DAYS IN ARCADIA.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 487, 21 April 1909, Page 8

DAYS IN ARCADIA.

A HOLIDAY IN THEi SOUNDS.

[TELE REST CURE AT ENDEAVOUR ■ ' \ - INLET.

: Tirod of a drab, wearying oity, he oast about for a quiot. spot, in. which to spend a fort-. ■ night's . holiday—his allotted span of freedom from office each year. Where to go .was the puzzlo, and it was "solved .by a vagrant ; : ;' suggestion - tKat ' tho .Queen: 1 , Charlotte :or 1 I'olorous Sound was tho .place to spond "a quiot 'holiday. More":or less mechanically he packcd his grip, and set out for 'Picton with .i. visions of a quiet cottage : in tho ■ Sounds ■ ahead, but still undecided as to whether to the vision or remain, in'Picton, as be-. I ' ing something removed from the city. -Two. hours in tho. little Sounds township wero. sufficient to make it clear that it would bo ponanoo to spend a fortnight fhore as a . stranger,;.whatever : tho prospect might bo-' ' with friends -in the village.; Tho vision or, : .the } quiet J'of;: the:'Sorads; reasserted ..itself,;. 1 '. and. the;jadod city porson mado -inqmry as -to- ■ when and' how he could got down the.Sounds and whore ho v could stay. The Sounds mail. : iboat was leaving at 8 a.m. noxt day, and tho' exonrsionist decided .to .bo a passenger, and accordingly booked for Endeavour Inlet—a three-hour journoy. The early stages of the run were < over . the . beaten ■ steamer track, and tho .tripper, was still. jaded and blase, but onco off the boaten path a' now, life was : entered on, and old, slumbering enthusiasm .' Swasj the surroundings. . , Hills, heavily wooded right down to the .- waterV ' edge, roso out of this smooth oil-liko water, ..and a brilliant.sun.played!onlth'o numerous shades of-, preen in tho : field of forest tree • tops, reaching back 1 , to the unbroken blue ft? sky-line. Into one picturesque' little .bay, with its small clearing and homestead, steamed ■ the-mail boat, and-then out and on to an- . j. other, '.bay,. each;.as beautiful as tho last. ■-:: -Peace 1 ' and'.rcstfulness. came ; over -tho .city man's-mind as .each, fresh; sight was opened' up in the recesses.of the Sounds. At length; • the three-hour, journey was over,:. and .tho tourist ; wasvlanded- in a dinghy at a. make-; i •/ shift wharf - in Endeavour Inlet,'; a deep ;nar- . ■. low; bight ;between bush-clad .> ranges,: Sritli '. occasional scars: whero-sottlers 'had carved cut their homesteads. ' '••' Tlio scone at the make-shift wharf was refreshingly simple, but tho day, mail day, was tho ovont for tho week at-the inlet Settlors . to the number or; about leight and .a couple ' of Maori delivery of their letters, paper files, and stores! .Tho, .-.' letters and papers'were portioned out by. 'an aged postmaster,;who presided in, an equally . aged;shed,-which.did duty as a post-office. ;:" ; ;OTb^^he.'.niaililijW; : bMn.distributed',the settlers faded, away into the distance, and were probably .not rsoen again "until the following • mail day, a week later- - .Before the'last retreating; figure had passed- out of ; sight the : -■ traveller, was ''beginning -to feel that he was . ; 'indeed on holiday. • Tho inlet and its surroundings, had many attractions to offer, and tho truth of this was further;proved in' tho . micceeding days in Arcadia. . Fishing Expeditions. 1 The first, of several fishing expeditions was & revelation ;to the townsman, tho • Sounds -. lit orally swarming with mostly cod and ; . terakihi. No sooner did the line' reach tho •bottom than the baits • were assaulted by the finny tribe,: »membe'r3. of ■ which : were ■hauled • aboard the oil launch, frequently ■in •pairs, as .■ fast as even tho - amateur fisher- . : man. could - get-his line in. One expedition in particular—?toa; spot' between Motuara ■:v. IslamUand Jackson's 'Hoad—yielded a record .. return of cod, -besides a "number of; ither . . fpecies of smaller, fish, four sharks,-two' of them over- 6ft. 'long, a skate, and- an-'octo- ;. was. :_/Ihe last-named was dispatched by -a" Maori boy- in a manner which opened the "town--v,; train^V : 6yesi.No -sooner;:'TOS:;£he'; writhingmass ! on' board the launch "than the Maori boy (turned; it -,ovowron its back," and sthen;'- ; ;.vprobing'.with .his forefinger into tho : midst' of tho feolers ' and the • under-part of the £''-.bead,' ; extracted sdme ; 'Bihall ,: dark' sußsta'ncie, .which,:he'., saidy:. formed: the ..teeth ,of the . It;.appears.;that the operation of ■;! v extracting the .root of tho power of the dreaded octopus, is a simple one when ;:';; : : the;;6perator.., knows " his^business,X and- ; once . the teeth, are out. the octopus is powerless. .'At least.it: - . -. ■■■■ i, Al Fresco Dining. - The. same'excursioii was interrupted' midway an al fresco lunch in a small bay , near Jackson's 'Head.' -The .pakeha- members of „th'e i'expeditibn 'had jprovis'ioMd' 1 the oil- 1 •>, launch with bread: in plenty, butter, and 'something in tho way of dessert, but' tlio' Isativ'ca lu the party, also provided with . :bread, .etc., nreferred; to dine off dainties of , the- deep. - ; one .Native spitted several cod -before the . wood fire,. and- toasted them; as , ■few.'house-wives can,cook a fish. Another gathered • a billy-full of sea eggs, a delicacy eaten raw and relished by the Maori, but tabooed .by ,the inexperienced ; white man. let another. of tho Natives : sought' the, ..-leather-like pawa;-whilst a juvenile member if .the. tribe wandered into.,the bush, A and ■ leturnod loaded .'withwild apples.' In the of the,; lunching;; spot,' a number ,of wild shoep were runningf and whilst on© . section of tho party returned to do execution ampngst the fish, , the other went in pursuit of tho sheep.'' • ' Hunting. l *• • • , Tho wild-sheep hunting -was only one .phase of .the sport --.openv to the holiday- ,.. Jnaker. : pigs! were as numerous Ss sandflies, and pork formed- one of the x staple foods °f 'some of tho residents of the i• , goats wor6 ' also plentiful, and •v Wl ' h ••>?' W'e- more exertion the deer-stalker and pigeon-shot could obtain, sport in plenty. Porpoises. , . ; . The Sounds have always been notorious for .r . ofrporpoises, but:many-trips can now ovcr;tho'bcat6n track'te Picton , Tvibliout soeing - ono;of "them,'; although thoy -, v- : frequently .seen. ;'in; tho inner stretches Un several occasions whilst fishing.-from a . dinghy at ,tho head, of:.the inlet,-the visitor . - was- awakened, from, a summer day-dream - by; a snorting-noise, and looking round, would ~ - see anything from; 60. to 150 porpoises sporting m the bay. The big fisli would follow ' their, leaders nght up into-the shallow water . ;,and.then wheel, about and gambol.back down n tho Soiuids,. playing havoc with any-fishins- : neta that might be sot in their path. " • • Places of Interest. The studont of early New Zealand will' , lind a good deal to interest him in and out' of the Sounds. Here is Resolution-Bay, there . s f l P M<l beyond, is. Motuara Island, - ;at point'.of which Captain Cook is ;Blleged .to : have buned .certain 'coin' and btrnt-" ■; arduoQs toil of -oertain Sounds .. rosidpnts has.-so far failed -to locate. Shin , oove, and uio immediate bush country, has been protected by tho Government as a soonic reserve, and no shooting or ' hunting is' -allowed on it> ; A. movement :isi; at'present on' foot to erect a memorial, there to Captain C°ok; and an effort is being made to have , the memonal unveiled - .during;- the l.''MarltorOTgh^jubileo'.colebratipns; in November ? ext - To tho seaward of the cove stands' .. ivong island, tho ,haven ; of;rest bv mamy a storm-tossed vessel.

Speculators at Bay. ;,

The speralatOT. r has forced his way into the heart of .; tho- Sounds, tempted by antimony and gold.. Neither, tho antimony mines at Endeavour Inlot or the gold mine out' towards Jackson s Head are being .worked at-present Thousimds of pounds havo been sunk in. the fttitun<my works, which works are now being allowed to decay,, the last. syndicate haying stopped work, after clearing out the drives ■; etc., , on account of Alio prioe of antimony falling, Tho gold-mining is on a smaller ficalo,, but tho prospccts are,said to bo botter; in spite - of.. tho faxjt that the syndicate running the niino has- just spoiled the hands for six months. . ■<

: Messrs. A. L. Wilson and Co/ advertisa particulars,'in this issue;' of sales of' property by orders- of> tho mortgagees. •. 'i jr, ■'■

Messrs.: Gorton and Son,' Peilding, will hold nn auction sale of property.at their rooms on' Saturday ■ next, April 24,, at 12.30 p.m. Details are advertised 'in this issue,' 1