1 1 12 AUSTRALASIA ILLUSTRATED. 







view of the town and its environs is obtained from Prospect Hill, whereon stands the 

 li^ht-house, and another excellent panorama may be had from the elevated ground 

 which forms the site of the Hospital. 



Clyde, on the river Wiaroa, forty miles by sea from Napier, is the only provincial 

 township of any note north of Napier. It is the ddpot for a hilly grazing country, and 

 hop-growing is also carried on in its vicinity. Thence it is not far to Gisborne, the 

 second largest and the most southerly town of the province of Auckland. A second 

 township has also sprung up about two miles off, known as New Gisborne, with a popu- 

 lation of two hundred persons. In Gisborne proper there are branches of the Commer- 

 cial and Federal Banks, a mechanics' institute with a well-furnished library of upwards of 

 twelve hundred volumes, a public hall, and State and Roman Catholic schools. The country 

 lying around Gisborne is of a fertile character, some of it heavily timbered and the 

 rest devoted to agricultural and pastoral pursuits. Gisborne is the port of entry for 

 Poverty Bay. Considerable attention has been given to harbour construction and improve- 

 ment, and the anchorage and landing are both good. The town is built upon a wide 

 stretch of level land at the mouth of the river Turanganui, and in some of its charac- - 

 teristics it resembles Napier. The neighbourhood of this town is historic ground, for 

 here is the spot where Captain Cook first landed in New Zealand, in October, 1769. The 

 Bay proper is subdivided into several inlets by three small rivers, the Turanganui, the 

 Koputetea and the Werowero, and of these the first-named is celebrated as being the scene 

 of Cook's landing, while the south-west point of the Bay was the first land sighted by 

 the explorers in New Zealand. It was owing to the unfavorable circumstances under 

 which he landed here, and the unsuccessful attempts of his ships' crews to obtain 

 provisions, that Captain Cook gave his first port of refuge the somewhat invidious 

 appellation of Poverty Bay. 



In the Cemetery of the town there is to be found another historic feature, in the 

 shape of a memorial monument to the victims of Te Kooti's massacre in November, 

 1868. As will be seen from what has been said of the evidences of progress, the 

 people of Gisborne are active and enterprising in proportion to their numbers, and it is 

 a town of which it may be said that the future depends less on the inhabitants than 

 on the operation of circumstances which are beyond the reach of their influence. Every 

 trace of the old days has so far disappeared that it is impossible to associate Gisborne 

 in the mind with the historic scene of the Maori outrage of over twenty years ago. Events 

 have moved on rapidly since then, and this town has moved with them. It is yet to be 

 tapped by a line of railway, which will, doubtless, add largely to its importance when 

 it comes. Meantime, it is a regular stopping-place for the large steamers which ply 

 along the east coast, and consequently it has communication about thrice weekly with 

 Auckland and Napier. There are two dairy factories in existence, honey and fruit are 

 largely produced, and two or three companies have been formed for the purpose of 

 working the considerable deposits of petroleum which exist in the district. 



Returning to Napier, the traveller may pass by train right through the province of 

 Woodville in the vicinity of the celebrated Manawatu Gorge, a journey of ninety-five 

 miles. It is a splendid tract of land, dotted over with thriving townships, rich in highly- 

 cultivated farms, and teeming with sheep, cattle and horses. The route lies through 



