A TRIP TO THE OKOROIRE HOT SPRINGS.

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1466, 24 November 1881, Page 3

A TRIP TO THE OKOROIRE HOT SPRINGS.

Starting from Cambridge for the Hot Springs at Okoroiri by way of Oxford on a fine morning the traveller enters upon a journey of about 30 miles of perhaps the most enchanting and diversified character, along whioh is to be found scenes as impressive as they are beautifcful and romantic. The entire line of travel from the junction of the Matamata and Oxford loads, leadß through a country almost entirely void of any indications of an advanced state of civilisation, but one which presents to tho eye an unbroken pinorama of natural scenery, and imparts to the mind that tiuge of romance which the beauties and solitudes of natural Bcenery is alone capable of imparting. The rugged cliffs, the steep and majestic mountain sides, the arbuscular plantings which here and there afford shelter to the extensive herds of cattle fattening on the stunted herbage, the unbroken terraces of fern land which stretch for miles along the western bank of the river, and last but not least the gloomy Waikato itself, with its rapids, sharp turnings, and treacherous aspect, sullenly creeping onward, constitutes one grand vi&ion more adaptable to the pencil of an artist than the pen of a writer. Since my last trip in this direction very few alterations or improvements have been effected, with the exception that the roads are in capital condition for driving, that a weekly postal service has been established between civilisation and Oxford, and that a postal station, known (I believe to the creator alone) by the name of Rocksborough, lias sprung into existence midway. Whether the growth of this latter establishment has been spontaneous or not T cannot say, but I unhesitatingly aver that any of your readers who are of an inquisitive turn of mind may look a long time for such a station in the nomenclature of colonial postal institutions, or for what salary the civil servant in charge draws from the general revenue. With the exception of a burrow in a rock— from which the place apparently derives its name — bearing a striking resemblance to the sepulchral resting-place of some extinct family, and over which the somewhat commonplace inscription, " ' Letters' — ' Orders' — Rocksborongb, 1880," intimates to the passer-by that Kocksborough is a medium of postal communication through which all business of that nature in the neighborhood (!) is transacted. Leaving Cambridge about 7.30 a.m. the eleventh hour of the morning brings the traveller alongside Mr Montague's hostelry— a very acceptable retreat to the exhausted and thirsty, and where is dispensed all indispensable stimulants to a long journey. A few yards on the Cambridge side of the hotel a road leads off to the left through the Okoroire station, leading to the now populav hot springs, a distance of about four miles from the township. To the uninitiated I would recommend a guide, for to a person who has not vi&ited the springs previously the multitude of gates through which the road leads cannot be otherwise than bewildering, and the road is very uncertain. Before going further I cannot but refer to the philanthropic nature of the proprietors of the Okoroire estate, who raise no objection to the public utilising the road through their property when going to the springs. This is the only way I know of, and weie it stopped the public would be prevented from enjoying the benefits which the springs through their medicinal qualities afford A large portion of the Okoroire property lias been ploughed up of late, and some thousands of acres have been laid down in grass and clover. The quality of the land and the level nature of its surface make it specially adaptable for small farms. There is a good buggy road up to within about twenty or thirty yards of the Springs which are situate on the right hand bank of the river, which is reached by a bridge of a very primitive and decidedly flimsy nature. The river at this juncture is known to some as the Waterfall, and though I could see nothing in the neighbourhood which to my mind could warrant me in confirming the appellation, still there was a horrible noise resembling that of a cataract, created by the'river disappearing through a sort of bank, and forcing its way out of a subterranean passage at the other side. Under the shade of a peach-tree and surrounded partly by a high bank, lies tho cooler spring, and within a few yards from this the smaller and hotter one lies basking in the sun. With the exception of a Maori whare constructed of raupo and ti-tree, and which, to my mind, looked like the hospital of an abandoned Maori sanatorium, there is nothing to affoyd shelter, either for dressing or lunching, I availed myself of its hospitality, and under its uupardonably thin roof sought a retreat from the scorching rays of a most unmerciful sun. The A.C. road party is stationed not far distant, and when I went down for my bath — or boil rather — I was surprised to find the cauldron full up, about a dozen undergoing the boiling process. Having succeeded in making myself as like to a lobster as was feasible, I retraced n.y steps to Cambridge where I arrived at a most convenient hour of the evening 1 . As Mr Montague of the Oxford "Hotel, contemplates taking charge of the Springs for some time) he informs me that visitors can be supplied by him with all requisite camping material, and thus be enabled to spend a few days on the ground. I would suggest to any person who contemplates making a business in connection with these now popular sanitary acquirements, that a flag-pole should be erected to serve as a guiae to visitors, I and that tho Springs be conveniently enlarged. The cost of carrying ov\t these improvements would be small in comparison to the profit which would in time be certain to accrue to the speculator.