A TRIP TO TE AROHA.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4413, 24 February 1883, Page 2 (Supplement)

A TRIP TO TE AROHA.

[By ottb Special Beporteb.]

v Taking advantage of the prevailing Queen's/weather, a start was make at 6 o'clock in the morning' by the Tauranga coach in chnrge of Bradley. The clearness of the atmosphere enabled_thfe traveller to get a view of the country around as he proceeded. After passing brer the substantially built bridge at Parawai,. under which the Kauaeranga ran in a sickly trickle, the beauties of the roadcommenced. A. little over a half a mile from the bridge the metal ends for a considerable distance, and for a good length there is not even formation. When heavy/ rain falls the numerous holes in the road fills with water, ■nd renders it a veritable slough. In fine weather it is passable, but in the winter, unless something be at once done to it, communication by coach will be simply mi possible! There is no excuse for the County j Council not doing something in «he way | of repairing the worst places on the road. There is plenty of metal in every creek and river, and; in many places alongside of it. The river bed shingle does not require much breaking. A. number of. 1 ' real dangers exist. Some of the wooden < ' culverts require the approaches to be raised to the same level as their planking. As they are now a box seat is not only uncomfortable but dangerous, unless the occupier props himself by planting his feet firmly on the splash board, so as to prevent him being thrown on the horses backs. In one or two cases those culverts or. small bridges require side rails to pre-vent-accidents. When these things are done, and a* few holes in the road, notably, one about half a mile on the Thames side of Hikutaia, which is eighteen inches deep, and runs the whole way across the road. The spring fracturers do not encourage coach proprietors to keep a good, plant along the road. The native plots occasionally met with shew that their occupants are a thrifty and cleanly people ; each is cultivated. Kumaras appear to be chiefly

grown. The peach trees growing along ' the line of travel are being rapidly denuded of their fruit by the cattle. Dozens of Maori pigs, with their long snouts and angular carcases, roam tamely all along the route. After travelling over a quickly undulating piece of formation past Kiri Kiri, and having pious reflections broken somewhat in a peculiarly jerky fashion, we got on to a small piece of fairly made road. To Puriri from here presents some very fine scenery. The well-wooded range which runs between Tairua and Puriri, in the clear morning made one almost desire to do some climbing. At Puriri are the soda springs, on the property of Mr L. Ebrenfried. Our good-natured Jehu stopped on the road back to give the passengers an opportunity of seeing and tasting the water in them. It bears a very • strong taste of soda, and cannot bo said to be particularly palatable.-- The road for some distance past this spot is rather rough. If some, thing be not- done to it at once, the mails will have to be packed in the winter, and passengers will be compelled to resort to the steamers; The various settlers will be put to serious loss and inconvenience, the travelling public will be considerably discommoded, and business people residing along the road will lose money through the action, or rather inaction of the County Council in connection with putting this line of communication in proper order. Fascines and metal judiciously laid would carry the road on through the winter, and next summer something could be done to permanently prevent it falling into its present state. About a mile or a little more past Puriri, the swamp on each side is higher than portions of the road, and the side drains are filled with earth. This in the winter means that the road is under water. After two hours' travelling ffikutaia was reached, and a stop of twenty minutes was- made for breakfast. Although not many habitations are'visible from the road the place supports a hotel, a store, and a butcher's shop. After leaving this the road passes through fairly level country, most of which is swamp land. VA little after nine o'clock Paeroa was reached, and here a. stay was made. This little township contains a population of something, not much over a hundred people, and supports five hotels, yet for the few hours during which the coach stopped it seemed very quiet and peaceable. It would not appear as if large fortunes wero made in the liquor trade in this place. The town is pioturesquely situated on the banks of the river, from which it derives it name. The river is deep and navigable for a considerable distance above the substantial bridge which spans it. The coach for Te Aroha started at half past one o'clock, and after proceeding through the Botokuhu swamp, the ascent of the winding road'up the hill to the Rotokuhu Gorge was commenced. The The hill is not particularly steep, but the

turns are very quick in it, and the passengers were compelled to walk until the :. summit was reached. The scenery in the Gorge is in itself well worth the trip.; the hill streams and ferny nooks are remarkable, pretty. There is no settlement between this and Te Aroha, which was - reached about • four o'clock in the afternoon. The coach arrives in the main street, in which there are about twenty shops and other places of business, and three hotels. Although the population of the township is twice that of Paeroa, the number of public-houses, it will be seen, is only just more than half as many as those in the latter place. The town presents a busy appearance, everyone seen being .intent on something. Taking the Wairongomai 'bus at five o'clock, a start was' made for that place, which was reached after a drive of half an hour. Here the battery is erected, and something really astonishing meets a visitor. There is a small settlement of about half a dozen shops. The Licensing Committee have granted three hotel licenses. Only one is open ; the others are in course of erection. The battery is being erected by Messrs Firth and Clark, of Auckland, under the superintendence of Mr H. H. Adams. The number of stampers is 40, • and it is said to be the intention of the

owners to erect another 40, us it is antici-

pated that those erected are insufficient *■ to.supply the wants of the miues now at work. The batU ry was at Iho Thames, and belonged to the Piako Go. It could be - made ready for work in four or five weeks, but as the tramway will not be finished for three months, it cannot be " used until that time. When completed it is estimated that the battery will ■have caused an expenditure of about £20,000. The opinion of the engi-. neer in charge of it is that one claim could -'■ ■•' keep it fully employed. Messrs Firth and ■-*■ Clarke hare also constructed a water race 2i miles long, which carries 13 sluiceheads of Water. This work was a rery ,

large undertaking, and reflects credit on | those who carried it out as well as the enterprising men who have done so much towards developing the field by having it constructed. The work cost £7000.

The water race/which was mentioned in the first portion of this account, is, as was stated, 176 chains in length, including 2110 feet of tunnelling. The fall is 1 in 400, and the supply, it is estimated, can never run short. The work is of a very substantial character, all the joints in the tunnel being carefully cemented. There is a dam built to sturu tlsu water at the head of one of the branches." There is a fall of 225 feet from the end of the race to the battery, which will give, when the water is turned on, a pressure of 901bs per inch. The water will be conveyed to the turbines by 20 inch mains. The Mail of tlie 10th instant gives a detailed account of the work. From it we gather that "There are to b« three turbines, which are about to be erected by Messrs Price Bros., of the Thames, namely—one for each 20 head of stampers and one for the berdans, but each which be capable of doing double work, in the event of an accident to the. other. The third turbine deliverse its waste water on to the tables, and thus economises water for this purposes also." It is intended to bring in the Wairakau stream, which can be done by constructing 2-| miles more race. The tramway which is being constructed is from the figures supplied to us a little under two miles and a quarter in length. From the Premier mine it proceeds for twenty- five chains at a grade of 1 in 45, then for 20 chains on the self acting principle, the next variation in grade is to 1 in 200 for 50 chains, which brings it to another self acting grade of 224 chains in length; two more lengths one of 45 chains at a grade of 1 in 45, and the other a self acting one 11 chains long bring the line to the battery. About half the formation is finished, and the rails and sleepers are ready to be laid, It is estimated that the work will be com pleted within three months. The cost of it will, when it is finished amount to £10,000; of this the Government provided over £6,000, and the balance will be provided by the district.

From the information gleaned concern* ing the mines, we learned the following quantities were paddocked for crushing : —Premier, 600- tons ; New Find, 250 tons ; Werahiko, 150 tons; Eureka, 150 tons ; Gully, 80 tons; Moa, 70 tons ; and the Young Colonial, 60 tons.