RAMBLES THROUGH THE LAKE COUNTRY ON HORSEBACK. No. I.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2153, 27 April 1886, Page 3

RAMBLES THROUGH THE LAKE COUNTRY ON HORSEBACK. No. I.

Tni»K aro times within the brief Rpan of this mundane existence when the longing for freab excitement, or the call of duty, oblige many men to go forth in search of health and pleasure and to feast the eye and intellect iv the unrestrained contemplation of the marvellous in Nature. The mature and .studious exerckn of the mind in the careful observation of the wonders of those mighty works which cover the surface of certain portions of our globe, and which in their lofty grandeur reflect the illimitable majesty of the Almighty Designer of the Universe, finds food for continued meditation of a more enduring impressionable character than the generality of pulpit platitudes and time-worn polemics. It is not the privilege, nor is it within the compass, of all people to participate in propria persona in the actuality of these divine exhibition"!. Nevertheless, by the agency of the Press such privileges can be extended in spirit, if not in being, to all classes who can peruse the reproductions an*di<Fsscriptive pen-pictures of those whose care and honourable calling it is to provide them for the delectation and instruction of the majority. The extraordinary country which lies to the south of the Waikato, towards the centre of this island, is now beginning to draw towards it a largely incr&gtjpM Jow of visitors from all parts of thftj-vgiM, The eager pursuer of the ttffjMeVod preternatural ; the decrepit and afftjpfced in mind and body ; sometimes the idle ajßioynically curious, are hading their wfjMnflNi'wards from every quarter. Yet, it is still in a very great measure a terra incognita- to- the bulk ,of travelling nifraanity. Even to the people settled througuotii the Waikato, on the borderland of that country of wonderous phenomena, it is air a strange and unexplored dominion. Therefore, in consideration of the general absence of precise knowledge of the remarkable field, existing almost at our threshold wherein .to indulge our passions for holidaymaking and delightful excursion?, The Waikato Times determined not to be behind 1 the race, as a widely circulated journal, in submitting to its patrons a graphic .narrative of the marvels of our wonderful. It is true that many admirable accounts of the astounding spectacles of (he. lake country have very recently been supplied to the Press, and after such great masters in the art as the brilliant gossiping gourmand,- George Augustus §aln, and the" erudite John Anthony Froude, your "special" possesses a feeling of humble diffidence in offering his experiences -of travel 'over the same ground. But we mast take heart of grace, and remembering tlin'fr whilst each cannot be a lofty gerifns or, »' great leader, yet, even the lowly •oldier in the ranks, in the execution of his duty, may perform deeds that will contribute towards a crowning victory. From the outset of the jonrney southwafßs there are points of interest, and re* ' markable geological formations, which arrest the attention of the studiousobserver. After leaving Cambridge and cantering along the main Napier- Waikato highway* we pass between the propeity of the Auckland Company on the left, and the Gorton Estate on the right, of which Sir James Fergusson, formerly Grfvernor of this colony, is the owner. The latter is a fine property, and contains a large area of very excellent grass lands, lodking remarkably healthy, and from which numbers of superior fat cattle and sheep are despatched by rail to supply the Auckland market. The deme-ne is situated on a knoll, and possesses a tine residence, with all the necessary outbuildings and offices, surrounded by large plantations of conifers, poplars', gums, &c., forming, on the whole, * -charmingly picturesque view. The property extends for several miles, terminating at the upper end in rugged hills and broken land, where they are at present burning off the fern and low scrub, and sowing grass seed broadcast. The road then leaves the Waikato river, which flows down below between steep banks, and forms a succession of foaming, whirling rapidi, and rises on to a broad plateau, where we come to the Cranstoun Estate, lately owned by the Stud and Pedigree Company, which has recently reverted to the Auckland Agricultural Company. The property extends some considerable distance, and is composed chiefly of low lying hills. The soil is very light, of a sandy pumice character. A very curious thing occurred a this place a few years ago. A drain had just been cut on the plateau, where the homestead is situated, to the edge of the cliff, overlooking the river. During the night heavy rain fell, and the flood water finding a passage into the newly-cut drain, cut its way through the cliff, and, before morning, had excavated a broad creVafese, a chain wide and forty feet deep. The cutting, so strangely formed, gave the estate a very welcome, though unexpected, roa,d to the highway below, and was as good as a gift of a hundred pounds or so. The Waikato river, rushing along between lofty perpendicular cliffs, fernclad and rugged, is now for ever confined to its S resent bed, from which it cannot escape. >Nt it is evident it had in earlier times a more extended surface and sphere. Above its -present high banks are seen a series of terraces, rising in straight paralled lines one above the other, their uniformity being broken in many places by deep gorges, or breaches similar to the crevasse just described at Cranstoun, and which have been oaused by the downpour of flood water, from' the hills in the background. How many ages have elapsed since the Waikato sank frx»m the elevation of one terrace to a lower one, or from the time when, swollen by mighty inundations and volcanic upheavals from Lake Taupo, the great river tore through the length and breadth of the land between the lake and the sea, is ton abstruse a question to enter upon have. ;No doubt before it was reduced to its existing narrow and circumscribed channel it possessed titanic forces which operated in a high decree on the configuration of the land. .We see traces of this on all. bides in this portion of our road, in the terraces, old water-worn ravines, bold promontories, and sharp abrupt terminations of the high headlands. ' This wild, disordered appearance is peculiar to New Zealand, and is most concisely described by the Irishman, who,. bain? asked by a friend iv the Old Country -to tell him what sort of a place it is, WipiUd : •'.' Och ! aufe aud it* a juu.bled-. up counthree mtoirely." At-the -upper' side t>f the~Csranstoun property, after passing Roxburgh, one of their stations, the road opens upon a bit of open, undulating country surrounded by an 'amphitheatre of high conical hills. This is T« Rau, about twenty miles from ' Cambridge, and is an out-station of the same estate. On the opposite side of the road is Hume and Morrin s run, which occupies a considerable portion of the Patetere, or Thames Valley district. From an old historical point of view, Te Rau possesses many interesting feature*; Looking rqund on all sides the traces of fully a dozen old pahs can be discerned on the many high elevations, and indicate that this must, at one time, in the early history of the race, have been an old Maori battle ground where tribal quarrels were settled in many a fierce conflict. To the right, standing some distance . back, and in a commanding position can be seen the rampants and battlements of what must once have been an extensive and formidable fortress, 'and the stronghold of the dominant tribe, the Ngatiraukawa. When we reflect" that not a single remnant of this once warlike and numerous people is, to be found for miles from this spot, we can easily understand how the process of extermination and final extinction is overtaking them. First, the incessant • inter-tribal wars and cannibalism, and now, finally the evils and vices engendered by the contact with the all-absorbing white race, have beeriTSlowly but surely eliminating from the face of the, earth, a brave and interesting people, a silent witness of the law of the survival of Tthe fittest. Two miles from Te Rau, Oxford is reached. (To be continued.)

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