THE HOT LAKES.

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 66, 17 December 1881, Page 216

THE HOT LAKES.

HOW TO TAKE A TRIP THKRE QUICKLY

INI) INEXPENSIVELY

Having just got hack from a trip to the Hot Lakes, we make a present of (lie following hints to intending toui'ists : — Go via Tauranga, and be sure to take a return ticket, by whirl i you will save 10s, the single fare being 80s and Ihe return 50s. This includes meals aboard. The coa,ch awaits the steamer, but allows time for breakfast (2s fid), which may be taken at the Star, Menzies', the Commercial, or any of the first-class houses in Tauranga. Tho drive to Okinemufrii is 42 miles, and occupies from 8£- to 10 hours, according to the state of the road. The coach stops once in the bush to change horses, and at this settlement (Rearenga), lunch, which the tourist should carry with him from Tauranga, may bo eaten. There are three good hotels at Oliin.emu.tu (which is generally reached in time for six o'clock dinner), viz., Lake House, owned by Robert Graham ; The Palace, owned by Mr William Kelly ; and The Kotorua, owned by Mrs Morrison. The first two are the newest and largest, but all three appear to be thoroughly comfortable and well managed. We stayed at Lake House, and should have felt perfectly satisfied but for sundry rather arbitrary regulations which prevail as to getting \ip, meal hours, &c. Mr Graham should make his servants comprehend that their duty is to study the guests' comfort first, and their own afterwards. Invalids and holiday-makers do not always care to rouse up at 7.30 a.m. for 8 o'clock breakfast, merely because the cook and waiter "want to get it over" ; nor is it quite satisfactory to be told that if by any chance you happen to lie abed till 10. you wiil have to' go without your matutinal meal altogether. The morning after riding from tho Waotu to Rotor ua (70 odd miles), we felt decidedly inclined to put off breakfast till the day was well aired, and the waiter kindly promised to allow us this luxury for once in a while. At 8.30 a.m., however, he repented of the concession, and, blackening liis soul witli the statement that it was 10 minutes to 9, wanted to know whether our inclination lay in the direction of chops, steaks,

or bacon and eggs! Of course after this hint there was nothing for it but to leave the " arms of Porpus " uucl get up. Nevertheless avc felt injured all day subsequently, and determined to take it out of that early -rising waiter some day. Then as regards meals : Tourists and invalids should not he hound do-vvn too tightly. If they come in half-an-hour late for dinner* it ought not to be cold ; nor, in the event of a party getting back from Tarawera at 7 instead of 6 pirn, (as avc did), should they find that there are no vegetables cooked. We can understand an hot el manager being strict about early breakfasts and punctual meals -when his house is full, but during our visit there were only six guests in residence, and the servants must have found it hard work to fill up their time. Having enjoyed our little growl about these matters, we can now go on and say that the food at Lake House, though plain, is good, and (blessing of blessings) thoroughly well cooked. AMr Ellis was for a long time Mr Graham's manager, but the house has now passed into the hands of Mr 13. J. F. Edwards, an interpreter long resident at Oliinemutu, and a mo»t courteous and obliging gentleman. Mr Edwards spares no pains to make guests feel at home, and we have little doubt that as the season progresses he will become highly popular. The attendance, too, is distinctly superior, the waiter Joe showing himself \cry good-natured in assisting invalids, preparing baths, &c. These same baths are a great boon. There are two — a mineral and a sulphur one, in a covered shed at the end of the garden, not 20 yards from the house, and they are available at almost any hour of the night and day. The cost of living at Lake House — which, by-the-way, seems even more comfortably furnished than Waiwera — is 12s b'd a day, or '<£$ 10s a week. At Rotorua nearly all the sights worth visiting are within easy walking distance, and can be done in one day. Tarawera (or Wairoa) is twelve miles away, and the drive there takes about one hour and a-half, and costs 10s each wa\ by buggy. If you are in a hurry to get through, the plan is to walk to Sulphur Point, &c, flic morning after your arrival at Lake House, and proceed to Wairoa in the afternoon, stopping on the way to see the ge\»ers and mud volcanoes at Whakarewarewa. Visitors to Lake I Louse and Kelly's stay at the Terrace Hotel, Wairoa — a very excellently managed hou-e — which Mr Monterieff and his "wife make most comfortable. We had a capitally cooked little dinner, and spent a pleasant halfhour; subsequently tempting the native boys to run races and jump for pennies. There is al»o a waterfall to see here, so that (even without a hak(i) one can get. through an evening really enjoyably. In addition to the Terrace Hotel, at. Wairoa, there is another house called the Kotoniahana, owned by Macrae ; but the disadvantage of going there is. that- you cannot- procure the services of Sophia, who i< the guide of guides to the Terraces. Sophia is a halfcaste, and speaks .English as glibly sis any Londoner. For many years she had a monopoly of t lie guiding business, but now the Rotomahana Hotel has set up a European named Scott, who pilots all the visitors to that house. Major Kemp, the Maori who owns the Terraces, has been endeavouring to foist his son on visitors a> a guide ; but, as Jic can't speak English, and doesn't- appear to know the ground accurately, we should advise tourists f,o steadily refuse to have anything to do with him. Our parly had to charter Kemp, because .Sophia wouldn't go if ho didn't- (it was his turn). Nevertheless lie proved perfectly useless, absolutely allowing one gentleman to put his foot, up to the ancle in red hot mud. The Terraces are 12 miles by water from the head of Lake- Tarawera, which is about a mile from the Wairoa Hotel. L'nless the weather is quite iine tourists should not on any account attempt the expedition. Iso sight- in the world will, in our opinion, repay a man for sitting three hours in an open boat, pulling against a head wind and driving rain. Such was (lie writer's sad fate, and long will he remember it. Once the natives put up a lug sail, but they were so obviously ignorant how to manage it. that we imperatively insisted on its being taken down. A boating tourist aboard tried to explain to Sophia that as hen a more than ordinary sharp gusfc came the sail must be slackened, but neither this lady nor any of the other natives could be persuaded to see the sense of this, and the harder the wind blew the tighter they held on to the sail. 2f at u rally the effect- was appalling in the extreme, and avc Europeans Avcren't easy until the rag came down. At twelve o'clock ( tfter f.hree hours hard pulling against n strong wind) the head of the Lake Avas reached, and our parly, disembarking, walked about a mile to the- White Terraces. It is not the writer's intention to describe in this article all the wonderful sights at Eotoniahana. We merely wish to show lioav the trip to the Lakes can be done cheapest and quickest, and shall therefore pass on to lunch, which avc had at 2 o'clock near some boiling spring, having seen everything there Avns to be seen on that side of the lake. Tourists should be careful to take plenty of lunch with them from the hotel. The natives provide nothing but potatoes, which they boil on the spot, and they expect to be asked to share part of the meal. Lunch over, the Lake was crossed in a canoe, and the Pink Terraces inspected. The party then returned by the River Kaiwaka to the head of Tarawera, and, reentering the boat, ran quickly home before a fair wind. Wairoa was reached at, five in the afternoon, and a coach took us over to Lake House in two hours. The reports current about the great expense oi' a visit to the Lakes are more moonshine. If tourists choose to be extravagant, they can, of course, chuck away money at the Lakes with much facility, but it is not. at. all vp.cewtta'ii to do so. The following itinerary has been prepared with care, and shows the entire cost of a visit to the Lakes for two single gentlemen. The time occupied is only four clear days, and the outside expenses £10 apiece. ItIXERAjRY. Leave Auckland by the steamer starling on Monday evening at 5 p.m., which arrives at Tauranga on Tuesday morning, and at Oliinemutu (by coach) on Tuesday evening at 5.30. After dinner look around, and take a bath before going to bed. Wednesday morning visit sights of Rotorua, bathing at Sulphur Point. Leave Ohinemutu at 2 for Wairoa, stopping to see geysers, &c, a.t Whakarewarewa by the Avay. On

arrival at Wairoa visit waterfall, and spend tlio evening looking around. . Thursday morning leave at G. 30 a.m. for the Terraces, and spend the day there, returning to Wairoa at 4 p.m., and reaching Oliincmutu by coach in time for 6 o'clock dinner. Tuesday morning take coach for Tauranga, catching steamer for Auckland, which leaves at 4 p.m. Arrive home early on Saturday morning. Travellers are thus only four clear days u.Avay, as they leave on Monday after business hours, and get back on Saturday in time for business. COST OP EXCURSION FOH TWO GENTLEMEN. Monday— £ s. - 1 . Two return tickets to Tauranga and Dack to Aucklnnd, including' meals on board steamer, 50s each 5 n .) Tuesday — aT wo breakfasts at Taurauga, 2s 6cl each ... 0 5 0 -Two parcels sandwiches, &c, for lunch on t'ae coach, Is each '. • ... ' ', ... 0 2 0 Two coach fares to Obinemutu, 20s each, .,. 2 0 0 tT wo dinners at hotel, Ohiiteinutu .'„ ■'„.-0 6 it Two beds at Ohineumtn ... ... „.. .C 0 0 "Wednesday — Two breakfasts at Ohineixmtn 0 0 0 Two lunches at Ohinemutu 0 0 0 Two coach fares to Wniroa at 10s each ... 1 0 0 tGuide at Whakotewarewa geysers, Is each 0 2 0 li.Guide to Wairoa waterfall, Is each 0 2 0 Two dinners at Wairoa hotel 0 <i 0 Two beds at Wairoa hotel 0 6 0 Thursday — Two breakfasts at "Wairoa hotel 0 0 0 SSopbia, guide to the Terraces ... 0 10 0 Natives to pull boat ..250 Tickets admitting to Botoinahana, 2s 6d each 0 5 0 Oauoe for crossing- lake 0 10 0 Extra tips to natives (not imperative) ... 0 o 0 Two luujuos on Terraces, taken from hotel 0 0 0 Two coach fares to Ohinemutu .... ... .1 -0 0 Two dinners at Ohinemutu 0 0 0 Two beds at Ohinemutu 0 G O Friday — Two breakfasts at Ohinemutu ... ... 0 6 0 *Two lunches on the way to Tauranga ... 0 2 0 Two couch fares to Taurunga... 2 ,0 0 Total Expenses £18 12 0 Or ... ... iOGs each. *Touri.sts bent on being economical can take refreshments of some kind with them from Auckland or Tauransjft. and thus avoid this expense altogether. a If the steamer does not reach Tauranga before 8 a.m. breakfast is supplied on board, and this expense saved. t&Teiils and beds in the Lake district are invariably 3s each, unless visitors stay more than a week. Tourists intending to do this should give notice on their arrival at Oliinemntu. JTlie charge here is Is for each person guided. SSophia charges precisely the same whether the party consists of one person or twenty. When many go together the sum is, of course, equally divided. •,Tlie natives charge £2 for rowing one person to the head of Lake Turau'era and hack, and 5s for every additional person. Consequently, when the party is large the rate per head is much smaller.