THE KAKAHU DISTRICT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1368, 21 July 1885, Page 3

THE KAKAHU DISTRICT.

(By our Special Reporter.) On last Friday, at the invitation of Mr R, A. Barker, 1 paid a visit to the Kakahu district. The party consisted of Mr Barker, myself, and two others, and the object of our visit was to examine the district with regard to its mineral products. We left Temuka shortly after 10 a.m., and reached the Kakahu limekiln about noon. It is unnecessary to describe the country we passed through, further than to state that it is very thickly populated, and has apparently been well farmed. After passing Hilton—which consists of Messrs Allan and Carter’s store, Mr Tyndall’s hotel, and several houses scattered about—the country becomes interesting. The road runs through a beautiful valley, down which the Kakahu river winds its circuitous way. On either side are rolling downs, too steep in some places for the plough, but, judging from the greenness of the verdure in which they are clad, very good grass country. The peculiar features of the district are the steep and rugged rocks which project up out of the hills, making the beholder wonder how on earth they got there. Our party, being on geological business, was of course very learned in these matters, and discussed with much wisdom and geological knowledge the strange scenes which presented themselves. We unanimously concluded that these rocks had been driven up out of the earth by volcanic action; that their water-worn appearance indicated that at one time they formed the banks of the river ; that the rocks on the left-hand side of the . valley had been rudely dissevered from the rocks on the opposite side by some terrible violence. In fine, we concluded, I believe, that everything had been produced by volcanic action long ago, but none of us ventured to say how long. After running through this valley for three or four miles, we at last sighted the limekilns. These are situated where the valley narrows to a gorge on Mr R. A. Barker’s land. There are two splendid limekilns built here—one on either side of the river. The one on Mr Barker’s land is a Hoffman kiln, and the one on the other side—an Education reserve—is of a more primitive design. These were built by Mr Langdown, of Christchurch, who spent a good deal of money in endeavoring to develope the lime industry there, but after giving it a good trial the result was a failure, and the kilns are now idle. The lime produced was of a superior kind, but the haulage to Winchester swallowed up all the profits, and consequently it did not pay. Here we commenced our geological operations. Within fifty chains of the kiln, in the river, where it runs through Mr Job Brown’s farm, a seam of coal was discovered. The river vraa running over it, but we managed to pick ap about a quarter of a sack of what appeared to be very good coal. There would have been no difficulty in picking it out in any quantity, only that there was a fresh in the river and the water had consequently risen over it. About half a chain further down, a man who lives on the spot pointed out a splendid seam of it in the river, covered by about three feet of water, but none of our party could be persuaded to test this. The man, however, assured us that he had examined it in the dry season, and that it had the appearance of good coal. The information was of the more importance because it showed that the seam which crosses the river at this point is fully a chain wide. That there is coal here cannot be doubted, and when it is of such good quality on the surface, the presumption is that it improves as it descends. Up the side of the hill, at an altitude of eighty feet or so, Mr Barker pointed to a place where coal had been found, and farther up still is the place where it is said some persons found capital coal, but closed up the place again owing to some difference with the owner of the land. If there is coal in these places it will be easy to work, as it is far above the bed of the river. One thing connected with this should be made known. At the meeting recently held in Temuka to consider what steps should be taken to test the district, Mr Win. Shiers, of Geraldine, said that by drawing a streight line across the map of Canterbury it would run from the Malvern Hills, exactly through where coal is found in the Kakahu and Waimate, and so on down to Otago. The natural inference to be drawn from this is that it is the same . seam of coal which runs along this side of the mountains, and if good coal can be found in one place it can be found in the other. It has been frequently asserted that as appearances are in favor of Kakahu, i the probabilities are that the quality of < the coal there is superior to the Malvern Hills. There is this to be said in favor of that theory : The quality of the pipe and pottery clay is superior to the Malvern Hills. This is an appropriate place .to mention the importance of good coal being found in Kakahu. If good coal were once found there would not be any great difficulty in getting a mil way constructed to the place. No Government would hesitate to construct such a line, if it could be shown that it would load to the developement of such an industry. The limekilns would commence 1 operations once more, pottery works would be established, and several other industries would also spring up. All depends on the coal, and, consequently, every effort should be directed to proving beyond doubt that it exists there.

After having satisfied ourselves as to the existence of coal here, our party proceeded up the gorge, which soon narrows to the width of the river-bed. On either side are high hills rising almost straight up, covered in some places with shrub-like growths. For a distance of about a quarter of a mile up this gorge rude roadways haye been constructed on either side by the lime burners for the purpose of hauling the limestone down to the kilns, and along this specimens of various kinds of stones are to be picked up : quartz, flint, marble, iasper and lime stone are to be met with in abundance, mixed up in the strangest possible manner. It is nothing unusual here to see all these mixed together in one layer, and encased by a soft greenish slatey stone. We picked up a huge bag of specimens along the way, and added to it subsequently some iron stone we also met with. At last we came to a halt for lunch on a beautiful formation of marble, highlypolished by the action of river water. After having discussed this, and inspected some marble and limestone quarries we proceeded along the winding river, and

again met with coal indications —a fact which points to the possible existence of a larger coal field than anyone supposes. Making our way across a steep hill we inspected the pipe-clay cuttings, which were discovered in making the road. There is evidently no end of pipe-clay on Mr Barker’s section, as well as on the educational reserve, and we believe it is admittedly the best to be found in New Zealand, Mr Kirk, of Austin, Kirk and Co., visited Kakahu on the previous day to get a few loads of it to take to Christchurch with him, and it is said that if a railway were constructed that firm would at once start a factory there. Beyond the pipe-clay cuttings several homesteads appear in view, and somewhere up the valley there is another limekiln but we did not visit it. At about a quarter to three the horses were yoked once more, and we proceeded up the road towards Gapes a Valley. Having hoard of coal being discovered on Mr Hesketh’s farm, which is perhaps three miles from where we had already picked up the coal, we determined to examine the place. On making inquiries Mr Hesketh at once invited us to “ Come on,” and took ns to a place at the back of his own residence, about three chains from the road, where he pointed out a seam which he has been working. The coal was first discovered by a hen, which in scratching unearthed it, and Mr Hesketh has been using it all the winter. He says that mixed with wood it makes an excellent fire, throwing out great heat and burning to ashes. As yet ho has only gone to a depth of about four feet, and the seam so far as has been discovered is only a couple of feet in thickness with a casing of clay on either side. The coal is equal, if not superior, to that found hi the river, but the latter no doubt has suffered through having been exposed to the action of the water. Mr Hesketh was civil and obliging, and expressed himself willing to give every assistance in his power to promote any movement to thoroughly test the district ; also, if his own land should happen to be selected as a field, he would be as reasonable as could be desired with regard to terms. After having secured a good part of a bag of this coal we started through Gapes’s Valley down by Wierton and Speechly’s corner to Temuka which we reached at 5.30. Every one of the party was highly pleased with theday’s experience, and more convinced than ever that Kakahu would one day be the scene of a great industry. Before concluding, it is only right to compliment the Temuka and Geraldine Road Boards on the excellence of the roads in these remote districts. They are all in capital order, and show that much attention has been paid to their maintenance. In all our travels the roads were first rate, with the exception of a very treacherous hole which evidently recent floods have made where a little stream crosses the road below Mr W. Patrick’s house. This is dangerous.