THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 165
able line of road to Taranaki—yet declined to
render me any assistance, or supply the provi-
sions that were required.

I am the first person who succeeded in tra-
velling over the road from Otawhao to Petane,
near Ahuriri, with horses. This journey was
undertaken for no special purpose, otherwise
than to assist in opening a road through that
part of the country; in doing which, we made
bridges across upwards of twenty swamps, and
cleared a bridle path through fourteen miles of
bush. This work was performed in the depth
of winter, without the assistance of natives, and
frequently with but a scanty supply of pro-
visions. The old track having in many places
become overgrown and obliterated, it became
necessary to mark it out afresh; in some of the
steep ascents, fallen timber had to be removed,
and declivities sloped down to enable the horses
to proceed. Since that time several mounted
parties have safely performed the journey.

There are many parts of this road which
might be much improved by a slight deviation
from the present track; the numerous creeks
and swamps too, are, in my opinion, less for-
middable than the approaches to them.

I have &c.,
WM. N. SEARANCKE.

D. McLean, Esq.,
Chief Land Purchase Commissioner.

LINE OF ROAD FROM AUCKLAND
TO RANGIAWHIA.

AUCKLAND TO MANGATAWHIRI.
(39 miles.)

From Auckland to Te Ja, the landing place
on the Waikato river, the road is good, ex-
cepting the last three miles and a half, where
there are two steep declivities—one in the bush,
the other being the descent to the landing place.
The road continues thence to the first mouth of
the Mangatawhiri creek, (a distance of about
three hundred yards,) where the crossing is
about twenty yards wide, with a depth of three
feet, the fording place running well out into
the Waikato. From the first to the second
mouth, about half a mile, the road passes through
a raupo swamp. The crossing in this place is
about fifteen yards wide, with a muddy bottom,
and a depth of from four feet six inches to five
feet, in dry weather; continuing thence along
the banks of the Waikato, for about a mile, it
passes through raupo and light bush, ascends a
hill covered with fern, and over four miles of
very rough and broken country to the Whanga-
marino, the descent to which is very steep, and,
in wet weather, exceedingly slippery. This
river is about twenty yards wide, shallow, with
the exception of four yards in mid-channel,
where the depth is from six to seven feet. On
the north side the bed of the river is rocky;
on the south side, sandy.

HANGAMARINO TO RAWHITU.
(About 16 miles.)

From Whangamarino the road runs for about
half a mile through flax and toetoe to the plan-
tations of Te Kereihi, Arapeta, and others;
thence through a small bush to some open
ground, the site of a large settlement, where
there are but few natives residing. Here the
road runs inland, returning to the Waikato at
Waitutu, along the banks of which it proceeds,
passing through several settlements and planta-
tions, (Rangiriri and others) and crossing the
two outlets by which the waters of the Waikare
(the largest of the numerous lakes which lie in
the neighbourhood) are discharged into the Wai-
kato. The first of these is about fifteen feet
wide, with a depth of two feet and a half; the
the other twenty feet wide, and five deep,-
both having hard gravel bottoms. One mile
further on is Rawhitu, the homestead of J.
Armytage, Esq.

FROM RAWHITU TO TUKUPOTO.
(About 15 miles.)

From Rawhitu the road passes through a
level, open, country, crossing two creeks,-one
shallow and narrow, the other twelve feet wide,
with a deep muddy bottom, to the Waikato a
little below Tukupoto, where the river is about
280 yards wide, and where it must be crossed
on account of the native tapu on-Taupiri. Af-
ter passing the Rev. Mr. Ashwell's Mission Sta-
tion, and through about a mile and a half of
native cultivations, the river must be recrossed.
The road continues for about eight miles through
an open country, over two creeks, and crosses
the Waikato for the third and last time. If
the natives could be induced to remove the tapu,
or allow the road to be continued along the
Eastern side of the river, at the foot of Taupiri,
the first two crossings would be avoided, and the
road itself greatly improved by lessening its
difficulties. It would then only be necessary to
cross the Mangawhara, which is about thirty
yards in width; but too deep to be crossed with-
out a canoe.

FROM PUKETE TO OTAWHAO.
(About 23 miles.)

From Pukete the road runs through a beau-
tiful, level, and open country with no interven-
ing swamps or creeks, until within a mile of the
Rev. J. Morgan's Mission Station, where the
Mangapiko has to be crossed. This river is
about twenty feet wide, and two feet deep, with
a gravelly bottom. At the Mission Station a
good bridge has been thrown across the Mangahoi
by the Europeans and natives of the district;
here a good horse road branches off to Rangia-
whia, and through Maungatautari to Tauranga
and the East Coast.

OTAWHAO TO KAWHIA.

From Otawhao there are three different
roads by the way of Waipa to Kawhia, on the
South side of Pirongia; one through the set-
tlements of the Ngatihikairo tribe, another
through Kakaroa to the Kauri river, which must
be crossed in a boat or canoe, coming out on
the north side of Kawhia harbour. The third
by Waiwatawata, Kakari, and Te Awaroa to the
South side of the Kawhia harbour. These three