H.—26

2

Besides the existence of great bathing facilities, Tokano offers many other objects of interest to the tourist or valetudinarian. Yachting on the lake ; excursions to the falls of Waihi, and the place 01 Te Heu Heu's sepulture, beneath a vast landslip which engulphed his village and a large number of his people ; the ascent of Tongariro, and possibly of Ruapehu (a feat yet to be achieved, and not unworthy of the foremost members of the Alpine Club), —such features confer attractions on Tokano which ought somo day to establish it as one of the most favourite resorts of the district. Leaving Tokano, there are, I believe, no springs worthy of notice along the eastern shore of the lake till the northern end is reached at Tapuaeharuru, where the Waikato River, which flowed in near Tokano, flows out again, much after the fashion of the Rhone through the Lake of Geneva, —with thia difference, however, that while the blue colour of the Rhone has passed into a proverb, the waters of Waikato are of an equally lucid and transparent green, unsullied by any trace of muddy deposit or tinge of snow water from the weepings of Ruapehu. On the western bank of Waikato, where it leaves the lake, stands on a jutting promontory an old Maori pa, with some rather fine but rapidly decaying remains of ornamental gateways and barge boards. On the eastern bank is the Constabulary post, and the surveyed site of a township, which consists at present of a single public-house and store. The bright waters of the lake—green, transparent, and cool, and the eddying stream of Waikato, afford excellent opportunity for cold water bathing, while at no great distance are hot springs which might be easily turned to account. Of these there are three principal groups. 1. About two.miles below Tapuaeharuru is a group of puias and ngawhas, the chief of which is an intermittent one known as the crow's nest. It occasionally throws up a column of hot water 10 or 15 feet high, but was formerly more energetic and may be so again. Close to it are several less violent but very hot ngawhas, close to the edge of the river, affording great facility for intermixing and regulation of temperature. A person of the name of Mac- something erected a bath here, with appliances for mixing the hot and cold water, but the number of bathers was not-remunerative, and " Mac's bath," as it was called, has gone out of repair. 2. About half a mile eastwards from the river is a small swampy flat, at the foot of an irregular cliff of 30 or 40 feet high, through which flow two small streams of a yard or two wide, one barely tepid, the other too hot to handle. At the point where the two unite, a tolerably good bath has been "erected by John Loffley, formerly an A.B. sailor in Her Majesty's Navy, who served in the Naval Brigade during the Waikato war. A dressing-room is annexed, and Loffley has a small house in the neighbourhood, where he occasionally receives an invalid boarder. He has made attempts to clear and plant the six or eight acres of adjacent swampy land, and generally shows a creditable degree of energy in endeavouring, with very limited means, to develop the hygienic resources of the two streams over which he presides as a sort of river god. I understand that the Government has extinguished the Native title to the locality, and that Loffley only occupies on sufferance. I think it would be a good plan to give Loffley a lease, on condition that ho should erect a certain number of cottages and baths within a given time. I believe he would be able to raise the necessary capital for such operations on a moderate scale. The proximity of the two streams affords the opportunity for the erection of several baths, botli within Loffley's " domain " and lower down the valley. 3. At the distance of a mile and a half from the Constabulary post and township, along the eastern shore of the lake, a warm stream a yard or two wide crosses the road and meanders into the lake. Following it inland by a Maori track, a narrow gorge is reached, in which the small stream expands into two considerable pools, varying in depth from a few inches to several feet. They are both of considerable temperature, and a favourite resort of neighbouring Natives, who, however, are few in number. These pools are not at present very accessible, and their banks are encumbered with raupo and rushes, presenting no very pleasant accommodation for bathers. The water lias also a dingy and unattractive hue ; and though capabable of containing many bathers at a time, would require a good deal to be done to make them a place of general resort. The water, also, is probably much diluted and less charged with alkaline and medicinal substances. Besides these three principal bathing places, there are numerous fumaroles and steam jets in the surrounding country; one in particular near the coach road, which forms a marked feature, and is, I conceive, the same described by Hochstetter under the name of Karapiti. This fumarole and the surrounding fissures might probably be utilized as steam baths. Before passing on from Taupo, I may observe that its northern end is not without some attractions for the excursionist, though it does not present scenery of the highest class. Some writers (even Hochstetter) have expressed themselves in terms of rapturous admiration of the scenery of this lake. I cannot, however, think that any one familiar with the more remarkable lakes of the world, and even of those in New Zealand, such as Wakatipu, Te Anau, Wanaka, and others, would assign to Taupo a first place in lacustrine scenery. It is undoubtedly deficient in almost all the features which distinguish the most admired lakes elsewhere. Its shores are generally low, it has few indentations, bays, or sandy coves, few rocky headlands, jutting promontories, or overhanging precipices, and absolutely no foliage on its banks or anywhere near. Only one small island diversifies its vast surface. Nevertheless, it ia a grand sheet of bright, transparent water, and a charming mirror for the splendid atmospheric effects which form so picturesque a feature of New Zealand scenery, particularly within reach of such mighty rulers of the cloud world as Ruapehu and Tongariro. The scenery in connection with these mountains at the south end of the lake has already been, alluded to. At the northern end, within three miles of Tapuaeharuru, is the much smaller Tauharu mountain, which may be easily ascended in a couple of hours, and which affords a sweeping bird's-eye glance over the whole hot spring and lake country as far as the Bay of Plenty. The lively stream of Waikato, with its numerous rapids, occasional bold cliffs and little wooded islets, are also inviting objects for tourists. The most remarkable object of all, however, is the Huka Fall, which would be considered a fine one in any part of the world, though far exceeded in size by many. The river, which immediately above is about two chains wide, and of the exquisite transparent green which distinguishes most rivers which flow from deep lakes (and particularly the upper portion of the Waikato), after brawling in rapids and eddying in reaches for a few miles, is suddenly pent in between perpendicular walls of rock some 50 or CO feet high, and not