ON THE AROHA MOUNTAIN.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1494, 31 January 1882, Page 3

ON THE AROHA MOUNTAIN.

Is the period annually set apart for holiday making ended ? For some no doubt it is, but so far as the farmers are concerned, we take it that it has not yet commenced. It may not, then, be unseasonable to indicate a locality in which a fewdnys appropriated for the purposes of leisure may be pleasantly — we had almost said .profitably spent. During the last month or two, many residents of Waikato have sought rest and quiet for a brief space in the picturesque neighbourhood of Raglan, out of the way of tele-graphs-regular postal delivery, and all sueliWistressing concommitants of nineteenth century 'civilisation ; and we know of few places better adapted for holiday keeping. But if haply there be among us those who, while desiring to visit strange places, are not enamoured of that solitude which the poet Young describes as the choice of the prudent, the envy of the great, From the ways of men laid safe ashore, let tliem turn their feet in an opposite direction. Eastward, around and upon the great Aroha they will find plenty to engross their attention. In the midst of Nature's loveliest works are the haunts aud homes of men beginning to delve for the earth's treasures, or to win from her her kindly fruits. A short time ago a correspondent visited the Aroha district, and upon the subject here introduced let him tell his own story :—: — On Wednesday sennight my travelling companion and myself started for the Aroha goldfield. Comfortably seated behind a pair of sterling ponies, with plenty of wraps and a stout umbrella, the threatening aspect of the weather did not terrify us; but before many miles had been covered the frequently recurring showers were found to be disagreeable enough, and it required the exercise of a little Mark Tapleyan philosophy to make the journey passably enjoyable. The road was found to be in fair condition, and atter duly baiting at the Nottingham, we arrived in a slightly bedraggled condition at O'Halloran's Hotel at 5 p.m. Here there also arrived, later in the evening, several well known Thames residents, associated with the mining interest. "When darkness set in the weather assumed a sullen aspect, and the chances of getting up the mountain the next day were discussed in no spirit of confidence. Happily the morning brought no decided confirmation of the dark forebodings of the night, and having procured saddle horses, we left the township after breakfast to make the ascent. It was our good fortune to fall in with a gentleman thoroughly acquainted with the country, who acted in the honorary capacity of guide and cicerone, in the person of Mr T. Wood (formerly of Hamilton). It is not necessary to have a guide, but, when available, the company of some one versed in the topography of the district is desirable. Leaving the township, which during the last few months lias assumed a more cheerful appearance than formerly, we skirted the base of the mountain for a distance of about three miles, subjected at regularly recurring periods to the light showers which swept athwart the slopes of the great Aroha with kaleidoscopic effect, the deep wooded gullies now lighted up with warm sunshine, and now steeped in gloom. The track is indifferent enough, and satisfaction will be felt when the road contract, now being carried on, is finished. Equestrians can, however, make the journey in comfort. When near the boundary of the Thames High School reserve the path turns sharply to the left, and the ascent is commenced on the excellent bridle track laid out by Mr Purchas, the county engineer, and now nearly completed. The gradients are by no means easy, but lio difficulty or danger need be apprehended if a proper degree of care be exercised. On reaching the summit of the first spur, at an elevation of some few hundred feet, we paused unconsciously to survey the beautiful prospect before us. Looking southward, the eye wandered over an apparently limitless plain (the hoii/on line was lost in mist), dotted here and there with the humble forerunners of countless happy homesteads, and plenteously watered by streamlets that glittered in the sunlight like threads of silver. Here are the homes of the pioneers of Grant and Foster's settlement. Thoroughly satisfied with the quality of the land, and with the means of communication afforded by the river, which, thanks to the public spirit of Mr Firth has been rendered navigable to their very doors, these men have commenced work in a temper which augurs well for the future prosperity of the district, no less than their own. The next of the periodical showers, sweeping down the gorge with, unwonted severity warned us to be gone, and turning our horses' heads we followed the track into the dense bush. For nearly two miles the road led us through the forest, following the contour of the mountain, crossing miniature torrents, past mimic waterfalls, but ever maintaining a decided upward tendency. Occasionally wide vistas disclosed themselves, affording distant views of the plain or glimpses of wooded ravines. In general the timber is small, but at frequent intervals the track passes under some giant rata, or kauri. We paused to measure the girth of one of the latter, and found it to be about 18 feet. The ease with which this portion of the journey was accomplished, and its pleasant nature, fostered, if it did not create in the minds of my travelling companion and myself, a feeling of contempt for the difficulties of bush travelling which was destined to last only for a short period. Arrived at the end of the track we tethered our horses, and braced ourselves for a scramble through the bush. Instead of trusting to his own knowledge of the locality, Mr Wood enquired of the road party, working here, the shortest way to the Diamond Gully claim, whither we were steering, and as the result of accepting their advice we had an hour's toilsome inarch, when half that time would have sufficed, and it was a toilsome journey. To say nothing of wet undergrowth, and the involuntary shower baths which we received, the proper performance of the job requires a previous training in climbing up house walls and dropping down wells, which I confess I (and I believe I can speak for Captain , my companion) had not received. Yet thoroughly pumped out as we repeatedly were, our enjoyment was complete. Once or twice we narrowly escaped losing the numbers of our mess, but the danger past was soon forgotten, and we plunged over fallen timber and swung ourselves down the steep sides of the gullies with the abandon of a schoolboy. Truth to tell, we had to keep moving, or we should have fallen a prey to the insatiable' hordes of mosquitos that infest the bush. The great reef runs, roughly speaking, from north to south, having the " Three Brothers " claim at the southern, and the "Agnes" s&Jfoe northern extremity of the occupiofl ground, two miles apart, i The new track strikes this ground apout the middle, 3fcouching,.wheii finished}-the-"Three Fools," the " Zulu," and passing through the 1 ' '^Gentle Annie ri and ' ** Dia- . mpncLGully" claims to the prospector* 1 -Find;" J This /is the fHiir&ction we* 'should 'have ltaken; But l^he/fc captain's high spirits were lapi^b^iMj^ f ssg<i«d as;l tjw^J 'I*jcould from laughter for two" minute? S^^heir while my friend was in adWmga»j\ Every glance from him -was a SwwwV agauwt the folly of gliding

mountains, and yet he hopped over the timber and swung himself over perilous ravines with a degree of sprightliness which I emulated in vain. Our unlucky detour took us across the line of reef and landed us high up the mountain side, on theboundary of the " Prideof the West. " A cooey brought one of the miners to us, and while we were chatting with him on the one subject, which, like A. Ward's " grate orgin" seemed to till all minds at the Aroha, some of our Thames friends made their appearance through the bush. Like ourselves they had gone a little astray, and, as in our case, were glad to sit down and enjoy a five minutes smoke. Having occupied our breathing time profitably we took our bearings for the " Diamond Gully" and proceeded downwards over an apparently endless series of breakneck dips and precipices. Passing through the " Little and Good", and " Coquette", we found ourselves at length on the Diamond Gully claim. The ground has been thoroughly prospected, and some amount of work has been done in driving. At a distance of a few feet from the surface good gold-bear-ing quartz has been struck, and the shareholders are very sanguine as to results. In common with the rest they are desirous to getting a trial parcel crushed to decide the question of the payable nature of the reef. The " New Find" just a little way off, I was tocr fatigued to visit, and having partaken of the kind hospitality of the Diamond Gully miners, who made tea for us, we turned our footsteps homeward. This time we took the direct route, and found that in addition to being shorter than that taken by us in our journey np, there was an agreeable difference in the character of the ground. By this time too, the weather had greatly improved, and instead of the rain which greeted us whenever we left the friendly cover of the trees, we now stepped out of the shade into patches of sunshine. The journey down the brible path was accomplished without any incident of note and at 5 o'clock we were once again in the Aroha township. A warm bath and an appetising dinner at O'Halloran's brought day to a satisfactory close. Without the making allowance for the weather the trip was one I would not willingly have missed, and I can conceive how much more pleasant it would have been under a more genial sky, and through undergrowth not quite so damp. Bush travelling possesses innumerable charms, and they who delight m its primeval glory, should ramble up the Aroha slopes.