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Ketapu a ridge has to be crossed, but
this may be avoided by a side cutting
round by the river, and through some
stunted bush to the Moteco plains, after
crossing which another ridge is gone
over; the track along these plains is
good, and the second ridge may be
avoided by a side cutting like the first.
From this last ridge to within about a
half a mile of the junction of the Man-
gaone and Tutaekuri, a sideling of 25
chains is required to descend to the
river, and a cutting on the opposite
bank. The ground here becomes bro-
ken, and some four or five side cuttings
and culverts are indispensable to enable
drays to avoid the Mangaone River,
along whose soft sandy bed they are
now obliged to travel. About two and
a half miles on this side of Peka Peka
the river must be crossed, and from the
crossing to that place there is now a
tolerable dray road. With reference
to this portion of the road, I have
strong doubts if it be the best line; at
present I am disposed to think there
can be a road of more general advan-
tage and shorter from Hallett's,
Tutaekuri, to Puketapu, to Peka Peka.
The gradients are not likely to be so
good as by the south bank of that river,
but it passes entirely through European
property, which is nearly all occupied,
and the settlers on which must be
greatly inconvenienced for want of a
proper means of communication with
Napier. I have not examined this
route, but I believe it practicable.
By selecting this course the Tutaekuri
would be bridged at a better place, and
the Mangaone at fully as good as by
the other way. From Peka Peka Mr.
Ellman's improvements commence, the
line running over Mr. Anderson's Flats
along a good natural road to nearly the
end of Mr. Gray's purchase for two and
a half miles; so far but little is re-
quired at present. At Peka Peka the
creek must be bridged, and one or two
small sidelings and culverts completed.
From this point the present track can
scarcely be followed with advantage,
although it has been greatly improved,
and shows that labour has been be-
stowed in making some miles of side-
lings on to Mr. Sealy's Station. For
two and a half miles beyond this station
the ascent is not continuous; the horse
track runs over undulating ground; a
deep and lengthy cutting will be un-
avoidable at Te Oreore. But although
the whole road must be cut out of the

hill side, I expect a quantity of excel-
lent material for metalling will be
found. The ascent up Patoka is so
long and sharp that unless some greater
obstacles are met with than I can per-
ceive, a lower level must be followed
here to the comparatively flat land on
Mr. Dyson's run. From these flats to
Puketitiri Bush the country is rough
and broken along a part of the way to
a saddle dividing the waters of the Tu-
taekuri from the Mohaka, and called
by the natives Oru; here is some heavy
side cutting. This saddle would ans-
wer as a crossing point for a road
down by the Inangatahi valley towards
Te Harato and the present mail track;
but for a road to Taupo the better line
will be by the dividing ridge through
the Puketiri Bush (the land and tim-
ber of which seem excellent), passing
between the Kaweka and Hukanui,
and along what are called the Anawa-
nawa Flats. On these the ground is a
good deal broken, and certainly does
not answer the description conveyed by
the term flats. This portion of the road
will be expensive, but the gradients are
better than by the Makahu stream,
part of which passes for nearly three-
fourths of a mile between a deep gorge,
the high lands on either side being
nearly precipitous, rendering any work
here exceedingly costly, otherwise it is
the most direct course to the crossing
of the Mohaka. This river can be
bridged about half a mile above the
ford to Pakotutu, with a single arch of
about 100 feet span. After crossing the
stream (here about 85 feet wide), in-
stead of ascending the hill to Pakotutu,
the road should follow the north and
west bank of the Mohaka River down
stream towards the flats at the mouth
of the Ripia, which stream is the key
to the east of the Taupo Country from
the Mohaka. By following up this
bank the only stream of any size to be
bridged is the Makikia, where it dis-
charges into the former river, about 5
or 6 miles above the meeting of the
Ripia and Mohaka. The banks of the
Ripia on both sides are bush, and gen-
erally steep for fully fifteen miles,
allowing for slight bends. Here the
bush disappears on the west side of the
river, near a creek called Waikawa,
except on the hill tops; and the line,
after passing the creek, will still keep
the river bank along steep sidelings,
occasionally running over slopes of
pumice terraces and through some bad