E G Childs - Hot Lakes District

Taupo Region

Tourists could get through to the Taupo region after 1892 when the original road surveys and tracks were completed. You had to be a bit of an explorer because they were dreadfully muddy at times.

Once the road was properly graveled it opened the area of the 'hot lakes district' to the 'Southern' tourists. This voided having to travel by ship to Auckland and down the Waikato.

The tourists would come by train to the railhead at Mangaonoho, near the Makahine ravine. The area was not accessible by train, so tourists disembarked then took the coaches on to Ohingaiti, Managaweka, Taihape and the 'volcanic plateau'. From the volcanic plateau, the route would take them around lake Taupo and the village and then to Rotorua.

[A report at the time by one such traveller is available in the links below]

Maori posed for a photograph by E.G.Childs
In the photograph above, it appears these folk are still building the front of their reed house.
Childs was selling these photographs to tourists from his studio in Ohingaiti, and advertised them in papers such as the Managweka Settler and Rangatiki Advocate.

Huka Falls Spa
Huka Falls Spa was a tourist attraction, providing visitors with hot volcanic water to wash away their weariness. The minerals dissolved in the water were believed to be beneficial to health. Opening a road through the middle allowed tourists much faster access, but the rough roads made the journey to the spa even more appealing.

The Meeting House
This meeting house is still standing and has become a tourist attraction. I need to find out more details about this one.

Huka Falls is the outlet for lake Taupo, which is an ancient crater. The falls are just a couple of kilometers out of Taupo and the water is noted for it's spectacular blue colour. This lake is the source of the Waikato river.