CORRESPONDENCE. THE RAI VALLEY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 295, 11 December 1872, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE RAI VALLEY.

To the Editor op tub Nelson Evening Mail. Sir,—Knowing that most of your readers are interested in the opening up of the country by roads, perhaps I shall not be taking up your space uselessly by giving a little information about the pass from Whangamoa to the Rai Valley, which was discovered, by Messrs. Mackay and Brown. The line from " Happy. Valley" to the junction of' the Whangamoa and the Collins is too .well known to require any mention from nie. Whatever difficulties it may have originally presented must have been entirely dissipated by the scientific exertions of the several surveyors who have been employed on it. The road up the Collius to the Rai Saddle has not had all these advantages', and is not so well known. Nevertheless, it will, I think, prove to be the easiest part of the job. The pass is certainly not more than 200 feet above the Whangamoa river, and the rough bush track cut by Mackay and BrowD, which will require little, if any alteration, leads up to the top of it by an exceedingly easy ascent. The distance from the Whangamoa is about six miles. There will, of course, be some side cutting required on this length, but, for a mere bridle track, it would not be heavy. As the pass had not hitherto been reached from the Marlborough side of the range, Mr. Seymour requested me to get a line cut from it down to the Eai. I therefore obtained the services of the two Browns and.set them to work They have succeeded in carrying the track by an easy and regular gradient right down to the flat, avoiding rocks and gullies, and only crossing the Brown, a branch of the Eai, once at the bottom of the hill, where it presents no difficulty. Perhaps the best (unscientific) way to convey an idea of the gentleness of the ascent to and descent from this Rai Pass is to say that if the road were made where the line 3 aie cut, a horse might be trotted easily right over it. I must confess that until I had travelled the road myself I did not quite believe that the Pass was as accessible as I now know it to be. I knew that the discoverers of it were very excellent walkers, and thought it possible that a hill, which to them seemed quite low and easy, might to ordinary mortals like myself appear very much the reverse. If any of your readers have felt the same " want of confidence," I hope that this testimony, coming from a pedestrian of very moderate pretensions, will tend to reassure them. . It seems to me very desirable that Nelson should be connected with Marlborough by a track so easy of formation as this. The Superintendent of Marlborough is very earnest in the matter, and is at once going to get a horse track made to the top of the saddle from the Pelorus; and now that we have power' to give land at a fair valuation in payment lor public works, I hope that the Nelson Government will follow his example aud make a horse track on this side., There can be no doubt as to the superiority of this track as compared with that which leads over the Maungatapu. The latter, which does not open up one acre of good land, can never be any thing but a bridle track. It is expensive to keep up, and wearisome to travel over. Although the Kai Valley, containing some 14,000 acres of flat bush land, is in the Marlborough Province, there can be no doubt that Nelson must derive some commercial advantages from the population that will eventually settle there, if good means of communication are provided. There would be no difficulty whatever in making a cartroad or tramway along the proposed track when it becomes worth while to do so.- Moreover, our side of the range is by no means destitute of good land. I cannot give an accurate estimate, but should think that in the "Whaugamoa and its tributaries there cannot be less than 2000 acres oi really valuable land, besides much more of an inferior quality. A good road from Nelson light through to the Wairau would be a v«ry important step towards re-connecting the two provinces—a most desirable consummation from a political point of view, An Act of the Provincial Council is required before the Superintendent can undertake to give payment in land for the making of this. road, and I hope that his Honor will not consider me presumptuous if I venture to suggest that such an Act should be brought dowa as speedily as possible. The interest which you, Sir, have always take a in everything calculated to'promote the advancement of the province, induces me to hope that you will allow this letter to appear in your valuable paper.' lam, &c, A. S. Collins.