A SUBTERRANEAN PARADISE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 463, 16 April 1890, Page 3

A SUBTERRANEAN PARADISE.

THE WAITOMO CAVES. FAIRY LAND IN THE KING COUN i RY. (BY OCR SPECIAL REPORTER.) Auckland has long been famous as the wonderland of the antipodes, and not without good reason. Her lovely bush and landscape scenery, her romantic Lake country, and her marvellous geysers and terraces were in themselves a potent attraction to the tourist mind, and in conjunction with the many other natural advantages of this part of the world, it is not surprising that our shores were annually invaded by thousands of tourists. But unfortunately, the White and Pink Terraces were destroyed by the Tarawera eruption, and thus we were deprived of the greatest of our natural wonders. The consequence was a decline in the tourist traffic, though the sights of the Hot Lake Country were still innumerable. Now, however, as if to make reparation for the loss of the Terraces, Nature has disclosed to us another wonder in the Waitomo Caves. Situated in the King Country, close to the Waikato railway line, these remarkable subterranean caverns are easily accessible, and they should possess a strong attraction for the lover of the beautiful in Nature. For beautiful they are in every sense, while at the same time they are wonderfully impressive. The deposits in the interior are similar to those in other limestone caves, but the immense size of some of the caverns, the remarkable creations of Nature’s handiwork in others, and

in some the marvellous loveliness of the combinations produced by the encrustations, and the purity and richness of the alabaster-like substance of which they consist, all combine to charm the eye and deMght the artistic taste. Some of the sights are marvellous in their grandeur, and others again exquisite in their loveliness, and one is impressed with the fact that the Waitomo Caves are a fair substitute for the Terraces, even if they do not surpass them as a spot of interest to the tourist. It is beyond question, too, that the caves will ere long attract crowds of tourists and sightseers to view them. AN EASY JOURNEY.

The caves are comparatively close to Auckland by rail, but up to the present time they remain almost unknown. Two years ago, the Government appointed a caretaker, and since then the total number of people who have been through the caves is slightly under 200. Therefore it wiil be seen that their wonders are virtually unknown, and it is reasonable to assume that some information respecting the journey necessary to reach Waitomo, the accessibility of the caves, and the sights which are likely to reward the tourist when he arrives there should interest the general reader. Nearly the whole of the journey to the Waitomo Caves can be made by rail. The tourist should take the train through to Otorohanga, which is a pretty little village in the King Country, about fifteen miles beyond Te Awamutu. Here the train arrives in the

afternoon, and comfortable quarters can be ; found at the Temperance .Hotel, an admir- . able little hostelry kept by Mr and Mrs Hettitt, who are both natives. There are scarcely more than a dozen cottages in the village, but in addition to these are a number of whares on the surrounding native sections or clearings. Naturally, therefore, the village is usually lively, and it is seldom indeed that a dance is not in progress in the evening. The native girls areadrairablewaltzers, and are also ait fait in the mysteries of the . quadrille, the lancers, or any of the other square dances. The tourist consequently will find ample means of spending his afternoon and evening pleasantly. TO THE CAVES. The journoy from Otorohanga to the caves is made on horseback, and can be comfortably done in two hours with time to spare on the road. My visit was paid to the caves with the Governor’s party, and we divided into two sections. One half rode the whole distance, while the others went by special train to Hongitiki, a distance of six miles, to see the country, and then after walking a mile to meet their horses, which were sent round with the other party, they rode the remainder of the distance. As a rule, however, this latter plan could not be followed, for the obvious reason that trains would not be available. Therefore, the whole journey must be made from Otorohanga on horseback, a distance of about ten or eleven miles. The first six miles of the ride is along a fairly good bridle track, and from there to the caves one has the advantage of a very good road which the Government is now making. This road, by the way, branches off to Hongitiki, so that it is quite possible that a hotel will, ere long, be built at this place, and- will divert the tourist traffic from Oborohanga. The road has been made by Maori labour, and some evidences of the ingenuity and shrewdness of the men to whom it had been let amused us greatly. One contract was for earth cutting and forming on the side of the rise, the price being £8 103. The wily native had taken out the earth and formed the road as per specification, but not a bit of sloping back had been attempted, and the overhanging bank was already commencing to fall in on the roadway. In another place, some heavy filling in had been done by another Maori, who had constructed his own trucks out of the timber from the adjacent bush. They were rude specimens of workmanship, but had done the duty required of them, and the contractor having completed his job had discarded his plant and left it lying by the roadside. The scenery all the way from OTOROHANGA TO WAITOMO is very pretty, the country being undu' lating in character and nicely woodedi while the land is of the finest quality, and admirably adapted for farming. We journeyed along leisurely, and reached Waitomo after a two hours’ ride. Thecountry surrounding the caves is a pleasant one, and somewhat remarkable in appearance. Ascending a well-wooded range or hill on the last stage of our journey, we saw spread out before us like a panorama the Waitomo and its surroundings. Another hill ran parallel to the one on which we stood, and between, the two was a beautiful valley, though a very narrow one. Immediately beneath us was a saddle, probably a couple of hundred feet in width, and it was on this saddle that we descended and on which the natives welcomed His Excellency the Governor, Lady Onslow, and party. Lunch was also discussed on the lower slope of this saddle, where it falls away to the valley, and then we set. out for the caves. They were not more than fifty yards distant, and our pathway lay along a beaten track on the banks of the stream. A prettier route could scarcely be imagined, the pathway leading through a perfect bower of native flowering shrubs and ferns. 1 - i A SUBTERRANEAN STREAM. Probably the most romantic experience of . the expedition is that connected with the entering of tho caves. They are reapbed by means of a subterranean stream, which flows through an cipening in the face of the

I hill and follows the windings of the caves I on their lower level for more than a quarter of a mile. The stream is a quiet one, some twenty feet in width, and approaching the entrance, we follow it down from the saddle, a distance of fifty or sixty yards. Then the track suddenly ends, and we find ourselves in a prettily-wooded alcove, directly in front of the entrance, into the cavernous mouth of which the stream flows placidly and slowly. The basin outside the entrance is very pretty ' indeed. Ferns and native shrubs drape the banks with a lovely mantle of beautiful foliage, beneath which the waters of the Waitomo sparkle in the sunshine. THE ENTRANCE. The opening in the side of the hill int° which the stream flows might be best des" cribed as a cavern, and is some thirty feet in width by about twenty feet high. Its surroundings are lovely, ferns of the prettiest kinds clustering in masses around its edges, and native foliage being very abundant. But the interior has a dismal and forbidding*aspect. One cannot see more than a few yards inside; and even the water which a moment before was glistening in the sunlight beyond passes underneath the archway, cold, dark and sullen. The fact that the caves remained so Jong undiscovered is attributed to the uncanny appearance of the interior of tho cavern. For years the Maoris were accustomed to fish for eels in the basin, but their superstitious fears would not permit them to investigate the gloomy recesses beyond. The cavern was invested in their minds with ide£s of taniwhas and other dreadful things, and then again lizards, which are very much disliked by the natives, are plentiful in the neighbourhood. The consequence was, that a Maori would have sacrificed his life sooner than enter the cavern, and the caves remained unknown. Eventually, however, Mr F. Mace induced a native lad to accompany him, and together they explored the cavern on a raft made of punga logs. The result of

that expedition was the discovery of the caves, and the opening of a beautiful subterranean wonderland for the edification of tourists. A CANOE EXPERIENCE. We had descended the slope of the hill in twos and threes, and now the whole of our party were assembled on the small landing place on the borders of tho basin. Then the process of conveying them into the interior of the caves commenced, and what a process it was ! The only means of locomotion was a small canoe, capable of carrying four or five passengers, and this was paddled into the cavern by a native, and after landing its human freight was drawn back to the landing place by means of a cord or rope. Lord and Lady Onslow and the Hon. E. Mitchelson formed the first load. On the next trip Sir Frederick Whitaker and his two daughters were taken, and then our less valuable lives were deported four at a time. Then the dusky boatman attempted five each trip, and growing bolder, essayed six. The last straw had, however, been reached, and the little craft went down under the weight that had been placed upon her. The water was only two feet deep at the spot, and the occupants might have waded ashore, simply ; wetting their feet. But they thought they were out of their depth, and when the 'canoe swamped they struck out and swam for the shore. Of course they reached it :safely. INTERIOR OF- THE CAVERN. The interior of the entrance cavern is weird in the extreme, and one can easily understand how a casual glimpse of it would impress a dread of tho place on the native mind. The arched roof, which on one side descends to the water’s edge, is •studded" with stalactites, some of which are six or eight inches in diameter, and two or three feet in length. These are of a dark ’ earthen colour, the discoloration being due to former floods, which have covered the whole of the interior with a dirty sediment. It ha 3 been demonstrated, however, that this sediment“can be washed off, leaving the stalactites like large crystals. In their present condition, many of the pendants resemble the wooden gods and other carved figures which are so plentifully seen in the Maori districts of the Hot Lake country. They do not by any means contribute a pretty effect, although the spectacle in the interior of the Caves is novel and impressive. The journey in the canoe lasts but a moment, for after traversing a distance of thirty yards we were landed on a subterranean bank of the

river, at the approach to Mace’s Cavern—-so-called by way of compliment to the discoverer of the caves. An impression exists amongst those who have only hoard or read of the caves that much of the travelling underground is done in a canoe, but this is a mistake. The boat is only required to ferry the tourists in at the entrance, and once landed, the whole exploration of the caves is made on foot and without any discomfort or trouble beyond the ascent and descent of several gadders. Lights are necessary, and candles were furnished in large numbers, while two of the party—Messrs Cussen and Allom, I believe—carried magnesium lamps for the better display of the wonders of the caves. The effect of the interior, illuminated by so many lights, was very picturesque. MACE’S CAVERN is interesting enough before one has seen any of the wonders beyond, but it is probably tho least attractive part of the caves. The cavern is from 25 to 30ft high, with a sloping roof. The river flows along one side of the chamber, while on the other is a bank of limestone sand or silt, along which we follow each other in single file. Tho cavern makes a complete bend almost in the shape of a horse-shoe, widening as it extends, andpossesses several features worthy the attention of the tourist, in the form of exceptionally largesbalactites. Several of these immediately in front of the entrance are called “ The Monsters,” and monsters they are in all conscience. They consist of immense masses of crystallised substance, composed of the gradual concretion of the carbonate of lime drippings in pendent form. Here again occasional floods have caused discoloration, and it is only after rubbing the substance that the crystal appearance is observed. The Monsters are of immense size, and are surrounded by other stalactities of peculiar shape and almost equally large. Some are round and symmetrical, as if they were sections of the trunk of a tree, and others again possess all the appearance of having been fashioned by the chisel of a mason. (To be Continued.)