D.—No. 5

6

REPORT ON PUBLIC WORKS BY

road was not thoroughly known or surveyed, but only suggested, and we were not free to make the necessary explorations, which, could they have been undertaken at the time in question (the end of January), would have occupied so much time that a whole season, or year, would certainly have been lost; whereas, on the other hand, we were prepared at once to commence work on the direct road. The line on which we are now at work lies through land belonging to friendly Natives, and can be carried out and completed in perfect safety; and it is quite possible that, even now, the road line adopted may be the best for opening up the country thoroughly, as, if a line could be made to branch from it nearly due west, about half-way between Tauranga and Rotorua, into the Upper Waikato country, the latter could then still be reached from cither the Taupo and Roturua country, or from Taurauga, while we shall retain the advantage of a much shorter main line between Tauranga and Kotorua, passing, as I said before, through a friendly country. Communication has been secured with the land lying to the south and west of Tauranga, by the formation of what is called the Judea Road and Bridge, at a cost of about £1,700. This has been rather an expensive piece of work, but it involved some very heavy cuttings, and formations through a wide deep swamp, the Kopurcrerua, and the erection of a bridge, consisting of two 24 feet spans, over the stream of the same name flowing from the swamp. I consider this as an important work, as the country beyond has now secured to it safe and easy access to the Town of Tauranga, from which it was formerly practically cut off on account of the swamp and stream. From Tauranga —eastward along the coast—towards Maketu, work has been done, commencing at east side of harbour at the site of the ferry, over a distance of about three and threequarter miles, at a cost of rather more than £400, in forming a road 18 feet wide over a level but swampy piece of country. From Maketu, which is about twenty miles east from Tauranga, a dray road had been made inland to Rotorua, nearly due south. On this road the sum of £454 15s. has been spent in improving it, by forming, embanking, side cutting, culverts, and small bridges. On one stream, the Taheke, there is at present a ferry, but the usefulness and importance of the road would be much enhanced if a bridge were constructed across this stream. Orders were given for its erection at an estimated cost of £300, but difficulties were thrown in the way of its erection by the Natives resident on the spot, which have retarded its completion. Had all circumstances been favourable in this respect, and had Maketu been as good a harbour as Tauranga, this road might have been chosen as the one to construct, in a thoroughly substantial and permanent way, as a means of access to the interior; but these reasons, coupled with the fact of it being yet in the hands of the Natives, has led to the adoption of the Tauranga inland road as preferable. From Maketu eastward along the coast about sixty miles is Opotiki, where work has been done on several roads. One of these lies due south from Opotiki in the Valley of the Waiowcka, and a distance of about two and a quarter miles has been formed for dray traffic, to a width of 16 feet, at a cost of £187 13s. The country is covered with fern, grass, tutu, and other scrub. Another road of the same character has been formed from Opotiki, for a distance of about five miles in a south-east direction, up the Valley of the Otara, about one-half being through fern, grass, and swamp, and the rest through forest. These give access to land set apart for military settlement, and will, one or both, eventually be a portion of a system of communication with the district around Lake Waikare-Moana, which lies nearly due south about twenty-five miles. From Whakatane to Kawakawa pa, 51 chains of road have been made, 0 to 10 feet in width, over level ground, fern, and swamp, there being 30 chains of the latter. Cost, £100. Between Whakatane and Ohiwa, small repairs have been executed. Passing still further eastward along the coast line, a horse road of about three and threequarter miles in length has been formed between Opape and Torere, through forest, fern, and scrub, by side cutting nearly the whole way, 6 feet wide, the bush being cleared 8 feet wide. Instructions were given to Mr. Turner to have careful explorations made from the neighbourhood of Torere to the East Coast and also to Poverty Bay, in order that road communication might some day be effected between this coast and Waiapu, Tokomaru, Tolago Bay, and Poverty Bay; also, for an east and west road along the foot of the ranges joining the districts of Opotiki and Ohiwa. The latter, I believe, has been reported as very rough and broken, and with the results of the other exploration I have not yet been made acquainted. For roads in the Waikato District, which I have not visited, I must beg to refer to a memorandum by Lieut.-Colonel St. John, who has described very carefully the state of the roads in that district up to Bth March, 1871.

East Coast. Following out the important object of connecting the East and West Coasts of the North Island by a main line of road, such a line has been laid off from Napier to the Manawatu Gorge, ■where it joins the line of road before described as in progress up the Manawatu Valley, under Mr. Stewart. From the gorge northwards through the Manawatu Bush towards Napier is a distance of about forty-two miles, the country between the edge of the bush and Napier being open land. Of these forty-two miles about twenty-nine and a half are in bush, and this