The Contributions.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 467, 14 January 1881, Page 2

The Contributions.

A TlilP TO LAKIS. WANAKA.

(Contributed to The Mail.)

" Good-bye, old boy ; " " A pleasant trip to you ; " a few hparty grips of ll c hands, and then as "All aboard" was the cry, I took my place on the box-seat alongside of our old IV'e id, Joe AflcFarltine, who is so wp'l known in Akaroa and elsewhere, so ho requires but little praise from me.; but, a better whip or a pleasanter companion on the road it WOlfd le difficult to come across. The road to Chrisfchureh, ns any one knows who has tr:veiled it often, lcses a great deal of its charm by too great a familiarity with it, as it becomes decidedly monotonous ; however, as the weather was fine and the roads in good order, we bowled along , favorably, taking, whero ' practicable, shoit cuts across those dreary lake flats, which seem interminable. Happily all things must have an end, even the flats. The country after that, and as fiu , as Christchurch, presented a most cheerful contrast; the pad- , docks of wheat looking so green and , fresh after the late rain gave the pleashig signs of an early srring. We arrived in Christchurch about five - o'clock, so bidding farewell to Joe, I took up my quarters at my hotel, the Clarendon, find passed the evening strolling about the town, and I could not help wondering when the time would come j that the Cathedral building would be a thing of the past. Perhaps Macaulay's " New Zealander " may bo able to give ; a hint to his contemporaries. • '? The following day I gave myself a rest before continuing my arduous journey, hoping nevertheless to overtake a party of my friends who were to the Lake from OamaL- thej»l)y saving > myself a somewhat tedious jouiiiey alons. The next morning found me en route for Oamaru by the express train, which leaves Christchurch about 8 a.m. The journey, ns everyone knows who has • crossed the Canterbury Plains, is far from interesting ; not till the Bangitata is crossed does the country appear at all interesting. As one passes Timaru, and has the sea on one side with the downs and hills on the other, the scenery then affords a pleasant relief to the eye. The approaches to Oamaru have a yery pleasing effect—large plantations of blue gums, with houses built of the famous Oamaru white stone dotted about here and there them, giving the place novel aspect to the Canterbury observer. We arrived in Oamaru errly in tfie afternoon, and the first thing that strikes one is the white and cleanly of the town, produced by the use of the Oamaru stono in all its buildings.

To my-infinite annoyance, I found ihlt :uy friends !i:nl Irft two days Aflor consnUing the railway time-table, [ discovi'i-od ihnt a. (Jay would li.'ivotobe r<--*v() in Oauuirn boiorr- I conld con-

■iorivjicy by n ]>roi:'-i.!. i.n-'tip the ;.u j M;:H;'Oon, the ;.v'n>::uUß, go-

tfchere was nothing for it but to take things philosophically and vegetate for a day, so I had to try -and atntise myself by strolling about ,rrul seeing what was to be seen. The first object of interest is decidedly the breakwater, at which a large ship, the Lurline I think, was taking in a cargo of grain,

Thames-street, the principal thoroughfare, attracts attention directly by its great width and length, and only wants good buildings on both sides to make it •one of the finest streets in New Zealand. At present only one side of it is thoroughly built upon. However there is plenty of time and room for improvement on its opposite side.

1 managed to linger through the day, : aud night with a good sleep put an end to my weariness. I s-itarted in pursuit < f ;my friends by the 6 - 40 a.m. train, which coirveyed me as far as Dnntroon 'by 9 a.m.* a distance by rail of 23 miles. ■'(There is nothing so agreeable as fast travelling.) The line runs along the south side of the Waitaki and almost parallel to the Oamam water-race, which fc:ps thn Waitaki a little below Duntroon, and gives Oamaru the benefit of its •milky-looking water, which discoloration is caused by the Maerewhonua (a river discolored by miners sluicing) running into the Waitaki just above where it is tapped by tV race

Here I 1•. rat that my friends wore two d y-< nhe:d oP me,but as they would stay a i-Ljht half wny between this and Omarama, I should be but a day behind them there, as I purposed making that place my destination that night ; so after having had breakfast I took my seat on the Omarama coach, and at 930 was<??& route, with a 50-mile drive before me.

The scenery all the' way was very ■desolate and mountainous, utterly-devoid ■of bush, and the greater part of it very wretched country, though I was told there was good sheep country at the foack ; still, the acreage to a shepp in >such a country must be very considerable. Our team " unicorn " was far from gay, but there is solittle passenger traffic that 1 suppose good tennis would hardly pay. Heartily glad was I when at 7 p.m. this weary journey cauie to an end. Omar am a is the end of all communicati">i by coach or otherwise, and is the most desolate of places. It consists of one stone built hotel, a store, and the homestead of "the Omarama sheep station, belonging to Dalgleish, Nicol and Co. Here I found that my long-chased friends had left that morning, and would probably camp at the Morven Hills Station wool-shed, 28 miles off ; overtake them I must, and that before they started next morning,so I had tea and considered matters. Tlio oonsideration ended in -ny getting a park and saddle horse, with a sweet youth to .act as guide, and to taketltchorses back. This same cweet youth, 1 found out on the way, had no more idea of the road than 1 had, but luckily there was only •one track.

At about ten o'clock, and in utter ■darkness, the youth and I set out on our dreary road, nnd had to keep at a full -walk the whole way. Daylight found us plodding tlirou -li the Longslip Creek ■Gorge in the Morven Hills, which erratic creek had to be forded at least eight times. At seven o'clock wo nrrived at tt : ie Moncn Hills S'aion wnol-shed,where I found my long-hunted friends, to my great satisfuctio:i, and then dismissed with heartfelt thanks my intelligent ■guide, to act in the same capneity, but with more trulli, to some otbp.r benighted traveller.

At nine, o'clock we left the wool-shed .•and resumed our journey, ill" dny being rfine nnd the roods in cood order. After ; going about tliree miles we passed two* men sluicing for gold. They had been working for the hist four year-; about the : Lindis Gorge, and are believed to be making , uncommonly good wges. Farther on we passed the Mo-yen Hills ihemestead, also ownel by Dalglih, Nicol and Co ; then, after crossing and re-crossing the Lindis River a great many times, we entered its upper gorge. The scenery in it is truly grand, being <wild and rugged. Here the river becomes a raging torrent, its force broken here and there by huge, jagged rocks. The road which runs alongside of it, sometimes at the water's edge and at other times 100 ft or so above it, is in many places cut out of the solid rock, .and is only wide enough to allow the passage of one vehicle at a time.

At odd turns in the river you drop! suddenly upon " a liatter " or n party of two or four, generally Chinamen, sluicing for gold, for if there be tiny gold •at all Master Johnny is sure to get it. : On a fiat between the Upper and Lower Lindis Gorge wo came upon a most singul it v-looking shanty ; no other liamo. would be applicable ; it was n small place built of layers of stone?, with an apology for mortar between them, and for a root a few sheets of corrugated iron, kept in their place by some large stones laid on them. Altogether the place had a ■most woc-begone appearance. However the meal hi id before us was very fair, ■considering all things. After this little •diversion wo proceed(d on our journey, ■and along the road had some capital rabbit shooting. B , being a capital shot, generally kept our larder well supplied. As the next station (the Terras) was too far for us to reach that night, we camped towards evening in the most convenient phice we could find, and after making and discussing tea, turned in : three of us in the body of the American waggon, and three underneath, I for one not at all sorry to turn in.

Next morning wo w> r , up i;nd away by nine o'clock, the country undulating and mthor unintere.-tip.;r. Having niade a slight mistake in our direeti.Mi, v,-'- oalled at the Terras Station, another -•{' D , N. aucl Co.'s, and were shown the

right track. After a few hours' drive we sighted .the Molyneux, a grand river and fully up to one's expectations. Here the road crossed and then followed a chipped line, laid off for a- proposed railway, which will, it is projected, in some future day, connect Dunedin with the Wo>t Coast, via 'Lake Wauaka and TJiia.-a's Pass,

Late in the afternoon we arrived at a. place called Sandy Point, of which th; , accommodation ho so, kept by one A. McLeod, is the chief and solitary building. Here, though on Sunday, a capital tea was soon placed before us, to which it is almost needless to say hearty justice was done, after which we camped down as on the night previous ; from here we found we were but a short day's journey from our destination, .

We continued our journey about nine o'clock next morning, and on the way got (nit a misty view of the hills about Lake Hawca. Crossing the Hawea PLins we encountered a waggish but emaciated stockman, driving a still more emaciated mob of cattle, to whiih Pharoah's lean kino must have been as stall-fed beasts. He 7 on being intern - gated as to whether much rain fell in those parts, replied that it " rained nine days out of the week." From experience I now find that it would do so if it were possible, this being a fearful place for rain.

About midway we crossed the Molyneux by means of & ferry placed for the convenience of tke public, free of charge, by the Vincent Comity Council, and entered the township of Albert-town, which is situated at the mouth of the Cardrona River and on the Molyneux. On the upper portion of the former river gold mining is still carried on.

Here we dined in a large well furnished room, which was rather a treat after the other up-country places we had stopped at. During the we arrived at the Lake, and so came to the end of our trip. At the Lake we put up at the only hotel there, the hostess being a Mrs Russell, who was very civil and obliging, and soon made us all very comfortable. The name of the township is Pembroke. The first glimpse of the Lake brings dear old Akaroa to mind, but after finding its water fresh and its hills twice as high, the illusion fades away, like the view of the Lake, into misty distance.

E. F. W