THE RIVAL ROUTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3068, 15 March 1892, Page 2

THE RIVAL ROUTES.

(BY TELEGRAPH.— OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Auckland, Last Night. Thk following telegram has bean received by the Star from the party which travelled through by the Central route, and who have arrived at Wanganui :—Wo reached Pipiriki after a journey of five days of slow travelling. The track waH bad and boggy and obstructed by trees fallen through the Waimarino Wock. The first day's journey was a short one only to Kawakawa, (the point of divergence) where we arrived after dark and camped fur the night. We were astonished to find a common store being erected at Kawakawa by Mr Cashel, who is of a speculative t::rn of mind and is getting ready to do business on a large scale in anticipation of the railway line being made to Stratford at once. The land between the tunnel and the Wanganui Rivrr is all pumice barren country. Crossing the Wanganui to the Waimarino block we entered the bush by a winding track. With the exception of a small opening where we eaniued on Wednesday the bush land extends to the Waimarino plains which are all pumice country. The bush land just referred to is not what one would call well watered undulating land. Tho Waimarino plain is n volcanic plateau extending from the base of Ruapehu and about 2000 feet above where we crossed the Wanganui. It is cold looking country, overgrown with tussock exass called toi. In journeying towards Pipiriki from the. south end of the Waimarino we came across no pumice land and the soil right thruußh to Pipiriki is good but very broken. The Government should send some men along to open up the bridle track already constructed throngh the Waimarino block, a small expenditure would make it fairly passable. It is rather absurd tn work your way through a little pig trick and suddenly come on a bridge of sufficient width to carry the traffic of Queen-street. The bridges were evidently made from plana from Wellington with tho good intention of widening the road to suit. If this is not done soon the bridges will be rotten before the work is accomplished. Some of them are smashed already and the p!anks are rotten in others. There is a 1 iree percentage of good land in the Waimarino block lying towards the Waiinsrino river. In the vicinity of the Central railway route so far as we went, very little good land exists excepting that lying between the Wanganui, Oteau and Maogawhero streams. Wanganni is the natural outlet for this and the traffic is likely to go that way.