THE WAIWAKAIHO GORGE.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 December 1916, Page 6

THE WAIWAKAIHO GORGE.

ENTIRELY ALTERED. JT.ESUMABLY BY A CLOUD-BURST. In view of the change in the climatic conditions the manager of the North Egmont Mountain House, Mr. Williams, a day or two ago proceeded to the Waiwakaiho Gorge with a view to setting the ram, which had been fixed in' the gorge for the purpose of augmenting the water supply at the hostelry, in motion. This source of water supply.had been in use for some years. On arrival in the gorge Mr. Williams was astounded at the scene of devastation which met his view in what was until recently on of. the most beautiful gorges to be found on the slopes of Mount ligmont. Vegetation had been swept away, and where a few weeks ago and probably for centuries'past was a small stream constituting one of the sources of supply to the Waiwakaiho river, there is now a great bed of boulders and debris. Mr. Williams immediately telephoned to Mr. W. A. Collis, chairman of the Mountain. House Committee, who, with Mr. ,Palmer, of Messrs. Sladden and Palmer, proceeded to the mountain to investigate what had happened. Upon arrival they saw a scene of desolation which, Mr. Collis says, words almost fail to describe The whole bed of the gorge for several miles has the appearance of having been carried bodily away. Proceeding up the gorge they diecovered half a mile from the site of tlift ram that the creek had disappeared entirely, and at one time they estimated they were standing on debris'3oft. above what had originally been the bed of the rher. Still higher up a hill, probably containing at least half as many yards of material as Marsland Hill entire!) blocked the gorge. There were thousands of tons, of boulders and gravel. This for a time had probably formed a huge dam which ultimately broke away, sweeping everything before it in th-J gorge below. This would not, however account for all the damage ijhat has been dene, as further up the gorge there were eykiences of vast bodies of water having come over the sides of the hills without any apparent source of supply beyond. The only conclusion they could arrive at therefore was that at this particular poir.t there must have been a tremendous cloud-burst. The theory is all the mere reasonable bearing in mind the fact that except in this gorge itself there is no evidence of damage other tlir.n what might have been Mused by a heavy downpour of rain. Evirating their steps, Messrs. Col'is i.ni Palmer proceeded along die gorge ut a, point below where the ram wao constructed, and they discovered the i!<Bi fast in a tree some little distance l'roia what had been the .main creek. It would also appear that in this particular locality there must ai one time during the storm have beer a rail of Y«tter 15 to 20ft. high tearing down the gorge. Fair sized trees ar.d logs form a wall ten • feet high in somt pliiccr-, whilst smaller driftwood is left high and dry in the branches of larger trees.

The new bed of the strc&r.i h jiom some 20ft. lower than its original level a'; this point. The whole aspect cf the bed of the gorge is completely tiumgon. and anyone who had not previously known the place could not have the slightest conception of what terrific forces must have been operating I:, cause the devastation.

It will probably cost the Mountain House Committee £IOO to .CloO to r< ticw its supplementary water service. This occurrence would no donbi flc-to-jnt for the extraordinary flood which occurred in the Waiwakaiho river a fe\i. weeks ago as a result of which a portion of the traffic bridge on ths main road was swept away.