C H A P T E R
AUCKLAND
VIII.
PROVINCE.
A W A Y to the north of A u c k l a n d is a long and narrow
isthmus, w h i c h is comparatively little visited, a l t h o u g h
well
deserving
of more
than a passing notice.
mostly in this isthmus that the well-known kauri
grows, and in the same
districts where the kauri
It is
pine
has
been, the immense quantities of g u m are obtained which
are annually exported f r o m A u c k l a n d .
T h e tree is not
found more than one hundred miles south of A u c k l a n d ,
and
it is only to the north that it is found in
quantity.
any
O n e of the best patches of kauri that is to
be seen within easy reach of Auckland, is in
Waitakerei
district,
Here
and
near
the
Nihotopu
stream.
the
w o o d m a n has already been at w o r k ; and a great deal of
the valuable timber has been destroyed by fires in the
dry s u m m e r t i m e ;
but there are still large tracts of
ground covered almost entirely with
kauris;
and con-
sidering how easy it is to reach this spot, it is a pity
AUCKLAND
69
PROVLNCE.
that so many visitors should leave Auckland without
seeing this remarkable sight.
The kauri has an immense
length of trunk before the branches commence, and as
the trunk is smooth and silvery, it is often very difficult
to form correct judgments of the girth of some of the
trees.
In this one patch of bush, which is known as
" Wasley's, " from the name of the old settler who owns
it, I have measured trees of 4 1 feet, 39 feet, and 35
feet in girth; but I am told that there is a tree in the
same bush, within a mile of these, measuring 58 feet.
Tradition
has placed one somewhere in the
Bay of
Islands, 81 feet in girth, but I am afraid I shall never
see this.
I
have spent several
very
pleasant weeks
encamped in different parts of the Waitakerei bush, and
have thoroughly enjoyed the splendid bush and river
scenery in the neighbourhood.
find one's way about in the
even
the
gum-diggers, who
It is no easy matter to
New Zealand bush, and
spend
months
among
the kauris, often find a difficulty in knowing where
they are.
Kauri gum is obtained in several different ways, and
'1 c business is not altogether free from danger.
In the
growing forest gum is principally found at the roots of
the large trees, and the soil lias to be cleared away for the
roots to be thoroughly examined.
It is also found on
70
the larger branches: and to get this, it is necessary for
ROUND
ABOUT
NEW
ZEALAND.
two diggers to work together. As the stem is so smooth
and round it is almost impossible to climb it, so a rope
is thrown over the lowest branch, and is fastened round
the lighter man's body, and he is thus hauled up frequently 70 feet or 80 feet high. But by far the greatest
quantity of gum is found where kauri forests have
existed in bygone days. A long iron spear is used to
prod the ground with, and I believe it is easy for an
experienced digger to tell whenever the spear touches
gum, even if it is several feet below the surface.
Kauris are found in large quantities in most bush,
land north of the Manukau harbour. All around the
Kai para harbour are steam saw-mills ever busy cutting
up this valuable timber; and it abounds right through
to the extreme north. Helensville, the terminus of the
Auckland railway, is a township that depends on wood
entirely for its existence; when the kauri timber is
exhausted, as it must be at some not-very-far-distant
date, Helensville will probably die a natural death. It
is situated on the Kaipara river, a few miles from, its
mouth; and the windings of this river from the town
to Kaipara harbour, where it empties itself, are most
curious. On some of the many streams running into
the harbour the scenery is most lovely, and I think
AUCKLAND
the
Kaihu
71
PROVINCE.
is one of the prettiest little
rivers
I
ever
saw.
A b o u t seventy miles north of Kaipara is situated the
town of Russell, the " c a p i t a l " of the
Bay of Islands.
T h i s was one of the very earliest places that was occupied by Europeans.
It was used as a whaling station
some time before N e w Zealand was colonized, and the
first form
of
Government
R u s s e l l for a capital.
that was
established
T h e t o w n has not made
had
much
progress since then, as the present population is only
about four hundred.
T h e B a y of Islands is noted for
its beautiful coast scenery, and for its climate.
Many
tropical fruits flourish h e r e ; and extensive vineries have
been planted, some of w h i c h have already proved very
successful.
It is still a favourite port of call for whalers,
and I have several times seen a dozen o f these skips in
the harbour at the same time, nearly all being American.
O n the opposite side of the harbour to R u s s e l l
there
is a pretty little settlement called O p u a , where
many
steamers g o to take in coal.
O p u a is the port for the
coal-mines of K a w a - K a w a , and is connected b y railway
with that township.
In various places in and near the
B a y of Islands there are hot springs similar to those in
the Rotorua district.
T h e B a y is rather too far f r o m
A u c k l a n d for short excursions, or it. would undoubtedly
72
be visited much more than it is. Waiwera, eighty miles
ROUND
ABOUT
NEW
ZEALAND.
lower down, is much more convenient to the northern
capital, and having a very comfortable hotel, in addition
to the luxury of natural hot baths, is very extensively
patronized.
To the south of Auckland is a large tract of country
through which the great Waikato river flows, which
country has been the subject of much speculation
among the land-buyers during the last, half-dozen years.
Settlements are springing up fast, and rapidly increasing in size, and the district must eventually become a
thickly populated one. On the higher lands in the
district the climate is as near perfection as possible;
while partaking of the extreme mildness of Auckland,
it has also the advantage in winter time of occasional
frosts, which Auckland is entirely without. The summer
days are perhaps as warm as anywhere in the island,
but the mornings and evenings are deliciously tempered
with cool breezes. In winter the frosts can be fairly
severe, but this is just what is wanted in a country
that enjoys such warm summers. The weak point in
the Auckland climate is that the winter, being so very
mild, is not a sufficient change from the long hot
summer.
The Waikato Railway passes through some very
A UCKLAND
varied and
73
PR 0 VINCE.
interesting scenery.
Frequent travellers on
the line declare it monotonous, and fail to be interested;
b u t to a visitor the
ride is far from wearying.
The
land is of all k i n d s — f l a t , undulating, and h i l l y ;
large
patches of fine b u s h
raupo
are not u n c o m m o n , with
swamps, and hills covered with tall fern as a variety.
F o r a long distance the railway runs in sight of the noble
W a i k a t o river, on which there are a great, many M a o r i
settlements.
Unfortunately the land is very
unequal;
there is a great deal of excellent land in the W a i k a t o
district,
but
there
is,
I
am
afraid,
quantity w h i c h is decidedly poor.
a
far
greater
A t the time of the
W a i k a t o " b o o m , " land was sold at absurd prices, as
every
one seemed
there that
so anxious
it was
to
possess some
land
often b o u g h t without h a v i n g
been
seen beforehand.
O n the banks of the river there are
many
sights
charming
for settlements,
and
when
a
few thousands of the men w h o h a n g around the large
towns can be persuaded to g o up country and settle
down on the land, it will be a fortunate day for N e w
Zealand.
I cannot but think that the large companies
and manufacturing
industries w h i c h
lure
men to the
cities are doing more harm than, g o o d at the present
early
stage of the colony.
T h e r e is land enough, and
wealth enough in the land, t o . support many
millions
74
of
ROUND
people,
if
improve i t ;
ABOUT
they
will
NEW
only
ZEALAND.
settle
down
on
it. and
but if the country is always left to itself,
as it is at present, and all the population flock to the
towns, the
colony must
always be poor, because
the
real wealth of the country, i. e. the land, is neglected.
Former
land-laws
have
done not
a little to bring
on
this state of things by l o c k i n g up millions of acres of
" N a t i v e Reserves, " so that not even the M a o r i
can dispose of them.
I
have
seen large
owners
In several parts of the country
tracts of
land
o f the
very
first
quality l y i n g idle, because it happened to be a M a o r i
" Reserve";
and the owners, being too idle and care-
less to m a k e
part with
use of
it to
it themselves, were not
Europeans.
The
able
object with
which
this was done is, of course, praiseworthy e n o u g h ;
any
one w h o
knows m u c h
of the
to
for
modern M a o r i , is
well aware that if he were able to sell a tract of land
that he did
not want, he would
do so
a t , once,
and
that in a remarkably short space of time he would be
as poor as he was b e f o r e ; b u t surely some better way
than the present one can be devised.
If an E n g l i s h m a n
is anxious
Maori
to purchase
a block of
land, w h y
should not the G o v e r n m e n t , acting as trustees for the
Maori
owners, receive
the
purchase-money,
and
out to the M a o r i s the interest only on the sum ?
pay
This
AUCKLAND
would
provide
annuity,
the
so 'that
Maoris
they
75
PROVINCE.
with
could
a
not, b y
small
any
perpetual
possibility,
part with their entire possessions; and at the same time
it would enable the
land
to be made use
of l y i n g idle, as most M a o r i " R e s e r v e s "
The
railway
is
rapidly
advancing
of
instead
do.
southward,
and
is at the present time open as far as T e Kuiti, which
is in what a few years ago was the forbidden " K i n g
C o u n t r y , " or the district to w h i c h the hostile
natives
and Hauhaus
withdrew to sulk in, after the termination
of the war.
T h i s country
has for m a n y years
been
closed to Europeans, until M r . J o h n R o c h f o r t , the intrepid surveyor of the N o r t h Island
Trunk
Railway,
managed to m a k e his way through, after h a v i n g been
turned
There
back
half-a-dozen
times,
and
even
shot
at.
is a track more to the eastward, skirting" the
western side of L a k e T a u p o , and the bases of N g a u ruhoe
and
Ruapehu,
which
has
never
been
although occasionally inside what is called the
line, or boundary
of the
King
Country.
closed,
aukati
Many
of
my friends have travelled b y this track during the last
twenty years, when to venture inside the K i n g C o u n t r y
proper would have been dangerous.
A s the railway line is continued
farther south, it is
proposed to form special settlements along it, to open
76
ROUND
ABOUT
up
the splendid
country
NEW
through
ZEALAND.
which
the
line
is
intended to run.
T h e W a i k a t o district ceases really at C a m b r i d g e , or
T e Awamutu;
but now that the railway is completed
as far
K u i t i , the
as T e
Country
seems
almost
northern
as
part
closely
A u c k l a n d as the W a i k a t o itself.
of the
King-
connected
with