Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-02-24
A weud. rial tseyser In New Zealand.


The State OF New York has It's world
wide wonder in Niagara Falls; the State
Of California has its equsIly marvellous
and renowned Yosemite Valley and the
province of New Zealand can boast OF al
most as great anatural wonder in It's Roto-
mahana, or mighty geyser. This lies in
land from Tauranga-which may be
reached by steamer from Auckiand-about
sixty-tive miles- At Wairoa, the head
querters Of the Arawa contingency, and
the residence of Capt. Mair, is the old
mission house. kept by FrencnmaH, and
surrounded by familiar trees, on lovely
site overlooking Lake Tarewera. There
is plenty Of fruit here, especially cherries.
In the mission house one pleasantly re.
poses till four O'Clock in the morning,
when he is aroused for breakfast, after
which he enters log canoe, thirty or forty
feet in length, propelled by four Maori
men, ano starts for nine.mile row up the
pretty Tarawera Lake. The time occu-
pied to the mouth Of the Little River is
two hours and half Here the water is
found 10 be lukewarm, being supplied
from the hot springs. The current of this
stream Is very swift, and it requires hard
work TO force the canoe up against it, but
by padding and pole-pushing, and some.
times jumping out into the stream and
pulling, the Maoris manage to reach
. the haven OF our desires and the cul.
mination Of our hopes" The hills all
around the geyser TEEN with hot springs
and hot mud in a Liquid state. and con-
stantly bubbling up and emitting horri
Bile snlphuric smell which 10 almost sti-
fling. The ground appears to be but
mere crust over boiling springs, and often
- yields 10 the step that one feels As If he
were about to descend Immediately into
the earth. The great geyser itself is up
in the top of lofty hill. which appears to
have been the extinct crater of volcano,
now filled with light blue boiling water
of an unknown depth The water Is for
ever seething and boiling, a. il all the
fires of perdition were aiiame beneath it.
1t is constantly shooting up in columns
from six TO thirty feet In height. which
sometimes looks very beautiful when the
sun converts the falling globules into
showers OF pearls and silver. The great
geyser Is approached from below by
series of crescent shaped terraces, bowed
outward, few feet in height each, and per-
haps 100 yards in width, all OVERLOOKING
till You come TO the two principal terraces,
the top one Of which il always boiling
over into those beneath IL. The steam is
almost binding and sutlocating when the
wind is blowing toward you. In many
Of the pools there are pleasant bathing
places The water Is hot on the surface
but cool beneath, the boiling water from
the great geyser above not seeming to
penetrate far below tho surface OF the
more distant terraces, which Il overilows.
There are two sets Of terraces,
the first OF which are called the
White Terraces. The rim around
the boiling caldron IL formed OF white
Substance, like the most delicate filngree
work, almos, resembling lace work, such
10 Its regularity and beauty. This white
rim, which projects some distance over
the boiling fountain, shows to all the
greater advantage because Of tho intense
blue Of the waters. These beautiful ter.
race brims are formed by deposits Of sui
phur aud silica from the boiling springs
ON the top OF the hill, which pour down
the sides and crush the tea.scrub and 9th.
or trees growing there, and form the in
crnstation. For, strange NJ II may seem,
there is green grass and shrubbery 10 the
very verge Of the boiling fountains Many
OF The basins appear TO be made of petri-
fed Tea. scrub or ferns. These brim for
NATIONS are very rough and sharp. edged,
and very hard on boots or bare, ieet,
though the Maoris, whose feet are har.
dened, trip over them without any serious
Inconvenience. The water In all the ter
races is beautifully clear and blue.
Near the great geyser, there is . spring
constantly boiling out Of q assure in .
rock, aud called the steam.plpe spring.
The noise from this spring can be heard
a long way oil, and II sounds just like
vessel letting OIL steam; while the hot
water which shoots out OF II reminds one
OF the manner In which steamer, when
she Is light, sends ny the water with her
screw, and the ACTON seems to be accom-
panied with . thud like sound Of SINH
lar character, The ground Is literally
honey .combed with these boiling steam
springs
From the white terraces ono enters q
canoe and paddles over 70 the pink ter
races, but short distance from the form.
or. Their formation is the same rs the
first, but they are smaller, and, instead of
the pure white brim they have q pink
tinted border, which Is exquissteiy beauti.
iul, and IL Is Questionable whether they
are not tho preitier Of the two. The effect
h lovely and quite enchanting. Between
the two sets OF terraces one may spend
several hours very pleasantly and profiia.
bly,. For this il certainly one VI natures
most wonderful phenomena. And while
1t differs from Niagara and Yosemite, and
comparisons may be odious. IL certainly
Is in It's way quite as marvellous as either
Of these two grss. resorts vi tourists AS
yet the Rotomahaua Is almost inaccessi-
BILE TO travellers, owing " the roughness
x.f A. tltfl.nf and In fhs nAi hlA
native accommodations ON the way.--San