Page image
Page image

23

H.—2

The bowling, tennis, and croquet lawns have been maintained in better condition than in any previous year, and have been kept in first-class playing-order right to the end of the season. The revenue from the playing-greens has been £179 13s. 6d., as compared with £137 for the previous year, but still remains only a fraction of the cost of upkeep of these greens. The aviary and water-fowl enclosure continue to serve as interesting attractions to tourists, and have been very useful in connection with acclimatisation matters in the district. Wiiakarewarewa Reserve. This has been maintained in good order during the year, and remains one of our main attractions to the district. Wairoa Geyser has been soaped only four times during the year, and responded on three occasions. Waikite Geyser still plays continuously. The other geysers, Papakura, Pohutu, Waikorohihi, Prince of Wales's Feather, Paeria, and Kereru, play at intervals. The old Spout Baths at Whakarewarewa, which have done service for many years, are now entirely beyond repair, and plans are in hand for a modern bath building to replace them. A cottage of six rooms has been erected for the Caretaker, in a commanding position overlooking the reserve, thus enabling him at all times to observe what is taking place therein. Kuirau Reserve. Very little has been done in this reserve, as we have ample attractions elsewhere, but it will prove very valuable for future development. Hamurana Reserve. This reserve has been maintained in good order, and a new landing-stage built for the Hamurana Spring. The river has been cleared, and is now easily navigable by rowing-boats. The tea-tent has been maintained throughout the year, including the winter, and has proved a great convenience to tourists and fishermen. The Roads Department are now building a bridge at the mouth of the stream, which will connect the main Rotorua-Tauranga Road with the Kaharoa Road. Okere Reserve. This reserve has been maintained and very much improved during the year. A fisherman's track has been opened up on the eastern bank of the Kaituna River, which was formerly quite inaccessible, and a series of three experimental fish-ponds have been formed at the head of the Okere Falls. The Tuatea Falls, some 10 chains below the Okere Falls, have always been a very attractive sight, I hough visible only from the top of the adjacent hills, being quite inaccessible for closer inspection. In exploring the spot for a suitable outlet for the electric tail-race, Mr. Beal found an interesting series of caves at the foot of these hills, and cut steps, tunnelled through the solid rock, to give access to them, forming a useful addition to the tourist attractions of the neighbourhood. Wharves and Lake Services. The wharves and beacons on Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti have been maintained, and a number of additional beacons erected. The entrances to the Ohau Channel, connecting these lakes, have been beaconed and cleared, but extensive deepening is required here, as only boats of 20 in. draught or less can get through during the latter half of the summer, and then only with difficulty. As the best scenery is in Lake Rotoiti, necessitating the passage of the Ohau Channel, it is urgent that this be deepened by an additional 6 in. to 12 in. Waitomo and Ruakuri Caves. Considerable improvements in the Ruakuri Caves were effected during the year, rendering them accessible without inconvenience or danger. The Waitomo Caves were already in very good order. The Waitomo Accommodation-house has been thoroughly overhauled, and rendered much more comfortable. Okataina Round Trip. This new round trip was opened up at the end of December, and in connection therewith a new launch, the " Reremoana," was built for service on Lake Tarawera, the former launch on this lake, the " Patiti," being moved over to Lake Okataina. The " Reremoana " is a fine cabin launch, 55 ft. long by 10 ft. beam, with panel cabin, 15 ft. long, the full width of the boat, and a separate ladies' cabin. It has a capacity of about eighty passengers comfortably seated, with ample promenade- and main-deck space, and is driven by a 50-horse power Monarch engine, giving a speed of between ten and eleven miles an hour. The construction of the launch was carried out by Messrs. Robinson and Mcintosh, of Rotorua. The high speed enables both the Okataina and Waimangu passengers to be landed in the same time as was formerly taken on the Waimangu trip alone. A four-roomed cottage has been erected at Te Wairoa to accommodate the driver of the launch. The necessary wharves, roads, and tracks in connection with the new round trip have also been carried out.

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert