NELSON'S MAIL COACH SERVICES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1372, 24 February 1912, Page 15

NELSON'S MAIL COACH SERVICES.

BEST IN NEW ZEALAND. INTERESTING SKETCHES. To go back to tho days of Cobb and Co. and see tho flashing red coaches with their world-wide legend, their spick-and-span four and iive-horsa high-stepping teams, in their glistening harness, one lias to go by the Nelson Province, where tho best teams in New Zealand really are. Owing to the configuration and position ot the district, and tho somewhat restricted railway service, Nelson has remained a stronghold of the mail coach. I here are two verv important routes, one irom Nelson to Blenheim, 78 miles, the other from Kohatu (Nelson railway terminus) to Westport and Ueeftorv a distance of 10(i miles. This latter is the longest coach run in tho South Island, and tho second longost in Now Zealand, being exceeded jn length only by tho Napier-Gisborno once-a-woek run of 150 limes. Another important route is that between Nelson and Eiwaka, via Motueka, 35 miles.

THE WILD WEST. Of these services, possibly ths most interesting is that between Kohatu and \\ estport, via Rceftou; which is run twico weekly from Kohatu to Inangahua Junction, and daily between U'estport and Reel ton. Prom the Nelson end, the coach leaves Kohatu at 10..10 a.m. and runs through' to Murchison, arriving ""•re at 0.30 p.m. Leaving Murchison at t.W the next morning, the traveller arrives at Inangahua at 1 p.m., and Westport at 6 p.m. This road presents some ot the wildest scenery in New Zealand, the greatest spectacle is undoubtedly the tremendous Buller Gorge. "Here nothing is cheap, common, or vulgar. Primeval forests, eternal mountains, mighty wea-ther-worn, rock-faced yawning precipices, and ever the ever on-rushing river; always, says Mr. A, A. Grace, "a glorious and ever-changing panorama, such as scene-painters nevor concdved." The Buller is undoubtedly the greatest of all gorges in New Zealand. Other scenic leatures aro the Hope Saddle, the nope ,Vn■ - v ' Lake Eo toit', Granity Creek, Hie Sleeping.Old Alan of the Mountains" near the Maruia River Junction; Lvell, the strongly nronped-up mining town of one. street, and," finally, Jlawke's Crag, where the road has been scalloped out of the living rock, above a ceiling of luhmant, underneath, the equally hard floor, and at the side the sheer precipice of the rushing Buller River. On one of the famous Newman coaches, with Messrs. 11. or T. Newman as driver, guide, philosopher, and friend, the traveller will absorb a veritable mine ot story and narrative dealing with theso wondrous works of Nature. This conch run is performed by-teams of four and five horses (five in Hie • summer) with various changes. • It was started by the Newman Brothers away back in 1877. when tho firm had only one small coach and four horses. The Newmans were the mail concii pioneers of flic line, and in the early days the journey was a two days' one beset with difficulty and danger. There were no bridges over the Buller, Jlatiri, Owen and liinng.a!nia Rivers, and all these rushing streams had to be forded. On many an occasion the driver (who was always ono of the brothers) has taken a horse out of the team and rode into the swollen stream before' risking tho lives of his passengers in the coach, and it says a great deal for the euro which has universally been exercised by the Newmans that they havenever experienced any serious accidents.

NEW DAILY SERVICE. It is intended shortly to open a now branch of the Nelson railway to (lienhop;, which will cut the coach run down by 30 miles. 'Die new railway section will bo completed in about a month's time, and Messrs. Newman are making arrangements then to open up a new service, whereby with the aid of the railway, the traveller may be enabled to pa'through from Nelson to Grcyinouth in one day. This shortening of the journey should'be greatly appreciated by tourists, travellers and theatrical companies, and will undoubtedly be the means of popularising the route. NELSON-BLENHEIM ROUTE. The Nelson-Blenheim coach run is also an ideal journey. The road is a good one all the way, the team is the best, that money can buy, and in the 78 miles, all done in the one day, the scenery is varied.and grand. The coach leaves .Nelson every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and Blenheim every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, all at 7 a.m. The. team consists of four horses, usually driven by' Mr. George Newman (a nephew of the principals), and there are live stages. Amongst the places of interest' traversed, the tourist is pointed out the scene of the Maungalapu murder, Wangamoa Saddle, Rai Valley, and Saddle, Wakamurina Stream. Canvastown, Haveled;, Pelorus, while an old-time experience is the fording the ever-widening and destructive Wairau River, the bridging of which should surely be made an urgent work by the Public Works Department. NELSON-RIWAKA. The Nclson-ltiwaka serTico is a dailyone both ways, and is controlled by the same enterprising Newman Bros. It affords the traveller some idea of the potentialities of the Nelson district as a paradise of orchards and hop gardens. Mile

after milo one passes through nn everchanging vista of fruit trees, standing in their hundreds of soldier-like lines, heavily laden, and forming a beautiful picture and a fitting memorial to the industry of the orchordists. Hero and there are the hop gardens, rearing their green lines, so that they may be seen from all parts of the country. The prospect as one passes along the Nclson-Brightwator Road is even more beautiful than to be seen in some parts of Southern Hawke s Bav and tho Hamilton district. I ho AVnimea Plain, an exceedingly rich land for fruit and barley, is traversed to the Moutcre Hills, now becoming famous as the new apple-growing centre of New Zealand, llotuc-kn. the greatest fruit-grow-ing district in the Dominion, and pretty Kiwnka are also traversed, the drive altogether being of a most delightful character. AN EXTENSIVE BUSINESS. The reaching firm which controls these routes is described as the one possessing

(ho best service of its kind in New Zealand, and certainly appearances convey that impression. "Messrs. Newman possess a small armv of ISO horses, and ten of Ibo famous red-painted Cobb and Co. coaches. On all the routes there aro fifteen or sixteen changing stages, while the staff is especially selected for courtesy to the travelling public and intelligence. "Care, civility, and prompt attention" has been the motto of their firm from its inception, and the success of such a business axiom is seen to-day in tlie present very extensive establishment, which started from such a modest beginning 35 years ago. Jn those early days file brothers were their own drivers and (heir ou-n grooms. Now, with their fine-ly-appointed teams, staffs, and stables and changing stages, they can supply a (ravelling turn-out for a Governor or any traveller at a moment's notice. In their time they have driven four' Governors— I.onl Onslow, Lord Glasgow, Lord Ranfurly, and Lord .t'lunket—through from Nelson to 'Westport, while Sir Tntton Sykos, tho famous English sportsman, was nlso taken through some years ago on a special trip. With tho exception of somo four years, the firm has always been on the Nelsou-Westport r'ni, while it succeeded Clarko and Pickering about 1890, on the Nelson-Blenheim route. ThoNolson-Riwnka run was started by the Newmans about a quarter of a century They lost it for six years, then regained it, and hnvo held the service ever since;—in tha mail coach history of Nelson the name "Newman" is a household word. Of the stables possessed by the firm, the splendidly-appointed one in Hardy Street, with its very wide passageway, and clean looking forty or more stalls and loose-boxes, is regarded as about the best all-round production of its kind in the Dominion.

EQUINE SAGACITY, Tho members of tho firm have been mixed up with horses all their lives, and in their time they hnvo possessed some very intelligent animals. One which had been in the servico daily for thirteen years always walked out of tho coach by himself, aiid in again when he was to be harnessed up, all without any leading. Others on the Nelson-Blenheim run were timed to start at 7 a.m., and as the Post Office clock struck, those animals would prick up their ears, and, lifting up their left legs, step out. Ona of them would rcfu«c to stop on an'." account, and he was a constant warning to the late traveller. In the course of a conversation with tlie Messrs. Newman Bros, a Dominion representative was informed by hem that they had found that kindness-, determir.a----(ioo, feed, and care wore the principal factors rertuirod for dealing with horses. Horses were verv much Hire human 1»ings in their temperaments, and they had to be treated accordingly. The brothers h d broken in thousands of horses, and believed tluc the fliiiruils "'ore usually made, vicious through vicious treatment. They expressed tho opinion, also, that the breed of horses was' deteriorating, when compared wilh the product of twonty-fivo ypni"i a"o. The cause was anpa.rently the fact "that horses nowadays were bred too much for spvinliii; purposes, both for racing and trotting.

Tlia' headquarters of the firm aro at Brightwaler and Nelson. The telephone number is 121.