THE FAR NORTH.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 February 1917, Page 6

THE FAR NORTH.

RUSSELL TO MANGOXUI.

BEAUTIFUL WHANGAROA. No. 111. The party had only the one night at Russell, and noxt morning proceeded by motor launch to Kerikeri, wlicve they were to pick up the cars again. The weather was fine, but a fair sea was running, and this disturbed at least one Taranaki member of Parliament. The land fronting the inland sea does not appear to be of rich quality, but sheep seem to do well 011 the scanty feed. The residences are few and far between. The whole countryside is of considerable historic interest, and members of the party regretted that time did not permit of an extended slay to visit all the spot", of interest.

Kerikeri has many historic associations. It contains the oldest storehouse and the oldest wooden house in the Dominion, the latter being built in 1820. In the early days Archdeacon Williams planted furze for sheep food. A great part of the country is now covered with the furze, and settlers bless the Archdeacon for his enterprise! Jt is the fa=hinn in the north to blame the missionaries for every pest and every disability the settlers labor under. The party stayed for light refreshments at the homestead of Mr. George Riddell, laie of New Plymouth. The Kerikeri riin is of about 8000 acres, and the parts seen by the visitors were of good quality and carrying considerable stock. The sight of the stock was quite a relief after passing hundreds of thousands of acres of land practically bare of sheep C cattle. The north is everywhere un-der-stoske'V It could carry five or six times more tlish it is carrying. The country is suffering' because of the un-der-stocking, under-growth /•-•Miiing up 011 the hills and fern, etc., on the flat. This has been a wonderful year for grass ir. the north, due to the frequent rains, and with the shortage of stock it has been a cause of anxiety, rather than of satisfaction, to many fanners.

WHANGAROA. After leaving the hospitable homestead at Kerikeri, the cars Here headed for Whangaroa. Up till the Kaeo valley is reached, the land is of the poorest description, and cultivation is rarely met with. - ) Whangaroa was reached in the afternoon. It is a delightful harbor, and has been described as an inland lake. 111 the old days it was noted for its kauri timber, as many as "2.5 vessels taking in supplies at the one time. The timber is now, however, nearly all cut out. There is everywhere deep water, whilst surmounting the bold, precipitous cliffs are massive rock pinnacles. The bush scenery and pretty bays, hinged with mangroves, make the harbor one of the most charming imaginable. ft was here that the massacre of the Boyd took place in the early days of New Zealand. The remains of the vessel can still be seen at low tide. The party were taken round the harbor in launches, and went ashore neat the heads, where the local Maoris had"assembled, and gave the vi itors a cordial welcome

JIAXGOXUi. Manconui is eighteen miles from Whangaroa, and the land passed tlirongli is as poor as it is uninteresting. The roads, however, hare evidence of attention and supervision, ilion<rli metal was generally absent. The road follows the 'bay indentions, and the sight of the long line of motor-cars, the lights ieflccting in the water, was most picturesque, and one that will not be forgotten in a hurry'by those wlw witnessed it. Mangonm was originally a trading elation, great numbers of whaling vessels provisioning* here in t'lie old days. It is recorded that on one occasion as many as fifty vessels were counted lying in (be harbor or anchored outside. But nowadays it is. very ijiiict, the growth of Kataia inland 110 doubt being responsible for this condition.

BETTER LAND As the cavalcade turned inland towards the other coast tlic country lioptaii to rapidly improve. The Oruru valley, orminallv a Plymouth Brethren settlement, looked very attractive, the paspalum grass on tlio alluvial flats being feet, high, whilst on the low-lying lulls there was good pasturage. Settlers stated that the flat land was capable of earning an animal to the acre, and the hills up to four sheep. As much as .£4O per acre was being asked for the former. The party halted at Peria, the centre of the valley, and were very hospitably entertained by the local settlers. Mr. Pearce and Mr. Oke'y were entrusted with the speechifying. The member for Patca remarked that it would be a costly business to bring into profit some of the poor land passed through, whilst Af.r Okev, 'who was in good form, -,xpressed the view that he had not seen one acre that would not grow something, lamenting, however, the ' great scarcity of stock everywhere met with, lie paid a pretty compliment to the young womanhood of ihe place, and i'.as acclaimed l'y them all as a 'line old chap!" Leaving Peria, one section of the party iiroeeeded io Kataia via the Victoria vailey, and the other through Fairburn. For the benefit of the latter party a kauri tree was felled. At one lime there must 'have been an immense Maori population in the district, as all the eminences were fortified and every hit of flat land was eutivated. Even now there is a large number of Maoris hereabouts, especially children. KATAIA. Katilia is the centre of a rich district, and should have a good future. ' The land surrounding it is said by ex-Tara-naki men to be as good as the Waimate Plains lands. At present the Hats are subject to floods, but the Government- is now engaged in cleaning out and straightening the river courses and draining the big swamp to the west. The fall is ample, and the scheme should be quite as successful as the T.ainitieka scheme on the East Coast. There is in the neighborhood of 100,000 acres of land suitable for dairying in the district. ami the industry has already got a "ooil start. Blocks of Government and Maori lands are keeping back settlement. Awaimi is but six miles away from Kataia, and (hat port is the chief .ml let. Though so far north, the district is well served by the ports of Awan.ai and Mangonui. The loads to the ports are passably good, being metalled at anv rate, but. the art of road-making has not yet been learned by the northern folk. , As a town Kataia is very new, though | as a settlement it is one of the oldest; in Xew Zealand, the Church of England | establishing a Maori mission station I here iu 1533. The town is now about

the stage laihape was in fifteen years ago. Colonel Allan Bell has taken up land here, and since his arrival he has infused life into the place, and made a township out of it. It has a good future, for the flats wiil some day carry a large population of dairy farmers, whilst the hills are suitable for sheep, carrying- 2'/» sheep to the acre. A belt of hills to the south ensures a good supply of rain, being to the district what Egniont is to Taranaki. The old settlers are not very enterprising, and the hope for future development lies in the introduction of new blood. A Taranaki fanner tells a story of the backwardness characteristic of the north, lie met a man possessing 3Gi> acres of rich alluvial Hats working on the roads to help him to keep the farm going! Tiic Taranaki man stood aghast, lie cailed tlie old resident some sulphuric names and advised him to leave the road work and make the farm keep him. ITc took the advice and is now tiie owner of a splendid dairy herd, and doing well. Land of the best class is selling from £2i> to £lO, according to the improvements eil'ected, whilst sheep country sells at ti'om .CM to (hie sheen tanner assured members of the party that liis land was carrying over three sheep to the a:ie. The winters are very mild, and increases (lie carrying capacity of the hind. Plenty of southern land will do five sheep to the acre in the summer, but in the winter (lie food is low .and won't support more than one. In the northern district llie feed growin the winter, there being an almost absence of frosts. The weather is fairly humid in the summer, except on the hilly countrj, but the heat is not felt more than it is in Northern Tannaki. Off the main road, the communications are shockingly bad, and help to retard settlement. The settlers of the north have yet to learn that good reading is one of the best investments a district can make. At Awanui is the wireless station, with its '"aerial" towering aloft and vis'ble for miles around. Besides the telegraphists, a squad of soldiers keep guard, and a stranger has no chance of getting Hear. Even when accredited, 011 c i,.. 'lillin-JV' iu "-lininc access to the building.

OX THE NINETY MILE BEACH. Ahipara, a small settlement, lies 1(1 miles south of Kaitaia by a road \vhi;:h in wet weather is villainous. Tropical showers fell whilst (he party were 011 their way out. and it was with difficulty that the cars, the back wheels chained as tliey were, negotiated the muddy, steep gradients, and the pock-marked fiats. There is much Maori hind in the district, and probably that is the reason for the slate of the roads. Ahipara is situate .at the beginning of the Ninety Mile Bench, one of the best stretches of beach in the world. For motor racing it could scarcely be surpassed. The motorists for practically the first time since leaving the citv weri: able to open ttic throttle;, (he high-powered machines put up records. In places (he sand was a little soft, and one motorist, stopping for a few minutes, saw his machine disappearing. Spades were soon 011 the scene and the motor was dug out. The Maoris here arc very numerous, the biggest .Maori school in New Zealand being situated close by, and they gave the visitors a characteristic welcome. The inevitable dinner followed. The tohcroa shell-fish is found 011 the bench, andlower down there is a canning factorv.

There is .1 dairy factory at Kaitaia, and with the increase of settlement the out put (now about SOO tons) should grow considerably. Up to now tlicro Ins boon little or no fertilisers used. Most of t-lie reclaimed swamp lands would respond immediately to the use of lime and slag, but the freight charges seem to deter settlers, though tlie'e are not exorbitant. From Auckland to Awa nui the charge is 25s per ton, and as I'ie river pep't, is fairly bandy (be cliavtinjr charees should not be heavy. But the northern settler has not in tbc past been industrious or enterprising. Like bis brown brother, lie bus ta-lcen life easy, and what can be done to-day can easily enough be put off till to-morrow. There are, however, signs of an awakening, and with a few pushful individuals die district, with its stretches of pood lar.d, should soon go head. Kaitaia is one of the most likely places seen in the north for a young man with energy and a little money to get on, but just lmwyoung men have a more urgent call. After the war, the district will undoubtedly attract land-scekers.