42 
the people of the town and district abreast 
with the news of the outer world and 
chronicle events of local interest. 
It had been our intention to leave Whan- 
gare1 very shortly after our arrival, but 
there was a delay in getting the car up by 
train from Onerahi, this course having been 
considered preferable to taking the some- 
what rough stock road. The delay was 
really fortunate, for we had got into touch 
with Mr Arthur Holmes, the courteous 
manager of the North Auckland Farmers’ 
Co-operative Association, Limited, their no 
less obliging secretary, Mr Joseph Mackie, 
and Mr Crawford, the proprietor of the 
Northern Advocate, to all of whom we 
were indebted for many courtesies. They 
at once set about enabling us to visit some 
of the show spots of Whangarei, notably 
a charming piece of native bush close to the 
town, known as “The Grotto,’’ the pro- 
perty of Mr Watts, who has with intelligent 
discrimination and loving care made some 
tracks through his beautiful property, and 
is In addition a successful grower of toma- 
toes, oranges, and lemons. There was 1n 
his garden’ a wonderful display of cosmos, 
growing with a luxuriance that is not to be 
seen in the south, In our journeyings 
further north later on we were to see many 
gardens where cosmos made a brilliant dis- 
play, and in more than one instance the 
beautiful flower was grown as a hedge! 
The visit to ‘‘The Grotto’? was followed 
by a 15-mile run to the celebrated Wairua 
Falls. They are the source from which 
power is derived to supply electric light 
and power for the town of Whangarei. 
The falls afford a really fine spectacle, lack- 
ing of course the majesty and profound im- 
pressiveness of Niagara Falls, but re- 
minding one somewhat of their grandeur. 
We had seen much splendid dairying land 
in the vicinity of Whangarei and for a good 
many miles further out, and the beauti- 
ful green paddocks, with the dairy cows 
erazing contentedly in these as we passed 
the ‘prosperous. looking homesteads that 
flanked the road, afforded a pleasing picture 
as we again neared the town. We re- 
turned in good time to catch the 3.20 train 
for Kawakawa, distant about 80 miles. 
