PUHIPUHI AND ITS UNDEVELOPED MINES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 461, 9 April 1890, Page 5

PUHIPUHI AND ITS UNDEVELOPED MINES.

(From a Travelling Correspondent.)

Having a couple of weeks on hand, with nothing todo.lthoughtl would take the chance of trying to do Puhipuhi, that mythical El Dorado of “ the far North,' making up my mind for a little of the old-time roughing over again. I went, so to speak, prepared for anything and everything, down the wharf, last Tuesday evening, and most recklessly placed myself in the hands of ' genial Mr Woodhouse, the popular chief steward of the s.s Wellington. We had a glorious trip up, the worst part of which was, waiting on the Railway Wharf, Whangarei, for the train from town. As it was some considerable time past the advertised time for starting, I fully expected to hear loud murmurs, or threats to report the erring official; but not so, my fellow passengers seemed to take it as a matter of couree. I afterwards ascertained that “ being late ” was the normal condition of things in respect to the Whangarei - Kamo Railway and other institutions down N ° rfch * WHANGAREI. However, the train did come, and I and others got in, and, with sundry snortings and puffings and a most terrific shaking of myself and the permanent way , we glide gracefully over the mangrove swamp into Whangarei, at which station we pull up, and “yours truly, as a stranger, is viewed and quizzed by the Whangareiteß. 1 can see most of them are in doubt as to whether I am the Minister of Mines, daily expected in Whangarei, en route for Puhipuhi, for the last two years, or the expert from Sydney that is going to report “most favourably” on the Prospectors’ Claim, and so bring prosperity to patient and long-suffering W hangarei. In any case, it is plain to be seen that I am a stranger and going North, and ergo I must be going to Puhipuhi. KAMO. I could see little, if anything, of Whangarei, beyond that it is built, from a sanitary point of view, in the worst possible place, but I may give you a stranger s impressions of Whangarei on some future occasion. Hark ! the whistle sounds, “ the Express” is off again, climbing and snorting the hills, Kamo-wards. At this station four miles from Whangarei—l leave “the Express,” climb a rather stiffish hill, and Kamo’s really handsome little town lies before me, but beyond noting the immense chimney stack of the coal-pit, a most conspicuous object, and the two little pretty churches and their concomitants, “ the chokey,” I have not time to do Kamo either, as the well-known Jehu of the Whan-garei-Kavrakawa coach, Mr A. Christy, is shouting “ all aboard,” and so I must get “aboard.” HIKURANGI. The whip cracks, and off we go along a splendid road past snug farms and herds of sleek, well-fed cattle to Hikurangi, ten miles from Whangarei. At Hikurangi I encounter Host Rolleston, but as I know your stern dictum —-no cheap advertisements in correspondence —I must only say that Host Rolleston is too well known to need repeating. So after replenishing the inner man to the satisfaction even of fastidious me, I boldly placed myself in the hands of one of Mr Rolleston’s Puhipuhi guides (who; I think, was nicknamed Charon —for why I don’t know-), mounted a strong, stout cob, and made the final start •for Silverton, alias the Puhipuhi. A short mile from Rolleston’s Hotel there is a large seam of coal expo-ed so close to the surface that only the top sod has to be taken off and Io ! there is the coal ; a good likely-working coal too. Close at hand also are piles of limestone, and Charon tells me that the big Hikurangi mountain is nearly all ironstone. I could not help asking: “ How is it, Charon, that you settlers up here have not developed the great wealth that is now before you all these years ? “ Because us settlers are as pig-headed as the (adjective) Government, sir, who won’t do anything for us, and we won t ourselves.” •«H m ! Strange that should be so, friend Charon.” “ Yes, sir, it is to you, no doubt. But you are in the * far North’ now, and nothing would ruffle the neck-feathers of a North-of-Aucklander more than waking to the fact that the Government of the day had found out that there was such a place as the North of New Zealand. Don’t you see, sir, we mutually understand one another? “ Yes, I see, Charon. Let us get on to Puhipuhi.”

PUHIPUHI FOREST. And leaving Hikurangis truly wonderful coalfields, limestone measures, and moun- ( tains of ironstone behind, thinking, by-the-of the Government s fostcvinc/ C3.ro* we p&es the head of the big swamp* then across some fern hills, and over the Wairua Bridge, in and through a big swing gate, and past Eru Nehua’s homestead, by the “old Bay Road,” leaving the metallic highway to Hukerenui and Kawakawa behind. At Eru’s house the hill leading up to what Charon calls the new track has to be negotiated. I have an old-time dread of new tracks in the bush, anyhow, but don t like to show the white feather, so recklessly follow my guide. I am agreeably surprised to find that “ the hill is nothing, and that the track leads over a wide and extensive plateau, most admirably adapted for cattle-raising, if laid in grass. We are passing through what was two years ago the scene of the celebrated Puhi* puhi fire, ad evidenced by the tall and ghastly white trunks of innumerable kauri trees, where bark has or is now dropping oil in big sheets that would not add to the comfort of a man or horse, if one of “ the sheddings,” as Charon called them, fell on rider or steed. As Charon was dead gone on “the Government,” here was another glorious chance of him showing his admiration at their prescience. “ Now, sir, in any other part of the colony except ‘ the far North,’ those trees killed by the fire two years ago would be sold. Bub no, the (adjective) Government will stick to them like leeches. Another season and this tall fern will die, then we will have another fire, and these trees you see will be completely destroyed. There are as many dead kauris, killed by the last fire, as would go a lump towards paying for the railway to Puhipuhi.” Without endorsing all Charon’s remarks as to nearly “paying for the railway to Puhipuhi,” I cannot help thinking that if these dead kauris are an asset, and of any value, it should be at once realised, as against the risk of another fire. We comfortably jog along, and I begin to wonder where the hills and rivers ar ®» also the evidences of quartz, none of which I can see. Nothing but a thick, dense bush of kauriand its attendant under-scrub of mkau, kareao, etc., etc., for we are now on tot the dead and into the real live bush. Suddenly Charon shouts, “ Steady, my Pegasus, and with a slide and flop I find myself into a beautiful creek or river, the famous W airiki.. The transition from no indications of minerals to a surfeit of it is indeed sudden. For the bed of the Wairiki is strewn with quartz galore, from tiny little pebbles, well worn, up to big half-ton masses that have not come far from their parent Ipdes. The

river itself, too, is unlike what I was led to expect, for, in place of a rude, brawling river, rushing and tumbling over falls and rocks, it is a gentle meandering stream, whose clear, bright pools would have delighted the heart of the gentle Izaak Walton. “ Stay, stop, worthy Charon, what are you doing?” “Putting up the rails, sir, to keep our horses in while you do the Wairiki mines.” “Just so; but where are we ?*’ “ Right in the middle of Puhipuhi, sir, eight miles from Rolleston and three from the prospectors’.” “ Yes, yes, my worthy Charon, but I cannot understand. Where are all the hills to climb and rivers to cross ? Surely my memory does not fail me, for I think 1 have read of some wonderful air line route to Puhipuhi.” “ Yes, sir, I know; but that route, like some other glowing pictures of Puhipuhi, has melted into the thinnest of thin air.” “ Steady, Charon. No running from the subject. It is too serious. We are, you say, eight miles from the hotel.” “ Yes, sir.” “ And how many more before we are at the mines ?” “We are at the mines. The Comstock No. lis there as well as the Cabarfeidh and the ” “ Is chat so, Friend Charon ? Well, I assure you the ride lias been simply delightful. IJs folk from the South dread the ride into Puhipuhi as much almost as being asked to invest our money in its mines. And who built the track we have just travelled over?’ “The last five miles of it was made by the miners, who gave from a week to ten days’ labour each. No people outside helped them with food.” “And did the Government, give you no assistance?” “Not a red. Catch the Government doing anything so foolish as to reverse their time-honoured policy. They are building or surveying a road up the Waiotu, but for five months in the year it is impassable, 3ave for a shag. You will eee it going out, sir. It is the celebrated air and water line route.” “That will do, sir.” “We get out here and leave our horses. Give me the saddles —that’s it. This is the ‘ Old Man’s Refuge.’ ”

“The Refuge” was occupied by half-a-dozen miners and Mr Simpson’s survey party. The latter I heard were fixing trig stations. 1 might say right here that the various gum camps throughout the bush are known as the “ Kiwi Camp,” “ The Cook House,” “The Ball Room,” etc., etc. This, for some occult reason best known to the sponsor, was called the “Old Man’s Refuge.” Charon at once explained my mission, as a gent from Queen-street anxious to see the mines tor himself. “Right you are, sir,” said a burly, big miner. “We will be glad to show you everything we can. Come and have a drink of tea.”

While discussing the inevitable and grateful pannikin of Bobea, my entertainers informed me without any questions that there was little if anything to be seen at any of the mines, that none of them had any titles yet, the surveys not being completed, and consequently they were afraid to open up; that the (adjective) Government (what an utter detestation these miners have to the Government Grand Show, I should say, for an Oppositionist next elec tion), kept things back from the first, and were still pursuing the same old game, etc, THE MINES. After our feed we started right off for the Comstock No. 1, distant 300 yards, and saw two very clearly-defined reefs of feet and 3 feet 4 inches respectively. The big one seemed good quartz and carried silver in sulphide. The smaller reef showed more indications of gold, but as both were only scratched on the surface about 2£ feet nothing definite could be said. It~is a mine easily worked, and both reefs will give an immense amount of backs. It is a thirty-acre holding held by local shareholders. Unfortunately, there are two companies claim the same ground, i.e., the Comstock and Cabarfeidh. I strongly advised them, as an old miner, to settle tbeir differences out of Court, for a thirty-acre holding is ample for sixty shareholders, much less thirty-four, which would be the amount if both amalgamated. The country here looked well—a nice sandstone —but the bush is terribly thick. From the Comstock we went to Kerr’s holding, further along the range. There was no one on the ground, bub a really fine working reef was uncovered of about three feet wide. I took some of the stone away with me. Kerr has only scratched the surface.

From here we went over the hill to the Wairiki again, passing Gibson’s claim of seven men’s ground, in which nothing was done. We also went to the Jubilee, a thirty-acre holding held by twenty shareholders, ten of which, the mine manager, Mr N. Murphy, informed us, are Aucklanders (this holding adjoins the celebrated No. 3). Mr Murphy showed me all over his ground, and the numerous outcrops of reef that run through it. There is a grand show of undeveloped reefs here, of all descriptions of quartz—one reef particularly, which Mr Murphy informed me was called “ The Chief Postmaster,” being exactly similar to the celebrated Try Fluke stone. Mr Murphy has done nothing, as a portion of his holding was overlapped, but he informs me that the disputed ground is now arranged for, and he is anxious to get to work. I should think so, and I told him 1 should anxiously watch the developing of “ The Chief Postmaster ” reef, as I felt certain it carried gold. I counted seven distinct lodes in this ground, and, although I don’t know the Auckland shareholders, yet they must permit me to congratulate them on their fine property. ’Twas bub a step from the Jubilee over a line, and Mr J. D. McKenzie, manager of the No. 3, or Orangemen’s claim, took me in hand. I was agreeably surprised by the intelligence displayed by Mr McKenzie in minerals and their alloys, etc. In fact, he is quite a walking cyclopaedia. On this, a 30-acre holding also, there was little, in fact nothing, done. Two companies—a Kawakawa and Wbangarei No. 3—claim the precious ground. I hinted amalgamation to Mr McKenzie and so avoid expense, but I was toll that could not be. There are some five or six reefs running through this claim and out to its neighbour, the Jubilee, and from one of them, the Silver Reef, a fine, ele.riydefined lode of nearly six feet wide, a splendid assay of 200 odd ounces of silver and nearly loz of gold was found. Bub although it is known that all the reefs are payable, yet nothing is or can be done until the 23rd, when the ground comes before the Warden, J. C. Clendon, Esq., for adjudication. No. 3 is held by a syndicate of thirty-three shareholders within the county of Whangarei, and there is no doubt about them having a grand property. Mr McKenzie, for his company, has aiso applied for a water right and machine site. From No. 3 we went to Harrison and party’s claim of ten men’s ground adjoining No. 3 to the north. (The Jubliee lies to the south-east.) Mr Dobson the manager of Harrison’s party, had just uncovered a large reef, some 6ft wide, but wisely stayed rooting about it too high on the hill, and intends to cut it by a 60ft tunnel 150 ft lower down. Mr Dobson is satisfied with his claim, and intends to develop it, From Harrison’s claim we went to McDonall and Kerr’s claim, ten men’s ground. They have uncovered a four-foot reef. Coming out ol the Jubilee (which holding they all join on the north-east), the stone looks very kindly, and I should think would

be more likely to carry gold than silver. Mr McDonall and party are putting in a drive to cut this reef eight feet lower down. From here we went about a miie and a-half in a northerly direction to a lode of stibnite or antimony ore that Mr Murphy knew of. 1 found it a fairly-defined lode of six feet wide, showing antimony pretty freely, in a soft, friable gangue ; and if the lode at the foot of a big waterfall of some 60 feet carried the same percentage of ore as I should say the cap carried, it should be of great commercial value. We returned to camp atthe Jubileeat o 30 p.m., having done all the Wairiki mines, and fairly well pleased I was. Heft Whangarei at 8 o’clock, and here I was ui 6 p.m. same day, in the centre of the famous Puhipuhi, my inexpressibles torn in sundry places, Balmorals like brown paper, satchel and pockets crowded with gold, silver, and antimony ores, and myself tired and hungry. Sol shall just have ufy tea, turn in, and sleep the sleep of the tired and just, giving you my experiences of the Prospectors’ side to-morrow.