TE AROHA.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2079, 17 February 1898, Page 2

TE AROHA.

“ Hortus,” a writer on the staff of the Star, having a holiday spetWiit at Te Aroha, and he thought that a few lines on the gardens and springs would be of interest to his readers. Te Aroha is laid out on the banks of a river, and is pleasantly situated on slightly elevated ground, commanding- a .splendid view of the lhames valley. ; In the future this place will he very important, not, only for ..pleasure seekers, but for Miose who aqp afflicted with various ccrfeplaints, the mineral springs having ,aTeffeot. To keep paee with the times a good water supply and a thorough system of drainage will be required. Both of these undertakings will be easily managed, as there are a number of streams of pure water within easy reach, and at such an elevation as will give a gravitation supply * and drain' age can be taken into the river. the gardens. The public gardens, are situated in the middle of the township, fronting the main street. From the street for about 20Qyards the gardens are pretty level, afterwards they rise up a steep hill to an altitude of over 1.000 feet. There has not.as yet been much done to make the gardens attractive, as all the available funds are required fon making and improving the baths, stiff there is a splendid lawn partly surrounded with weeping willows, which, give capital shade, and under which visitors, may spend their spare time, pleasantly. The whole domain ia about sixty acres in extent.. the baths.. At the present time there are about; twenty baths, in use for the public.. : The temperature of these vary from 90 degrees to 120 degrees,, some ofthem are what I call unpleasantly warm. Most of the baths and houses, are built over the hot springs; be-ndea these, there is a private bath-house in, which there are a number of bath.--■rooms supplied with both cold and hot. water.. To supply these a small re-T servoir 25 feet long, 10 feet wide, and, 7 feet deep* has. been constructed,, which gives a plentiful supply of hot water, the temperature of which is about 150. , . NEW BATHS. V ’

At the present time new hatha are, being constructed, the budding farwhich is about 100 feet long and 30? feet broad. There is a firm entrance, hall leading- into a corridor.. The cor-, ridor divides the building into two. - Oh each side, of the corridor the different small baths are situated, 24 in all. These bathrooms are about TCfe feet long and 7/ feet broad.. There are also two dressing rooms or waiting rooms; one for jladies and the otherfor gentlemen. Into, each of these? rooms, both cold and warm watei wifi be introduced, so tha ba f hers will beable to get a bath at whatever temperature they prefer, with a coldshower. The whole of these baths arethorbugbly drained, ail water being conveyed away down te the river in a IB>inch drain pipe. The buildingstands upon the top. of a terrace about; 12, feet high. ' The approaches arefrom each side and front.. The sideapproaches are by fine easy graded walks. The front is approached bysteps. These' walks and steps lead up. to a fine promenade of concrete, which fronts the whole building. The front overlooks the large lawn, upon" which, most of the visitors spend the best part of their time. The Government, are putting up and completing the newbuilding, tanks, walks, etc,, and thelabour is being done nuder the co-_ operative system. The foreman in charge of the carpenters is Mr Tijoe. Osborne, Mr J. Stanley, gardener and caretaker, courteously took me through ;all the baths, etc. Now'that the. Government has provided a splendid new bath house and other conveniences* the Domain Board will need to. bestir themselves, so as to try and bring the gardens into line. A good working plan of the grounds should be? made on which the different plantations would b.e shown. Arrangements; ought also to be made so as to have & continuous succession of fiowefsduribg the seas On. The residents of Te Arohn must recollect' that .the well-being‘of the whole district depends upon tho number of visitors. The more attractive tho gardens and surroundings are- : made the greater will be the- number of visitors, I have not the slightest doubt but that the quality 0 f the waters will always attract numbers of' suffering people, who will come to gefc, relief or get cured of their ailments . but more is required. There are numbers of healthy people who.- annually take a holiday, but it is to them that attractive gardens, will be a draw. The. efficacy of the waters was proved dur' ing my short visit. O.ne man brought there could not Walk'from the station After a judicious use of the baths and drinking of the water for a week h#T was enabled to get all over the place • on crutches. In conversation with'him he told me that he was in . hopes of -< being able in another week to put his crutches in .the fire, There has during this season been a number of similarcures, Of course, a number of mv " readers, would like to know’how the T waters affected Hortus. Well, being in good health, I felt by taking a bath .occasionally and duriiigthe day drinking freely of the water, my appetite increased enormously. “ Hor us ’’ concludes his very read aWe orticln wi.h a l,ri«{ .iascrip 0 f Mr Hawkins -well-known orchard.