PALMERSTON.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5263, 5 February 1878, Page 3

PALMERSTON.

(FROM OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.) As I have no news of general interest to send you by this mail, I take the opportunity of recommending the following As being the best trip that can be made from Wellington by those wishing to see a good deal, of the country at a small expense of money, time, and trouble. Leaving Wellington by the Foxton coach early on Monday or . Thursday morning, the traveller passes through Ngahauranga, Jolmsonville, &a., round the ; harbor of Porirua, to Pahautauui, where he can safely ■ reckon upon finding a good breakfast awaiting him. After half an hour or so to refresh the inner man, he starts again, and shortly arrives at the celebrated Paikakariki pass, where, it he has not strong nerves, we should recommend his either getting out . of the coach and walking, or else shutting his eyes and trying to sleep. When the level laud at the foot of the hill is reached, there comes a long stretch of sand and shingle, and during the next hour or two the traveller will have as much of the coast scenery as he is likely to care for. About two o’clock (after fording various streams and rivers) he will arrive at Otaki for dinner, but should he prefer sight-seeing to eating, there is a church- worth looking at which was built and fitted up by the Maoris, and which is quite unique in its way. After 1

dinner, off again throughjigood deal.of! saudj "and'about'7 o'clock:, “after "crossinglihe Mauawatu River in the ferry-boat, the coach pulls up at Whyte’s Hotel," Foxton, where a sub.stantial tea is provided. The traveller has now done with the coach, and at 8 o’clock p.m. takes the mail train for Palmerston, where (should there be no bullocks on the line) he will arrive about half-past nine. Here he has the choice of four good hotels, of which two, theClarendonandtheßoyal,are close to the station. On the following day I should recommend our traveller to hire a buggy or a horse, according to his taste, aud to drive nr ride through Awahuri, over Mount Stewart, and through Sandon, to Bull’s, as by so doing he will see a considerable variety of country scenery, and by starting at 10 o’clock and lunching at Bull's he can comfortably get back to Palmerston in time for 6 o’clock dinner. There are many pleasant trips in this neighborhood, which I have not now time to give particulars of ; so I will merely say that when these are exhausted the traveller takes his seat (the box one if he can get it) in the Napier coach early on a Tuesday or Frid iy morning, and after a twelve miles’ drive through an exceedingly pretty and interesting country, crosses the Manawatu River at the lower ferry, and almost immediately afterwards finds himself in the celebrated gorge. Passing through it and over the gorge bridge, the coach pulls up at Messrs. Hastwell aud Macara’s stables, where he changes iuto the Masterton coach. After following the Napier coach for a short distance, they both pull up at the Woodville Hotel for breakfast, for which not too much time is allowed. The Masterton coach (in which our imaginary traveller is now seated) here turns sharp off to the right througli the Forty Mile Bush, which hardly now deserves its name, as there are numerous clearings in it, and some remarkably pretty homesteads. After crossing various ferries and fords, and passing through nearly every variety of the best New Zealand scenery, the coach arrives at the Club Hotel, Masterton, about six o’clock, and our traveller will be by that time ready to appreciate hia dinner. Next morning, off througli the Wairarapa Plains, through Carterton, Greytown, ffcc., to Featherston, where the ascent of the Rimutaka begins. Having reached the summit, the time lost in doing so is soon made up by a rapid descent ou the other side, and so ou to Kaitoke, where we would recommend our traveller to take the train, when he will shortly find himself back in Wellington. In this trip, which I have thus briefly sketched out, the traveller sees more different sorts of country aud scenery, and also passes through more townships than he could po-sibly do in any other way for the same money and in the same time.