(ANNA) Ohinemutu (Rotorua), New Zealand, 19th June 1888

19th June

On Monday morning, the Whites, General Algar, mother and I drove to see the geysers, one of which is very large. We had a half-caste girl for a guide. Her name was Maryanne, and she was a nice looking girl, with a soft voice and a pleasant manner. There were lots of Maoris about. They are not a bad looking people, and I have seen some really good looking girls.

We passed several warm pools, in one of which an old Maori lady was squatting, up to the shoulders in water, and placidly gazing at us. In another, some little boys were bathing, and yelled to us to throw them coppers, which we did, and they dived for them. The water was very thick, and when they dived, all we could see were just the soles of their feet on the surface of the water.

One of the geysers was a small one, and we could go quite close to it. The rocks were of a whitish colour and quite hot, and sulphur all over them. The geyser rose from a large hole in the top of the rock, and sent up a great jet of boiling water and clouds of steam.

It was an awful place, steam rose from every little crack and crevice in the rocks, the sulphur on the ground was quite soft and so hot that I had to be careful how I picked up pieces of it, even with my gloves on. And all the time such a muttering, bubbling and spluttering, went on beneath our feet, that it seemed as if the whole place must be on the point of blowing up.

After a bit Maryanne took us to the biggest geyser. We had to keep at a respectful distance while this one was spouting as it sent showers of boiling spray all round it. While we were watching it, the great column of water, rising and falling, sank down, till we could only see a light cloud of steam where it had been, and Maryanne told us it would be safe to go to the top. The general and I went, but the others preferred keeping a safe distance.

The formation of the rocks, Maryanne told us, is much the same as the White Terrace,*1 and we went up from terrace to terrace, keeping to the edge, as each little terrace had its pool of hot water. This place, however, can never have such good terraces as Rotomahana, as the ground is not favourable, at least Maryanne told us.

It was only a few yards to the top, and we could then look down the great hole up which the geyser came. The edges of it were rather uncomfortably hot. The whole place steamed and from the bottomless pit at the top came such a puff of steam, and such a bubbling and spluttering, that, in spite of Maryanne's assurance of safety, I was very glad when we came down again. We had barely rejoined the others than up went the geyser again amidst clouds of steam.

The Maoris build their huts just beside the pools of warm and boiling water and do most of their cooking and washing in them. We saw an old lady squatting beside a large pool of warm water, washing some garment, the pool had banks of smooth whiteish coloured rock, and she spread her linen on the rock and soaped it, and then swished and rinsed it in the hot water.

Not far off a man was sitting on his haunches beside another pool, with a looking glass in one hand, shaving himself. At one pond of boiling water we saw a woman squatting, cooking and Maryanne said she was cooking cornflour for the baby; we went nearer and found she had a little saucepan full of cornflour, which she was holding in the boiling water and stirring.

Another woman was baking bread. She had it in a tin, covered over with cloths, and she dug a little hole in an extra hot piece of ground and buried her bread there. She said the crust would not be brown, but the loaf would otherwise be quite well cooked. It seemed to be the regular baking place of the whole village, as the earth there was loose, and was evidently often disturbed. It must have been very hot as puffs of steam were rising all over it.

The people do not seem to have any overpowering sense of modesty, for they will undress and get into a pool of warm water under your very eyes.

We had to go over a bridge over the River Styx,*2 a very ugly river it was too, yellow and swift, and rushing down a very rough and rocky bed. General Algar has Froudes Oceana here, and his description of the road from Oxford and of Ohinemutu are very good.*3 In fact all he says seems very true. The New Zealanders don't like him because he tells unpleasant truths but what he says about the country seems very just.

He makes one error in talking about Kauri Trees being seen on the road from Oxford. We did not see one, and our driver assured us they were only to be found some miles north of Auckland. I don't know how he got the names of the trees, but he calls them differently from what we hear them called. Manuka, he calls Ti Tree and so on. [ed: tea tree and manuka are the same tree.]

However, he describes the places very well. Yesterday morning, Mr White and I went to the Blue Bath, and in the afternoon I went out to try to do a sketch of the Maori park, which is one of the most interesting things here. The Maoris seemed good natured amiable people and don't mind people wandering about their park.

The General came with me, with his camera, but the day was too dull for photography, and he only took one photo. Our proceedings attracted quite a little crowd of Maoris, and they were greatly amused with the camera.

When the General put it up, they came to inspect me, and one old fellow, wrapped up in a blanket, with a soft hat on his head squatted quite close beside and sat there watching my painting for more than half an hour.

I think if I can go another day and finish my sketch it will be interesting to bring home. I have no more room, so must shut up. Please excuse eccentricities of writing, and with heaps of love to you and Elliot in which mother joins

I remain your very affectionate sister,

Anna A Cairnes

ED:

1

The White Terrace

The White Terrace at Rotomahana was one of the most spectacular sinter terraces in the world. It stood near Mt Tarawera. Although the Kaharoa eruption had spread ash over the area about 570 years earlier, no one at the time this photo was taken was aware that Tarawera was an active volcano and about to erupt again. The White Terrace exists no longer.

2

The River Styx

After crossing the Rock and Pillar range the Old Dunstan road descends the west side of the range to emerge at "the styx" or Paerau (which means "many ridges") where it meets the upper reaches of the Taieri river. Located at Paerau are the Styx hotel and jailhouse that remain from the gold rush days of the 19th century. Gold was stored at the jail enroute to Dunedin. There are other old gold mining claims in the area as well (geocache).

The river in the Styx basin is characterised by a meandering scroll plain where the river flows in a complex of loops, oxbow lakes and wetlands in the open farmland of the basin. The water is dark and generally clear, picking up a characteristic tea-colour from the high altitude bogs and wetlands in the Rock and Pillar and Lammermoor ranges and Rough Ridge which surround the basin on three sides.

3

Froude's Oceana

FROUDE, JAMES ANTHONY 'Oceana, or England and Her Colonies'
Description of authors journey to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and America. Froude argued that the variety of the New Zealand scenery would quicken the mind: ‘it will be in the unexhausted soil and spiritual capabilities of New Zealand that the great English poets, artists, philosophers, statesmen, soldiers of the future will be born and nurtured'.