﻿Hamilton. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  District 
  of 
  Olcarito, 
  Westland 
  887 
  

  

  exist, 
  quite 
  equal 
  to 
  mncli 
  land 
  in 
  tlio 
  North 
  Island, 
  that 
  amply 
  repays 
  tho 
  

   capital 
  invested. 
  The 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  Okarito-Bowen 
  Road 
  will, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  

   cause 
  more 
  laud 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  up 
  for 
  bona 
  fide 
  settlement. 
  Communication 
  

   will 
  then 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  certain 
  character, 
  and 
  travellers 
  will 
  be 
  enabled 
  to 
  

   avoid 
  the 
  difficulties 
  and 
  dangers 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  and 
  rocky 
  bluffs 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  

   line. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  sights 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  the 
  Franz 
  Josef 
  

   Glacier, 
  will 
  then 
  attract 
  more 
  visitors 
  to 
  its 
  beautiful 
  scenery 
  and 
  wondrous 
  

   masses 
  of 
  ice 
  and 
  snow. 
  

  

  In 
  what 
  are 
  generally 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  "early 
  days," 
  Okarito 
  was 
  a 
  

   flourishing 
  township, 
  and 
  the 
  diggings 
  on 
  the 
  various 
  beaches 
  north 
  and 
  

   south 
  of 
  it, 
  were 
  swarming 
  with 
  busy 
  workers, 
  washing 
  from 
  the 
  sands 
  the 
  

   particles 
  of 
  gold 
  brought 
  down 
  by 
  the 
  rivers 
  from 
  the 
  hills 
  ages 
  ago, 
  and 
  

   since 
  divided 
  into 
  small 
  particles 
  now 
  found. 
  The 
  geology 
  and 
  mineralogy 
  

   of 
  the 
  hill-country, 
  towards 
  the 
  main 
  range 
  at 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  district, 
  is 
  

   not 
  known 
  with 
  accuracy, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  difficulties 
  of 
  penetrating 
  the 
  inter- 
  

   vening 
  bush. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  judged 
  from 
  the 
  materials 
  composing 
  tho 
  

   terraces 
  which 
  form 
  the 
  undulating 
  ground 
  between 
  the 
  hills 
  and 
  the 
  sea, 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  valuable 
  minerals 
  are 
  stored 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  and 
  ib 
  

   is 
  not 
  too 
  much 
  to 
  express 
  an 
  opinion 
  that, 
  when 
  fully 
  explored, 
  the 
  ranges 
  

   south 
  of 
  Mount 
  Tyndall 
  will 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  Cornwall 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  

   Owing 
  to 
  the 
  deficiency 
  of 
  good 
  harbours 
  on 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  Coast, 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  very 
  long 
  before 
  a 
  trade 
  can 
  be 
  established. 
  Hitherto 
  the 
  only 
  

   mineral 
  sought 
  for 
  has 
  been 
  gold, 
  and 
  many 
  are 
  the 
  places 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  

   bsen 
  found 
  — 
  in 
  fact, 
  it 
  never 
  having 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  Waitaki 
  (or 
  

   Waitangi) 
  renders 
  it 
  a 
  remarkable 
  river, 
  running 
  as 
  it 
  does 
  through 
  the 
  

   same 
  kind 
  of 
  country, 
  and 
  having 
  rivers 
  and 
  creeks 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  it 
  that 
  

   have 
  yielded 
  heavy 
  amounts 
  of 
  gold. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  exam= 
  

   ining 
  a 
  return 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  gold 
  procured 
  in 
  the 
  district, 
  but 
  it 
  

   must 
  be 
  very 
  large, 
  as 
  the 
  different 
  diggings 
  at 
  the 
  Forks, 
  the 
  Three-Milo 
  

   and 
  Four-Mile 
  Beaches, 
  the 
  Waio 
  and 
  Wateroa 
  rivers 
  and 
  McDonald's 
  

   Creek, 
  have 
  proved 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  or 
  another 
  very 
  rich. 
  Very 
  few 
  are 
  now 
  

   working 
  on 
  the 
  beaches, 
  for, 
  though 
  far 
  from 
  being 
  exhausted, 
  the 
  sand 
  

   shifts 
  so 
  much 
  with 
  every 
  gale 
  of 
  wind 
  and 
  heavy 
  sea, 
  that 
  it 
  mixes 
  the 
  

   sand 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  gold 
  has 
  been 
  taken 
  Avith 
  that 
  still 
  containing 
  the 
  

   metal. 
  Thus 
  to 
  extract 
  the 
  gold 
  requires 
  more 
  labour 
  than 
  previously, 
  as 
  

   much 
  sand 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  washed 
  that 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  impoverished. 
  Very 
  

   curious 
  and 
  beautiful 
  this 
  black 
  sand 
  looks 
  under 
  the 
  low 
  powers 
  of 
  a 
  

   microscope, 
  heaps 
  of 
  rubies 
  and 
  diamonds 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  mixed 
  with 
  "patines 
  

   of 
  fine 
  gold" 
  and 
  stones 
  of 
  less 
  brightness 
  and 
  beauty, 
  with 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  

   thin 
  lamniPD 
  of 
  mica 
  and 
  pearly-looking 
  quartz. 
  

  

  Unfortunately 
  for 
  Okarito 
  no 
  reefs 
  have 
  yet 
  been 
  found 
  showing 
  any 
  

  

  