Visit to Whangarei Puhipuhi.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 481, 18 June 1890, Page 5

Visit to Whangarei Puhipuhi.

No. 11. The next day we drove out to Maunu, and saw the Mangatapere district, till recently mostly in the hands of the natives, but now all occupied by THRIVING SETTLERS, the land being volcanic and of first-class quality. From here we had a view of Whatatiri, a long, low mountain of volcanic origin, comprising a considerable area of excellent land covered with light bush, and still owned by the Maoris. On the road we passed a tract of limestone land, and also saw indications of iron ore deposits in several localities. We called at the GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENTAL GROUNDS on our way back, and were courteously received by the nurseryman in charge, Mr Hislop. The land comprises 100 acres of volcanic soil, purchased by the Whangarei County Council, and intended to be worked in connection with the projected School of Forestry on the HighSchoolEndowmentproperty, situatednot far off. The wholescheme, which might have been carried out with most useful results, has been an expensive failure through official mismanagement and gross blundering, owing to the original appointment of a director having apparently little practical knowledge of matters connected with the culture of the soil. Mr Hislop is a practical nurseryman who evidently knows his business, but his abilities are wasted in raising thousands of pines of different varieties which can be grown without the slightest difficulty all over New Zealand, instead of being able to devote his time to the culture of sub-tropical plants of economic value, which should be the chief work of any experimental grounds situated in the North. This is another instance in proof of the utter lack of business capacity too often displayed in Government action, and which causes too many wellmeant efforts to end in disgraceful failure and sinful waste of public money. THE KAMO-PUHIPUHI TRAMWAY EXTENSION. Wo must now come to the chief object of our visit—the inspection of the country that would be traversed by the proposed line of railway from Kamo through Hikurangi to the Waiotu Creek, near the Hukerenui Village Settlement. It is perhaps as well to begin this part of my story by an explanation of what is wanted by the Whangarei people with regard to this matter. A general statement of their case is contained in the following petition which has been printed for presentation to Parliament next session : To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled : The petition of the undersigned members of local bodies and residents of the districts, as indicated hereunder, humbly showeth ■there is urgent reason for the immediate construction of the surveyed Kamo-Puhi-puhi tramway extension, the present roads, owing to the great increase of settlement and the recently discovered deposits of silver in the Puhipuhi, being utterly incapable of sustaining the rapidly increasing traffic thereon. 2. That the proposed line would traverse an area estimated to contain at least 30,000,000 tons of coal of a very superior quality ; a large proportion of such area being Crown land ; also, large deposits of limestone, and taps the magnificent kauri forest of Puhipuhi, estimated by the Government to contain 135,000,000 feet of timber. 3. That a portion of such timber, estimated to contain about 75,000,000 feet, was killed by tire some two years ago, and if not immediately utilised will be valueless. 4. That the proposed extension, with the consequent increased haulage, would make the existing Kamo-Whangarei line much more profitable, and together they would become highly remunerative. 5. That the Crown holds about 25,000 acres of first-class land adjacent to the surVeyed line. 6. That the construction qjtfsuch line would greatly increase the commmual value of such land. 7. That if after the construction of this line, the land, together with the coal and timber, are sold, the proceeds would very much more than recoup the cost of the work. 8. That for the foregoing reasons, together with others that must be apparent to your honourable House, your petitioners respectfully request that you will give effect to the prayer of this petition, and your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. What the petitioners want is here sufficiently clearly expressed, and the question that arises for public consideration is— OUGHT THEY TO GET IT? To help towards an intelligent decision upon this question, I will proceed to lay before your readers certain facts and information, the result of personal inquiry and observation. On Monday morning Mr Rolleston, of Hikurangi, came into Whangarei, and very kindly drove us out to Hikurangi in his buggy. We stopped a short time at Kamo by the way, and paid a visit to the coal mine there, accompanied by Mr Day, who introduced us toMrßedshaw, the new underground manager. From the latter we learnt that the recent accumulation of water in the workings —caused partly by the pumping machinery getting out of order, and partly by a slight extra influx oi water—had been got under. The present output of coal could be considerably increased if more vessels arrived at Whangarei to take it away. The pumps are now working fairly well, and Mrßedshaw hopes to be able to increase the output shortly. IRON ORE. Just after leaving Kamo we met Mr J. A. Pond, Colonial Analyst, returning from an inspection of a deposit of iron ore in the neighbourhood. There are several private properties, including those of Messrs Wrack and Whitelaw, upon which considerable deposits of iron and hematite ores have been found, and Mr Pond’s visit to the district was made on behalf of the Onehunga Iron Works Company. We noticed several railway trucks of hematite ore which were en route, to Rutherford Bros.’ lime works at Lime Stone Island, there to be converted into hematite paint. We were given to understand that Mr Pond’s investigations had led to the completion of an arrangement under which the Onehunga Iron Works will work one of these iron deposits, paying a royalty to the proprietors. A GOOD FARMING DISTRICT. Pursuing our journey, we passed through the Kaurihohore settlement. Here again the character of the land for farming purposes was excellent, and many were the evidences of solid comfort and prosperity in the homesteads we passed. The rich grass of the paddocks almost all along the road to Hikurangi, the good-conditioned stock, and to a practised eye the appearance of the newlyturned soil in the ploughed fields all show a good farming and grazing country, where settlement must be, and is now, thriving and prosperous. The so-called depression has not touched the settlers of this district, except in so far as they may not have so

much cash to waste in more or less extravagant amusements as they might have in “ booming times.” Substantial comfort in all essential requirements of existence is the order of the day, and many are the wellbuilt two-horse buggies we observe on the road, bought and paid for, according to the local coach builder, by the sturdy settlers who drive them behind a pair of good horses.

We were accompanied on the road by Mr G. Clark Walker, who was to pilot us the next day to the Prospectors’ claim in the Puhipuhi. This gentleman, during the whole tour, was indefatigable in his efforts to make the trip pleasant and profitable, by placing at our disposal his stores of local information. The surveyed line of railway was pointed out as we drove along, Macdonald’s Hill being apparently the only engineering difficulty between Kamo and Hikurangi, and one that would be easily surmounted either by a short tunnel or by working round the foot of the hill. AREA OF SETTLEMENT AFFECTED BY THE LINE. We made careful inquiries as to the settled population and area of cultivated and cultivatable land which would be served by the proposed extension as far as Hukerenui. According to figures supplied by the clerk of the County Council, we find that exclusive of the populations oi Whangarei and Kamo the r e are 1,050 settlers who would use the railway, including the settlements of Kaurihohore, Apatu, Hikurangi, Otonga, Opuawhanga, Hukerenui and some outlying settlements. The number of acres under cultivation or in pasture in these districts is 8,500 acres, and within the same area there are public lands to the amount of 94,060 acres, of which 49,100 acres are suitable for settlement. At Hikurangi itself there are 7,800 acres of Crown lands, of which 4,000 acres are regarded as tit for settlement, and over a thousand acres of these public lands, in this locality alone, are coal-bearing. HIKURANGI COAL MEASURES. On arrival at Hikurangi, after lunch at Mr Rolleston’s comfortable hotel, the party proceeded to inspect the various coal seams of the neighbourhood. We were accompanied by Messrs Carter and McLeod, the former being the Chairman of the local Highway Board. In the course of the afternoon we were shown no less than four or five outcrops of coal and were told of others close by. The first seam we inspected was one that has been worked on Mr Carter’s land, close by the side of the main road connecting Whangarei with the Bay of Islands. On this seam, which is about nine feet thick, a drive had been put in for some 300 feet, the roof of the drive being solid limestone rock. Work had been discontinued here for the present, owing to the state of the roads, which had compelled the County Council to pass a by-law restricting the amount that could be carted over the road to 15cwt. Less than half a mile further along the road we came upon another working on the same seam. Here the coal was being got out by a Mr Smith an experienced Scotch coal-miner, who had leased the ground from Mr McLeod, but owing to the influx oi water, which with his primitive appliances was beyond his control, Mr Smith intended to discontinue working for the winter. He expressed to us the very highest opinion of the quality of the coal, which has been tested with most satisfactory results both for steam, forge, and household purposes. As a blacksmiths’ coal we had an opportunity of seeing it used at Meyers’ smithy in Hikurangi. Mr Meyers stated that he preferred it for •.blacksmiths’ work to Newcastle, which lie said was a far dirtier cr-al. He also informed us that it coked well, and that he had on one occasion welded a broken axle in one heat with Hikurangi coal. We wajtehed making horse shoes from scrapthis coal, which seemed to be all thatrcould be desired for the purpose. AREA OF COAL-BEARING LANDS.

Besides the seams already mentioned, we were shown outcrops upon Walton’s property some two or three miles away, and also upon Crown land, the quality of the coal being the same throughout. The extensive character of the coal deposits is beyond all dispute. The Bay of Islands Coal Company have wisely acquired some hundreds of acres at Hikurangi with a view of ultimately working the same should the Kawakawa mines be worked out in time. Mr T. P. Moody, the able manager of the Bay of Islands Coal Company, has recently stated in a letter, read before a public meeting held at Kawakawa, that the large area of country between Puhipuhi and Kawakawa, principably Crown lands, is all coal bearing. Hikurangi, he says, “ is a gigantic coal field. The lands all the way from Black’s store, Towai, are also coalbearing.” Altogether, there must be at least 25,000 acres of coal-bearing lands between Whangarei and Kawakawa, while the Hikurangi deposits can be worked at a minimum of cost, and the coal is admittedly of first-class quality, although as yet only obtained from seams close to the surface. Cl©se to the coal are found limestone in large quantities, and also deposits of iron ore. Close to Hikurangi is the natural outlet for the splendid kauri and other timber of the Puhipuhi Forest, while not far from Kaurihohore is a Government forest reserve, and the Kauri Timber Company’s Kaharoa bush, the timber from which would certainly be carried by the projected line extending some 13 miles from Kamo. The next day we were driven to the terminal point of the proposed extension, which is just beyond the bridge over the Waiotu Creek. The road was in a very bad condition in some places, owing to the wet weather and the amount of traffic it carries. Yet, almost all along there is the best of metal lying by the roadside, and only requiring a couple of men with a stone-breaking hammer anda barrow to metal the whole length of the road. On the left, as we went, extended the great Hikurangi swamp, through which the sluggish stream of the Wairua River winds until it pours over some lofty falls and ultimately joins the Wairoa, which flows into the Kaipara waters. No. 111. THE HIKURANGI SWAMP. In times of flood the whole of this swamp, containing, I believe, some sixty or seventy thousand acres, is covered with water, which often extends over the surrounding low-lying lands, entailing loss upon settlers and damage to roads and bridges, If it were drained an immense area of extremely fertile land would be rendered fit for settlement all along the line of railway. The difficulty is that the Wairua stream is, as it werej dammed back by the barrier of rock which forms the Wairua Falls beyond Poroti, which are 300 feet wide and 100 feet high. By blasting away a portion of this rock formation, an outlet would be given to the water with sufficient fall to enable the Hikurangi swamp bo be drained. The cost of this work has been estimated at from £40,000 to £50,000, and whenever f/he necessary money is forthcoming it /must prove a profitable work, for beside the wide area of rich soil that would thus be rendered available for cultivation, there are good grounds for believing that the Hikurangi coal deposits exteod right i through this immense flat. Upon Mr Edwards’ land, on the right-hand side of

the road, vve saw the signs of the last flood in a line of logs piled up against the wire fence, where they had been washed from the flooded bush clearing, and left when the waters receded. GETTING OUT THE PUHIPUHI TIMBER. There are three streams flowing out of the Puhipuhi which the surveyed line would have to cross, as the road does now. These are the Whakapara, the Wairiki, and the Waiotu, by one or other or all of which it is stated the timber would be brought down from the Puhipuhi Forest, to be conveyed by rail to Whangarei. The first stream we cross going northwards is the Whakapai’a, which receives higher up the waters of the Kaimamakau, and itself discharges into the Wairua. The Wairiki is passed a couple of miles further on, and then another mile brings us to the Waiotu, beyond which the flourishing village settlement of Hukerenui begins. Even if all the timber from Puhipuhi could not be got out by means of these creeks, and it were found advisable to construct rough tram-lines for the purpose, the natural conformation of the country indicates that the bulk of the timber would be brought out at a point contiguous to where the proposed section of railway ends. Between Hikurangi and this point the surveyed line encounters no engineering difficulties worth speaking of. THE AIII-LINE ROUTE. Returningon our tracks to the Whakapara bridge, about live miles from Hikurangi, we round horses waiting to convey us by the air-line track through the Puhipuhi Foresc to the Prospectors’ silver mining claim. This track, which traverses the bush at an elevation of more than a thousand feet above sea level, was cub by the miners themselves without a penny of Government assistance, the only grant in aid coming from the Whangarei County Council, ard being paid out of their share of the revenue received by the sale of miners’ rights in Whangarei. The track is a good one, and during the winter rains far more practicable than what is known as the Waiotu l-toad, by which the traveller has bo cross the creek some thirteen times. The length of the track to Cowan s store at the •• mast-head ” is about nine miles, and though a shorter line to the Prospectors’ ground could have been taken, it would not have served the claims about the Wairiki Creek nearly so well. ' The first part of the air-line route is through Mr Eru Nehua’s property, a gentleman of Maori race well known and universally respected in the district. THE DEAD KAURI. We then enter the Government forest at a portion of it ravaged by the late great fire. Here we come upon the somewhat melancholy spectacle of hosts of giant kauri trees standing in their desolate grandeur, their branching tops scorched and leafless, and their enormous trunks, from which the scorched bark has dropped in gigantic flakes, cowering up bare and white amongst the green undergrowth of fern trees and nikau palms. Upon the latter the fire seems to inflict no permanent injury. All round the base of each lifeless kauri is piled up a heap of the fallen bark, which, full of resinous gum, is ready when the next fire is set going to contribute to the total destruction of the tree 3 from which it has dropped. Mr McKay, an expert employed by the Government to make an estimate of the amount of timber in the Puhipuhi, informed usthatheeatimated thequantity of this dead timber at 75,000,000 feet. This timber, even if not consumed by a second fire, will be much-dspf'eoiaieci in value every year it stands uncut after'this season, for the worm will soon destroy everything but the heart ot the trees. v THE TOTAL QUANTITY OF TIMBER in the forest is estimated by Mr McKay, who spent some months in going carefully through the bush, at about 135,000.000 feet, of which, as I have said, 75,000,000 feet has been killed by the firo. About one and a half million feet of the total named is totara, and the rest kauri, other timbers apparently not having been taken into calculation. The track on the whole is, as I have said, a good one as bush tracks go, but' it might be much improved for safe traffic by the bridging of certain places and by the widening of the cuttings round the hills. These, in some places, are very narrow, the sidelings in some cases being cut but little more than 18 inches wide, a somewhat trying path to ride along for a person “ with nerves,” while on one side of it is an almost sheer drop of two or three hundred feet. If a pack horse’s load struck against the inside bank it would scarcely be worth climbing down to the bottom of the precipice to pick up the pieces, while if a horse and rider went over, the “ viewing ” of the body for the purposes of a coroner’s inquest would have to be done by telescope from a balloon. The line was laid out and surveyed by Mr D. (J. Wilson, the county engineer, who, in the face of many difficulties, pluckily stuck to the job, and carried it through without any immediate prospect of fee or reward. To his persevering exertions, in large measure, the successful execution of the work is due, as well as to the voluntary labour of the miners, and the contributions of the Whangarei people interested in the silver field. On the principle that those deserve help who help themselves, the Government might well devote a small sum to the improvement of the track, which is recognised as a great boon, not only by the miners, but also by the hundreds of gumdiggers in the forest, the money for whose licenses goes into the Government coffers. We met several parties of storekeepers’ packhorses, packing out gum or packing in stores, and thus the track is cut up by people who have never given any help towards the making of it. By this route, tablelands of considerable extent are traversed, of which the soil is of excellent quality, and would sell readily for settlement purposes after the timber had been cleared oft it. Upon this journey was the first time I had seen a kauri forest of any extent growing upon comparatively level and fertile soil.

Here and there the road lies along narrow ridges connecting one range with another. These ridges are a rock formation which appear to have been forced up by volcanic agency through the superincumbent strata, and from the sides of which the earth has fallen away by landslips and the washing of water until nothing is left bub the bare ridge, barely 20 feet wide in some places, while on either hand the traveller looks down into a precipitous gorge 300 or 400 feet deep. (I did not measure it, and am not particular as to 100 feet or so.) From what I have said the reader can well imagine the wild and picturesque character of the scenery to be enjoyed in traversing the Puhipuhi air-line route. No. IY. THE SILVER MINES. Every now and then as we pursued our journey we would pass a narrow brack running off from the main brack, which our guide, Mr Murphy, would point out as the path leading to some claim or other in the depths of the bush.' There are 23 licensed holdings altogether, besides

several claims held under miners’ rights. Some of the mines have obtained protection from the Warden for two months during the winter Those that are being worked, so far as I could ascertain, are th 6 Prospectors (Numbers 1 and 2), Just-in-Time, Comstock, Try Fluke, Waimari, Caberfeidh, Christie’s (Ivawakawa), Christie’s (junr.), United, Lone Hand, Jubilee, Good Templars, Silver Fleece, Sudden Jerk, Young Colonial, Ruby, Gallagher’s, Luminary (McKenzie and party), and Caledonian. * There are between 60 and 70 miners at work on the field, and all those interested are making great efforts to stick to their holdings, the confidence in the ultimate future of the field and the rich character of the lodes being unlimited. JOHNSON’S TRACK.

Two miles before reaching theProspectors’ the made track came to an end at a point in the bush, known as the Masthead, where a man named Cowan has a store, and where Mr J. O'Brien, of Kamo, is putting up an hotel to be called the Comstock. The timber for this house was being sawn by the stalwart McPhee Bros, as we passed the place. Here we plunged into what is known as “Johnson’s track,” which is merely a track trampled by gumdiggers, and used by Johnson in former times to take in stores and bring out gum. Although the track we had left might at times cause heart ffutteriogs in the somewhat timid breast, this one to a novice at bush travelling in winter would be almost appalling in its difficulties. The rider has to stoop under overhanging trees and dangling supplejacks which seem specially arranged for purposes of the convenient lynching of the unwary traveller, while his horse picks his way over fallen trees, and amongst interlacing roots, stones and mud holes. Here and there the horses find it best to set their feet and slide down a steep incline, and all you have to do is to keep on never minding and let the animal take you through in his own way. THE PROSPECTORS’ No. 1. Arrived near the Prospectors’ we had to tie up our horses in the bush and clamber on foot down a steep place for about 200 ft, which landed us at the whare. A few coo-ees brought the manager, Mr James, in sight, who gave us a cordial welcome, and as it was getting dark, we lost no time in paying a visit to the principal workings on No. 3 reef. Upon this reef a winze has been sunk, and a drive has been put in to cut the reef at a lower level and to meet the winze. Entering this drive we found that where the reef had been cut a crosscut bad been put in, at one end of which the reef showed between five and six feet thick, while at the other end it was about three feet. From this reef some 30 or 40 tons of stuff has been got out and paddocked, and amongst this stone there seems to be some very rich ore. Another and lower level will be started opposite the proposed battery site on the southern boundary ot the ground to pick up this reef. Good stone has been got above where this drive will go in, and as it goes bn immense backs will be available. The Company have a grand battery site available, with splendid water posver. More work has been done on this claim than anywhere else on tiie field, and Mr James’s present plan of action is to open up the ground and thus thoroughly prospect it. It is the intention of the Company to get out 10 tons of ore for treatment as a substantial test of the value of their lodes, which from assays already made have been shown to be rich in ruby silver, while native silver is oiten seen in some of the stone. Mr Alderton showed us some small but rich specimens of this kind from the No. 2 Prospeccors’ reef. On the whole, my impression from what I saw and heard is that by the judicious expenditure of capital the Puhipuhi silver mines will be a great success. The reefs are numerous, large, and well defined, and almost in all silver is found in payable quantities, and in some cases the ore is extremely rich. What is wanted to create confidence is a test on a large scale. The assays of Puhipuhi stone which have been made by no less than eight different assayers give returns varying from 107 to 996 ounces of silver to the ton, and it is claimed that the stuff is a free milling ore, being free from base metals. All these facts should bo confirmed if possible by a tost of a sufficient bulk of stone to silence all sceptics. McGILL’S GAP. Mr James put us up for the night, treating us most hospitably, and in a comfortable bunk, with the soothing sound of the neighbouring creek in my ears, 1 slept the sleep of the Puhipuhi traveller, which is as sound as that of the proverbial just. Before turning in-, Mr W. Wilson, *the well-known prospector, told us some of his adventures, and the trouble between himself and the Government people with regard to his prospecting work in Puhipuhi. Amongst other points of interest in the neighbourbourhood, a picturesque spot, not far from the Prospectors’ and known as McGill’s Gap, was graphically described to us. Here, it seemed. Nature had displayed wild and romantic features of no common order, and vve all regretted that want of time precluded our viewing so striking a spot. How the place came to be called McGill’s Gap, probably no one knows, but the name is quite as appropriate by all accounts as many other names in mining districts, such as Poker Flat, Shirt-tail Bend, and the like. While on the subject of names, I may mention three magnificent kauri trees set close together in the form of a triangle, which the air-line track intersects. I would suggest that, if possible, this noble trio should be preserved from the axe, and named the Three Sisters, there to stand in after years as mementoes of the mighty forest then no more. HOMEWARD BOUND. The return journey to Hikurangi was accomplished next morning, Mr Alderton and myself pushing on and doing the distance from the Prospectors’ in about three hours. The same afternoon Mr Rolleston drove us into Whangarei, where a meeting of the Railway League was held the same evening, at which the press representatives and Messrs Hobbs and Thompson were present by invitation, as already reported in your columns. A MATTER OF BUSINESS. It now only remains for me to summarise the facts bearing on the railway extension question. First and foremost, there are at Hikurangi immense deposits of first-class coal, a great deal of which is on Government lands. The development of these fields is impossible without rail communication with a port. In close proximity to the coal are enormous quantities of limestone and considerable quantities of iron ore, which point to the profitable employment of a large population in the future. There is much good land which the proposed line would tap, while it would run through settled and thriving agricultural districts. The public. property represented by the timber in the Puhipuhi Forest would be utilised before it is swept away, as it may be any summer, by fire, and much added value would be given to large areas of Crown lands. By means of this line the Puhipuhi silver mines would be opened up. In the face of all these facts, is it possible that this section of 13 miles, which would only cost about £75,000 to construct, would not pay a handsome profit on the expendi-

ture? My own firm opinion is that, putting the silver mines on one side altogether, the line ought to be made by the Government without delay as a pure matter of business. THE THROUGH LINE r QUESTION. With regard to the question of the through line to Opua, we can aflord to wait for that, although it is a work which ought to be undertaken as soon as possible, and the construction of the proposed section will hasten that time. To begin a through line, commencing the work simultaneously from both ends, seems to me the most wasteful and foolish method we could adoob. For a long time neither end would reach a point which would develops the most traffic, and therefore return the most profits in the shortest time. The through line would cost moi’e than double the amount required for the proposed KaraoHukerenui extension, and how could it be raised without borrowing or sacrificing as an endowment for the line most valuable public property? For the smaller work the money might be raised on debentures issued in the colony, and redeemable by the proceeds of Government sales of timber, coal-mining rights, etc., when the line was constructed. The splendid anchorage for large vessels at Opua will compel the ultimate pushing on of the line to that point, but the time has nob yet come when such an undertaking is practicable. HONEST ADVOCACY V. LOGROLLING. It is a thousand pities that no Auckland member seems to have the courage bo advocate the Puhipuhi railway scheme on its own merits as a colonial work, without assuming that it must be tacked on to the Otago Central, or some other political job. Log-rolling tactics of this kind, if adopted, will probably kill the undertaking, while its honest advocacy, supported by facts and figures, might even with our present House see the scheme triumphantly carried through Parliament.