Oct. 1.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1651

Section 11: All forest, pastoral country, very rough and
broken, mostly black-birch razorback ridges, from 500ft. to
1,800ft. above sea-level. Well watered. About 10 acres flat
land along Pokeka Stream, very much cut up by gutters.
Formation is papa and sandstone. The timber is mostly
black-birch, tawa, rimu, rata, and tawhero. No road-access
at present, which will be by the Pokeka Valley Road.

Section 12: All forest, pastoral country, very rough and
broken, mostly razorback black-birch ridges, from 250ft. to
1,700ft. above sea-level. Well watered. No flat land. For-
mation is papa, sandstone, and shell-rock. The timber is
mostly black-birch, tawa, rimu, rata, and tawhero. Access
by the Waitotara Valley Road, which is formed 6ft. wide.

General Description of the Block.

The Rawhitiroa Block is a very rough one, rising from

250ft. above sea-level on the Waitotara River to 2,000ft
near Puteore Trig. The whole block is very much cut up
with slips and gutters, and, when cleared, will only be
suitable for grazing sheep. All the sections are well
watered. At present the only access is along the Waitotara
Valley Road, which is formed as a horse-road 6ft. wide.
The Waitotara River is navigable for canoes from the
mouth of the Rotokohu Stream to the junction of the
Omaru with the Waitotara River. The general grade of the
road-lines is from 1 in 20 to 1 in 40. The last mile of the
Pokeka Road rises 1 in 15, which is the steepest grade on
the block. The formation of the valley of the Pokeka is
papa and sandstone, that of the Omaru Valley is papa, sand-
stone, and shell-rock.

JOHN STRAUCHON,
Commissioner of Crown Lands.

Rural Lands in the Wellington Land District open for Sale or Selection.

District Lands and Survey Office, Wellington, 1st September, 1896.

THE under-mentioned Crown lands will be open for sale or selection, in terms of section 136 of "The Land Act, 1892," either for cash, for occupation with right of purchase, or for lease in perpetuity, at the option of the selector, on and after Wednesday, the 14th October, 1896.

If more than one application be received for the same section on the same day, then the order of selection shall be decided by ballot on the following day, at 11 a.m., at the District Lands and Survey Office, Wellington.

SCHEDULE.

SURVEYED FIRST-CLASS LAND.

This section is weighted with £1,273 for improvements. It is situated in the Makuri Valley, distant about twenty-five miles from Pahiatua and eight and a half from Makuri. The section is chiefly of limestone formation, comprising some good soil, and about 50 acres of flat; it has also a good frontage to a formed road. The standing bush consists of the usual mixed forest, the general character of the land being good for working stock on. Improvements to the value of £1,273 have been effected, consisting of 300 acres cleared and grassed, 250 chains of fencing, with house, garden, yards, &c.

W'rarapa N.| Mangaone | .. | 215 | XII. | 412 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 659 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7·2 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 3·36 | 13 | 3 | 9 |

This section is weighted with £26 for improvements, and is situated near Alfredton, from which it can be reached by the Alfredton-Weber and Moroa Roads; distance, three miles; the latter, however, is not formed. There is also access on the west side by the Mangaone Valley and Pa Valley Roads from Pahiatua, distant about fifteen miles. There is a natural clearing, mostly swamp, of about 175 acres. The soil is fair, on a papa formation, covered with mixed bush and scrub. Twenty-six acres have been felled, but not sown.

SURVEYED SECOND-CLASS LAND.

W'rarapa S. | Wainuioru | 6 | XII. | 618 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 648 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0·6 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 10·08 | 12 | 19 | 7 |

This section is weighted with £12 for improvements. It is situated on the road from Gladstone to the East Coast; about twenty miles from Gladstone by a good summer dray-road. The soil is fair, on partially clay and limestone forma-tion, and well watered. About one-third of the area is standing bush, the remainder dead and fallen timber that a fire has run through, and which has now been sown with grass-seed. About 30 acres are practically level.

W'rarapa S. | Wainuioru | 293 | XIV. | 820 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 307 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 3·6 | 6 | 3 | 0 |

This section lies in the fork of the Wainuioru and Pahaoa Rivers. The only access is by the Pahaoa River, which, in the summer, is available for dray-traffic, but in the winter cannot be used on account of the water in the river. The land is of a rough and broken character, with soil of inferior quality. When cleared, however, and properly sown, it can be used for pastoral purposes.

Wairarapa | Rewa | .. | 1 | XIV. | 1,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 250 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2·4 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
North | Kaiwhata .. | } | Pt. 96 | II. | 563 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 636 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1·5 | 15 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 10·8 | 12 | 14 | 8 |
South | Opouawe | } | Pt. 2 |

This section is situated at the head of the Kaiwhata Stream. The access is from Masterton by way of Taueru, nine miles thence, by the Brancepeth Road, which is open for wheel-traffic for twenty miles. A further five miles is under con-struction, and the remaining four miles and a half is by the old Native track to the East Coast. The land was originally black-birch forest, but has been swept almost bare by bush-fires, with small patches of bush in the gullies. The soil, as a rule, is poor and shallow, but, if well sown, might produce fair pasture.

Wairarapa | Waipawa .. | .. | XIII. |
South | Haurangi .. | .. | XVI. |
| Kaiwaka .. | .. | III., |
| | | IV., |
| | | VII., |
| | | VIII., |
| | | X.,XI. |
| | | 13,700 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | .. | 0 | 4½ | .. | 0 | 3¾ | .. |
| | | | | | | | | | | to | | | to | |
| | | | | | | | | | | 0 | 10 | 0 | | | | 0 | 4½ | |

This land is situated to the west of the White Rock Station, north of Cape Palliser, and, generally speaking, may be said to comprise the unsold Crown lands in the upper valleys and slopes of the Cape Rough, Castle, Poley, and Whawanui Rivers. A right of road to give access to the country has been reserved up to the three first-mentioned streams. The southern end of the block fronts on the sea-coast, at Te Rakauwhakamatuku Point, for a distance of about one mile and a half. The block, taken as a whole, is rough and broken; the timber on the ridges being chiefly birch, but in the gullies it is of a mixed character. Fires have run through portions of the forest, chiefly in the country between the Cape and Poley Rivers, and in this manner about 2,300 acres of land have, during the past summer, been more or less cleared. The soil varies from poor to fair, with very limited portions on the coast and in the valleys of the Whawanui and Poley Rivers flat. The altitude varies from sea-level to about 3,200ft. on the highest trig. points.

JOHN H. BAKER,
Commissioner of Crown Lands.

D