is " Ben Trovato,"' id woith repeating, and was to thi^ eilecf. Some yeais ago <i v til-known hard <a arc met chant from J uoklanr', who w.">s then in partnerp>hip w'th his brother Samuel, was, with some other tciri^ts. going into thn diy basin of the gf-y=er of the White Teirace. Pre-ently tlu geyf-er bnist out unexpectedly, and all x he touri-it? doubt 'e?s thought that their last hour hfid come. The Auckland merchant, a-s lie rolled head over heeU down tho sid« of the terrace, wos heard to exclaim, "I lea\c all to Sam.'" Jhe storj -telling exhausted. Ihe Maoris ciconi-d waiukas to keep tl.e devil away, and so tho timowas wiled away. Every now and thon earth quako shork», which drew from the natives half hightened exclamations of "lie Ku occuired to vary the monotony — one about eight o'clock wa« so severe that, the branches in the neighbouring buc-h rattled as though agitated by a sevoro wind