,,,o Al './/.'.//.. /.s/. / //v / STRA TED. 



dmed to f. ' nery in a country of rolling undulations, th- vegetation bejng prof 



di\< railed. |5y six o'clock tin- ( oa< h nnnl;lcs into the small secluded hamlet of Tarav. 

 vvlieme tin- I uranga-kuma Range is scaled by a winding xig-xa;.; road, which twists and 

 MINIMI-IS itself in every possible form as it works its way up the steep and lofty acclivity, 

 ami at the same time calls for the display of a keen eye, a cool head, and a steady 

 nerve on the part of the driver, for in some places a foot or so of ground is the 

 measure l distance bet \\een security and certain death. It would seem as if the forces 

 which are responsible for the elevation of this Range had expended themselves in 

 leariiu; .iiid rending it into all sorts of grotesque and whimsical shapes, and the eye of 

 ihe tia\eller iherdore ha, plenty of material upon which to fasten. The prospect is 

 leiiaiiily highly attractive and full of varying interest. Having at last gained the crest 

 of 'I uranga-kuma, the coach dashes through the native settlement of Te Harato, and 



ins the descent into the valley of the Mohaka, crossing that picturesque River by a 

 liridge near a charming water-fall, and catching also a glimpse of the old Armed Consta- 

 1 mlary block-houses, relics of more unsettled times. 



The Titiokura Range, rising to a height of two thousand seven hundred and fifty 

 teet above the sea, lies immediately in front, and up its steep gradients and formidable 

 slopes the horses toil patiently and slowly. At last the summit is gained, and an exten- 

 sive panorama meets the gaze, but it is hardly so fine as that obtained from the height 

 of Turanga-kuma. -At a distance of fourteen miles from Napier, the road dips into the 

 shallow lied of the Ksk, and for the next few miles the traveller wonders whether the 

 Uiver is ever to be shaken off the course of the road, for in the strangest way it re- 

 appears again and again, until the mind looses count of the number of times the coach 

 crosses it. As a matter of fact, it is crossed on no less than forty-five occasions, but 

 at last the 1'etane Valley is entered, and a good carriage-drive is struck which leads 

 into Napier by way of the thriving township of Meanee, and is environed by fertile 

 tracts of graxing-land. Hawke's Bay is, par excellence, a pastoral province ; and, although 

 ii possesses also very valuable forests of good timber, pastoral pursuits predominate, and 

 wool ami live stock are the staple products. 



The bus\ and progressive town of Napier is prettily situated on Scinde Island, which 

 may have been at one time surrounded by water, but is now a peninsula terminating 

 to the north in a group of hills lying closely together. On the flat land at their base 

 lies the business portion of the place. The streets containing the shops, w-arehouses, 

 banks, hotels, churches, and Government and other buildings, are irregularly laid out, 

 while the villas of opulent merchants lie embosomed amid trees and trim lawns on the 

 salubrious sides of the hills. The town follows the flowing and semicircular curve of 

 the ocean beach, which has not inaptly been compared, in its general aspect, to the 

 ray of Naples, although the landscape lacks the charming features of the celebrated 

 1 yrrhenian Sea. The port retains its pretty Maori name of Ahuriri. and is slightly 



>nd the town proper. Its roadstead is exposed during easterly gales, but costly 

 wmks are in progress for the improvement of the entrance, and the anchorage is good. 

 Ihe northern extension of Scinde Island is connected by a bridge with "The Spit" 

 running south from Petane, and within this enclosure lies the inner harbour, which is, 

 unfortunately, not available for harbour purposes. It is at "The Spit" that passengers are 



