A TRIP TO COROMANDEL.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 297, 8 September 1888, Page 6

A TRIP TO COROMANDEL.

Boat Haiujour, August 24. Some time has elapsed, since I promised you further particulars of the above auriferous locality, and if I have been slow in keeping my word, you must attribute it to the Robinson Crusoe difficulties of an out-of the way and, as yet, comparativoly obscure camp like Boat Harbour. Lt is to be hoped that before long the prospects of the camp will warrant the expenditure of some public money on bush tracks, and with the advent of spring we may reasonably hope for more genia^ weather, when life will become moro en durable, but of late we had to suffer from all the unpleasantness of wet, cold, wind, equinoxial gales, and other tirst-class excuses for delayed correspondence. As 1 previously remar iced, spring will soon be upon us. Do not be alarmed. lam not about to make appropriate allusions to the " brighter iris," " beautiful spring," or ""When the Springtime Comes, Gentlo Annie. " Asfaras lam concerned, all that sorb of thing shall be left to your special idiot — I mean your special poet, for such I take the young man with the pale face, long hair, turn-down collars, bad boots, and a roll of manuscriot, whom 1 saw, standing with uncertain mien, under the a?gis of the Star office clock. Let me repeat that spring, with her warmth and ilowors, will soon beon topof us. The hopeful hotelkeeper is already craning his neck out of the upper storey window (like sister Anne) in hopes of observing the approach of the British tourist. The gay mining speculator rolls his towel and comb in his blanket, and hies him to the woods to rope in the unwary miner. The dickey birds are making love on the housetops and places. The boy with the red note, who iishes for tommy cods off the wharf, has ceased to shiver. Canst thou hear the distant hum of the coming boom ? Thou canstest ? Ha, ha ! 'Tis well. Let her hum ! Should the British tourist, or any other pei son, wish to look upon most charming scenery and have an enjoyable trip by water, he cou'd not do better than follow the route I recently took on my way to Boat Harbour ; at least, he could go as far as Mercury Bay without having to put up with my discomfort. Some distance beyond that port they will reach the bush shanties, where " billies" are swung, and we slumber on couches of soft mungi mung. Most people arc aware, or if they ate not aware they can make themselves aware by referring to your advertisement columns, that the steamer Coromandel leaves Auckland three times a w eek for the township after which she is named. The trip b\ this boat is in this way enjoyable from the very start, a*nd after passing Rangitoto, the wide channels are so land locked as to have the appearauce of a large lake. On steaming by Waiheke, Ponui and the many headlands and secluded bays, I was ioicibly icmir.ded of the scenery among the thousand and one islandsofithcQueenslandcoast. Inthelattor group Nature, with lavish hand, has decked the hills and glades to the water's edge with matchless veidure. The axe has not as yet made unsightly gaps in the "forest prime\al," and the plough teems a thing of the very distant future. From Auckland to Coromandel one never loses sight of comfortable homes, farms, and oul-buildings ; still the wooded headlands, letired coves and rooky i-lefcs %evy much le^emble many part-* of the group along the eastern coast of Australia. Should our touri.sta want any information a& to the bemties of nature through which he is gliding, he will hnd a willing and agreeable ciceione in Captain Scott, who is always anxious to make the trip an agreeable one to his passengers. Captain Swindley, the manager of the Coromandel Steamship Company, in\ariably meets the steamer on airival, and a= he knows every per&on and locality in and about the two townships the rambler of any kind, who is seeking particulars of men and things, should at once apply to him. I can guarantee the inquirer gentlemanly nnd courteous treatment. The typical touri&t with the tweed .-avit having landed in Coromandel will ha^e no difficulty in fin .ling a suitable hostelry. The touiisl will have plenty to see in Coromandel, and of cour&e he should not leave the district without inspecting one of the gold pioducmg mines. When the wandeicr ha& done the oldest goldtield in New Zealand, he should hiie a hoi .se and ride over the langefc to Mercmy Bay. Before reaching the summit of the fitst umge if he turns* seaward ho will bo rewaided with , a magnificent \iew scarcely surpassed by that obtain Lie from Mount Eden. The road .-ill the way over is picturesque m the cvtieme, particularly at one place wheie Castle Hock shows itself in towering giandeur. Should the traveller be alone, by following his nose lie will not have much difficulty in keeping the track, but in all probability there would be pome person coming o\er who would be glad to act as "friend, philosopher and guide." Theie are three hotels in Mercury Bay, and if the traveller likes quiet, comfort and cleanliness, combined with civility, he will find all in the house conducted on temperance principles by Mr J. Hand. Should he of the tweed be of sporting tastes or a judge of horse-flesh, Mr Hand can show him a slashing son of In^omar and Rangi. The grand son of Uncas is a fine upstanding bciy colt with black points, and unless I am much mistaken, he will &omo j day distinguish himself on the hwavd. The traveller should not leave Whitiangi, as the postal auohoiities insist upon Mci cury Bn\ beingcalled withowlvibitingthcsawmill Mr Clay, the general manager, is always to | be found in his oilice, and no doubt our tourist can obtain the necessary permission riom him. The harbour at "the bay" is one of the safest and prettiesL jin the Noith Island. A variety of fish can be caught within eaf-y distance of the township. Boating and boat sailing can be had to any extent. There is Buffalo Beach which far surpasses anything of the kind in the vicinity of Auckland. There is Shakspere's cliff", boldly rearing from the sea, on the summit of which Captain Cook erected a post from which he observed the transit of Mercury. The tourist might prospect for the site of the grand old navigators observatory,and in all probability, if he came upon it, he would find some valuable relic?. J vat imagine, if he struck the great mariner's snuff - Jdox ! I am not sure that the great mariner took snuff, but if he did, and if he dropped hie snuff-box, it would be worth finding. Should our touiist prefer it, he can send his horse back to Coromandel and return to Auckland by the s.s. lona, the voyage lasts about 12 hours and in fine weather is a very pleasant one. As to Boat Harbour, beyond the seasonable discomforts already mentiond,l have little fresh to' report. Mr Murray,' of the Prospectors, has another parcel of quartz sacked on the' beach ready for shipment per Jona to Auckland on Wednesday next, and from what I hear and sou, much more satisfactory results than those ob-r taiued last lime may be expected. On a

claim owned exclusively 'by 'Maoris, a rioh | leader is reported to have been cut, bub it is difficult to obtain reliable information on the subject, as the native "owners seem to object to bhe inspection of their property, and jealously watch all visitors 1 to their ground. Whon last I visited -the drive on the Queen of Beauty, solid formation was just showiner'ovor the floor at the bottom of bhe face. Pieces of stone present favourable' mineral indications, and from one portion of quartz, after crushing and panning out, 1 got a good colour. I think the Queen of Beauty people are touching the coveted reef, and lot us hope their exertions will, before long, be rewarded by the discovery of paying mineral.