THE ROTORUA ROAD.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1368, 7 April 1881, Page 2

THE ROTORUA ROAD.

A correspondent writes under date sth April, further concerning the progress of works on the Rotorua road as follows :—: — "After crossing the Waimakariri bridge nothing but the survey of the road has been done. The road however, for about two miles, as far as Ta Papa settlement, is very good. A word about this settlement as we are passing through. Travellers and contractors both give the Ta Papa natives a good name, both for honesty and hospitality. Strange to say, most of these natives belong to Wanganui, and have only come to Ta Papa to reside while the Patetere block waslieing passed through. The Ta Papa settlement itself appears to be good land, but I must say I felt greatly disappointed with the country around, the noted Patetere block not being such good land as we had believed. We do not say that all the land is like this, but there are tens of thou(ends of acres around Ta Papa, the very heart of Patetere, of the most broken description. After leaving Ta Papa the road gets very hilly, and I found it impossible to take a conveyance any further towards Rotorua. The road continues very hilly and precipitous for some ten or twelve miles, when we reached the large block of bush that reaches thence to Rotorua. some fourteen miles. The land here I am glad to say changes greatly for the better, being undulating ani the soil of first class quality. We were informed the natives Would not part with any of this. Some eight or ten natives have been engaged for months cutting a bridle track six feet wide through this. The road as you may imagine is anything but good, and in winter will be very bad, it is, we believe, the intention of the Government to complete this road next summer which will be a great boon to the settlers within a days journey of one of the greatest wonders of the world. In a future letter I hope to discribe a few of these wonders. Oar first introduction to these said wonders, wai just as we got through the bush seeing a native kill a pig outside his Tvhare, dipping it into a boiling spring taking it out and scraping, without any further trouble. It might be interesting toJspme ,of your readers to have some idea given them of the amqunf. of money spent this year on the Cambridge-Rotorua Road. Mr Hetley, Government , Engineer and party of seven assistant* have been engaged the whole year. , The -fif st contract let was the Waihou bridge contract, Messrs Maunders, Bros.* contractors, for some £1300, the second was No. 2, formation, Mr James Combes, contractor, for.

some £500, the third, Nd, % fornSftSon swas let to Mr Graham for some £900, the fourth, Waitoa biidge contract let to Messrs Maunder, Bros, for £1000. A.C. Force will soon have completed aehfyr as intended some three miles of formation..,.