SURVEY FOR THE WAIRARAPA TRAMWAY.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume I, Issue 52, 30 December 1867, Page 3

SURVEY FOR THE WAIRARAPA TRAMWAY.

Mr Baird has furnished to the Provincial Government a most interesting account of his expedition from the Pukertahi to Greytown. We regret that the report is so long as to preclude our giving anything but a condensed account of his experiences. He first states that altitude of the present road is 1800 (approximately) above the Pukeratahi river, at the bridge. On the first day, Friday, Dec. 6, the par y consisting of Messrs Baird, O’Niil!, Hirschberg, and Warded, proceeded to the valley as far as Ilirschberg’s creek, and explored in various directions for practical outlets which they could not suceed in finding. On the following day Mr Baird says : —

“ We left the camp, accompanied by Mr Hart and same company as before, at 6.30 a.m.. the weather fine, no wind, and the sky indicating a very hot day. We followed Captain Smith’s line up the spur, Mr Hirschberg leading tbe way. There was no difficulty in finding the blazed track, although a fire had passed through I the bush since it was first cut. The general bearing of the spur is east by north. Mr Hart’s cattle have made a good track up to tbe top of the mill, which we reached at 8.30 a.m., finding it exactly as Captain Smith has described in his report. From the appearance of the ridge, and from the fact of a spur leading to this point, we were induced to think there was even a lower saddle than this. We accordingly determined to follow the leading cross ridge down to its junction with the main Eimutaka range. After some difficulty we found a ridge that would lead us to the desired point; so we came back to Captain Smith’s line, in order to commence our track at the place were it deviated from Captain Smith’s. We then took observations to ascertain the height; we found it to be about MOO feet above the river, consequently, 400 feet lower than the present road. We could see from this point the Mungaroa hill and portions of the road, and from its appearance the road has evidently been taken over a mneb higher elevation than necessary,as there is a lower saddle about one mile westward of the present road leading into a valley at the back of Hodder’s through which a line might be got; it would pass through or near to a bush clearing upon Mr Leach’s property, and to the westward of the low range of hills shown upon Captain Smith's map, crossing the Pakuratahi near the low range and coming up flat to foot of spur at Hirschberg’s creek. Tbe distance from the saddle, at the Mungaroa to Hirsohberg's creek at the spur, I should judge to be about three miles ; from the foot cf the spur to the summit of the hill up the range, as traversed by ns, about two miles, probably not more than one and a quarter mile in a direct line. A side cutting could be got sufficiently long to give a very good grade from the foot of the spur to the summit. After making these observations we traversed tbe ridge leading to the Eimutaka; it runs off in a south-easterly direction from Captain Smith's line and appears to connect the hills round Hayes’ valley with the Eimutaka; we thought that if there was a lower saddle we should find it in this direction. Wc were right in our conjectures, as we came to a saddle at least 200 feet lower than the one where Captain Smith crossed the ridge, or 600 feet lower than the present road, This saddle is not more than half-a-chain wide at the top, the ground falling precipitously on each side. The one towards Pakuratahi, and the other into a large basin, the waters from which seemed to flow in a direction that would take us to the Tauherenikau. The saddle might be reduced in height by some forty or fifty feet without having a through cutting of, I should say, more than five chains. We took bearings to Mason's bouse, which could be disiinctly seen ; it bore 237 °, and the valley leading down to what we supposed to be tbe Tauberenikau, 45 ° . Having satisfied ourselves that there was no lower point, we determined to return to our camp at Hirschberg’s creek, by following the creek down to its junction with the line through which we entered the bush the previous day. The creek itself is very rough and has several falls of five or six feet in heighr, rooky sides, and is filled with dead „timber. The side lands are steep and broken ' upon tbe cast side, but the west side appears to be a pretty regular ridge, the side lands of which appear only moderately heavy, sov\q portions indicate very little work. We. react .efi the pack track about I p.m., tbe creek we. had been following down proved to be the -second we crossed the previous day, after we had entered the bush, and which we thought to be tbe one leading from the saddle. Arrived at our camp at 1.30 p.m. Messrs ’vVardell and Hirschberg left at 3 p.m. for Ore* town, pressure of business not allowing them Vj continue with us any longer. They returned to Hodder’s by Hart’s pack track, Tbe weauner was very fine the whole of the day. The timber upon the ridges consist principally 0 f black birch, occasionally a rimu, and. we saw a few totara saplings. The soil ia poor, mostly clay, with sandstone rock beneath.” On Sunday the party passed Mount Wardell, so christened by Mr Hirschberg, and followed down, to the valley, where they reached the junction of the ‘Tauhercnikau. Mr Baird reports;— “The valley is, as Captain Smith describes in j his report, about fourteen or twenty chains

wide, the river running through first on one side tbsn upon the other, leaving broad shingle banks upon the edge of the water. The hills are heavily” timbered, and the flats, upon the immediate batiks of the river, are covered with tutu and other scrub. We pitched our camp neer to the junction and determined to take one day in exploring the Tauherenikau river, thinking that although it had nothing to do with the Wairarapa line, still we might obtain some useful information, should there be any probability of a line being opened through the hills towards the west coast of this province/’ The next day, Monday, was devoted to exploring and prospecting the Tauherenikau valley. Mr Baird went about seven mile;} from the junction, and was then forced to return as the provisions were running short. Mr O’Neill did not suceed geld, but he says there is every appearance of aal iu the district.

The report then goes on to say; Tuesday, Dec. 10.—Left camp at 8 a.m., the weather very line, no wind, and very hot. We came down the river-bed where we could, but the water seems to have deepened considerably since Captain Smith explored it, as he was able to come the whole of the way in the bed of the river. We could not do anything of the sort. Sometimes we would get about five chains, and then be stopped with deep water and high rocky banks on either side ; so we had to climb up the best way vve could, and go along the face of the hills. The side lands are very steep. I should say 80ft., and principally locks ; and there are evident signs of very heavy slips having taken place years ago. Here and there the ground rises up perpendicularly from the river, having small table lands upon the top in some places, sixty, seventy, ami even 100 feet high. These table lands would not, I think, be available for road purposes, as they are so irregular in height that it would be a matter of great difficulty and expense in getting from one to the other. 1 do not think there is much difference in the character of the side lands as regards the work required to be done in the formation of a road. The south side of the river would have more sun and wind, and would consequently be less likely to slip. The river could be bridged in several places with a span of say forty feet, with rock foundations, and sufficiently high to be clear of any flood, so that it might be advantageous in the event of a road being made to cross from one side to the other, as I found one side was imp-amicable the other was not so steep. We i itched camp (on a small table land at 6.30 p.m. Some idea of the character of the ground may be gathered when I say that, according to Captain Smith’s plan, we had not travelled more than two and a half miles all day. It took us nearly five hours to go half a mile, having literally to crawl upon our hands and knees, often in very dangerous positions.

Wednesday, Dec. 11.—Strnk camp and started upon our downward journey at 6.30 a.m., weather very fine, no wind and very hot. Proceeded along the tabic laud upon which we had camped, and at the end went down into the creek, travelling down in the same manner as on the previous day, the character of the country being about the same, if anything a little better towards the point shown upon the map as a great slip, which we reached about 5 p.m. The river is much wider here, and the road might be taken over a comparatively flat country on the north side of the river to the Mo. oa plain, We struck into the hush, and came along the terrace the whole way from tho slip until we reached the Morca plain, coming out upon Mr Jackson's property, at the corner of the bush, on a high terrace, at about 7.13 p.m., arriving at Woodside by the under hill road, now in course of formation, ar 9 o’clock in tho evening.

The following remarks made by Mr Baird are very important;— In concluding this report of our proceedings, I beg to state, that from tbe I’ukaratahi to tbe top of tbe saddle, and even down t0,,-J.lje junction with tbe Tauberenikau river, their# ’ would bo no mere difficulties to be encounted in the formation of a road than is usual in a work of this kind, through a country of similar character. Excellent grades could be obtained at an elevation of 600 feet less than the present Himutaka Hill Eoad. From the junction to the Moroa plain, a distance I should estimate at seven miles, tbe work would, I believe, from what I saw, be very extensive and expensive. It is impossible upon just at first exploration to say if these bad places can be avoided I just speak of what I saw in coming down tbe river, and all my impressions are taken from that. Ido net think we left the river bank in any one case for a greater distance than eight or ten chains. Still I could not see that they could be avoided, without there is some line totally apart front the river, entering the bush at the junction and taking a different side of the ridge to the river. It seems as if the ri verhad torn the hills asunder working its way down between (he rocks. Thera must have been a great change even in ten years, for we found places where Captain Smith had walked with the water only knee-deep, had now a depth of ten and twelve feet.