1728

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

[No. 127

SCHEDULE.
ACRES OF THE RUAKITURI BLOCK FOR LEASE FOR
DEPASTURING PURPOSES FOR A PERIOD OF TEN YEARS,
IN TERMS OF "THE LAND ACT, 1877," AND "THE LAND
ACT 1877 AMENDMENT ACT, 1882."

Sale by Auction in the Land District of Auckland.

Crown Lands Office,
Auckland, 23rd October, 1883.

I HEREBY notify that the Rural Lands mentioned in the
Schedule hereunder will be offered for sale by public
auction, at Napier, on Thursday, the 17th day of January
next, at the hour of noon.

D. A. TOLE,
Commissioner of Crown Lands.

SCHEDULE.
24,960 ACRES OF THE RUAKITURI BLOCK, WAIROA COUNTY,
FOR SALE ON IMMEDIATE PAYMENTS.

NOTE.—Maps may be seen at all principal Land Offices
throughout the colony.

Terms of Sale: One-fourth of purchase-money to be paid
at time of sale, and the balance within one month there-
after, otherwise the part of the purchase-money paid by way
of deposit shall be forfeited, and the contract for the sale of
the land shall henceforward be null and void.

Crown-grant fee to be paid on completion of purchase.

Sales by Auction in the Land District of Auckland.

Crown Lands Office,
Auckland, 23rd October, 1883.

I HEREBY notify that the Rural Lands mentioned in the
Schedule hereunder will be offered for lease by public
auction, at Napier, on Thursday, the 17th day of January
next, at the hour of noon.

D. A. TOLE,
Commissioner of Crown Lands.

First year's rent to be paid in advance; after first year to
be paid half-yearly in advance, on the 1st day of March and
the 1st day of September in each year. A pasturage license
shall entitle the holder thereof to the exclusive right of pas-
turage over the lands specified therein, but shall give no
right to the soil or timber or minerals, and shall immediately
determine over any land which may be proclaimed a hundred,
or which may be licensed, leased, purchased, granted, or re-
served under this or any other Act. Such roads and rights-
of-way as the Governor or the Board may deem necessary
may at any time be taken through any run without compen-
sation.

No original holder, transferee, or other person occupying
any pastoral lands, either by himself or jointly with any
other person under license or lease from the Crown, capable,
at the time of the issue of such license, of carrying in the
whole twenty thousand sheep or more, or four thousand head
of cattle or more, shall be entitled to become the purchaser
or transferee of any additional pastoral license or lease.

The Ruakituri Block is situated in the County of Wairoa,
about twelve miles from the Township of Clyde. It extends
some twenty miles to the westward from the Gisborne-Wairoa
Road, and lies between the Ruakituri and Mangaruhe Rivers.
The main road from Wairoa to Gisborne passes quite close
to the eastern side of the block. Thirty-three miles of bridle-
roads on the permanent grades, and seven miles of stock-
driving roads, have been opened out to give access to these
lands. The watershed road runs through the centre of the
block, a distance of twenty-eight miles: it starts from the
hotel at Te Marumaru, and joins the main road from Wairoa
to Waikaremoana, near the Armed Constabulary Station at
Ohuka. The second road commences from the Gisborne-
Wairoa Road, at a Native settlement named Te Reinga, and
follows up the valley of the Ruakituri River, a distance of
nine miles. A ferry in charge of a Native has been esta-
blished at Te Reinga, above the falls. A branch bridle-road
connects the Ruakituri Valley Road with Watershed Road.

Description of Lands.—The whole block, with the excep-
tion of a few flats on the Ruakituri River, is pastoral
country. The vegetation consists of fern on the spurs and
in the valleys and of scrub and bush in the steep gullies.
The soil varies: in places it is light and mixed with a slight
coating of pumice, in other parts where the pumice drift has
been washed down the steep hill-sides it is a calcareous clay.
The subsoil is marl; on the higher hills there is an overlap
of sandstone and a little limestone near Te Tuhi. These
lands will take grass by surface-sowing; the average cost for
fencing, seed-sowing, &c., is from 20s. to 30s. an acre. In its
present state the ground is better adapted for grazing cattle
than sheep; but, when once taken in hand, fenced, and
partially grassed, will make good sheep-walks. Where prac-
ticable a level site for a homestead has been thrown into
each section. The boundary-lines between the roads and
the rivers have been run down the spurs on lines suitable for
fencing.

Opoiti Survey District: Block I., Section No. 1, about half
mixed forest, remainder fern and high scrub, very broken
country, small flat in level of Ruakituri River, soil good,
well watered, accessible by bridle-road. Section No. 2,
between 200 and 300 acres mixed forest, remainder fern,
country broken, soil good, well watered, accessible by road.
Section No. 3, about 400 acres covered with mixed forest
with some totara, the remainder fern, rich flat of about 60
acres along road, soil very good, well watered, partially
grassed, accessible by road. Section No. 4, bush in gullies,
undulating fern country, soil good, well watered, accessible
by road. Section No. 5, rich agricultural land, partially
grassed, very marly, all flat, accessible by road. Section
No. 6, all flat, covered with fern and patches of grass, good
land, accessible by road. Block V., Section No. 1, chiefly
open fern-covered spurs, the remainder forest country, good
grazing land, accessible by bridle-road from Marumaru.
Block VI., Section No. 1, about 500 acres of forest and high
scrub, broken country, about 50 acres of level land on banks