OUR DISTRICT AND OUR SETTLERS.—No. 14.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 67, 15 February 1884, Page 2

OUR DISTRICT AND OUR SETTLERS.—No. 14.

A TRIP UP THE COAST. [by our special reporter.] MR. ORMOND’S a .'ATION, ANAURA. I reached this station, after a ride of four miles, crossing two small mountains, on Sunday, the 20th January. The homestead is a square-built house, and very commodious. It stands facing the sea, surrounded by two good gardens in the foreground and a good paddock, securely fenced, in the rear. Alongside is the main track from Gisborne. Here I found Mr. Dixon, formerly of Hawke’s Bay, in whose hands has been entrusted the management of the run. On mentioning my business, he immediately gave me a cordial welcome, and bade me sojourn with him as long as I could conveniently remain. There is a small settlement of Natives on the flat to the left of the house, many of whom find employment on the estate. The run comprises about 9,000 acres, of the general character found along the coast. It is hounded by the river Hikuwai and the Waipare Creek, abutting which is a large Native settlement. There are 4,000 sheep on the run and about seventy head of cattle. Here the work of improving the country is being vigorously carried oil; principally by Native labor, and preparing the land for putting down a large tract of grass this year. Shearing operations re* suited in forty bales of wool being sent away; but the lambs had not been shorn. About half the number of sheep on the station art cross-bred, the remainder merinos. Mr. Ormond is displaying much enterprise in thd manner in which he has given instructions to effect any necessary improvements; This land and homestead have been in possession at different intervals of Mr. Espie, Mr. Tatham, and Mr. Claek, and for that reason is well known to all coastal travellers, many having sought and received the friendly hospitality of the respective proprietors when the houses along the coast were fewer, and further between, than they are at the present time. Hospitality is one of the leading traits in the dispositions of the people who dwell along this rough belt of territory, yet, located here and there many pretty sketches of fiat lands and picturesque valleys are to be met with. It is unnecessary for me to dilate upon the characteristics of the holder of Anaura Station. Mr. Ormond’s name ia well known throughout the Colony. He has sat in the House of Representatives for Napier and distinguished himself in various ways; In private life he is a gentleman held in high esteem. As one of the landowners and producers of the Colony he has been eminently useful and materially assisted to enrich the country by raising much stock and increasing the export trade. In wishing Mr. Ormond success with his Anaura enterprise — one which entails the expenditure of much capital and great risks, I only express the sentiment of all those persons who know him best and who admire his upright and straightforward walk in life. On the day following my call at this station there was a steady downpour of rain, which did not cease till evening. This shut me in for a day, and delayed my departure till Tuesday evening. Travelling from this station Gisbornewards is not so difficult as that experienced higher up the Coast. A two hours' easy ride, very little mountain land having to be traversed, I reached a magnificent valley, along which I wended my way until I reached

WHABSKAXA, where is situated the homestead inhabited by Mr. McClive, manager of the run known by that name. This is Messrs. Winross’ station, once the scene of a large population of men engaged by Messrs. Graham, Kinross, and adjacent are the stables, men’s whare—an immense structure, fitted up in ship-shape style. In those old “ bunks” have reposed, after the heat and burden of the day, many a weary son of toil, who welcomed the repose to be obtained during Nature’s seasons of cessation from labor. Beside it stands the wool-shed and stock-yards, but now, alas, through a tide of litigation and other causes, in disuse. These buildings stand on a piece of flat land which is pleasantly situated on the bank of the river Awaawa. The courteous manager, Mr. McClive, very kindly invited me to accept his hospitality till the following morning, which I did, but Mr. H. Williams, whose homestead and station is situated about a mile beyond, insisted that myself and Mr. McClive should accompany him to his residence and dine with him. We complied, and after dinner Mr. Williams accompanied me to the summit of the hills Whaparata and Mungatuna, which form a portion of his run. From these eminences I was enabled to command a magnificent view of the w.iole of the surrounding country. At the foot of the hill, and wending its way serpentine-like, is the river, navigable to Tologa, a distance of twelve miles, although the distance by road is only four. There are many bends in the river through the flat it courses, which, though eminently picturesque, must prove very tantalising to the boatmen who have to pull sometimes against the stream to the port of Tologa. In one locality the river is so winding that after pulling or sailing your boat two miles, you are brought back

again to within ten chains of the starting, point, Nevertheless two miles of the voyage nave been accomplished. On the right-hand Bide of this splendid waterway stands Mr. Ormond’s run at Titiranga. Adjoining is Mr. Somerville's estate of 1,000 acres, not broken by a solitary hill, but the plain is in one part obscured from a full-stretch view by the presence of about 200 acres of bnsh. Next to the latter is Mr. Stewart’s 450-acre farm, one of the prettiest spots on the Coast; then comes Mr. Duncan McFarlane’s 10,000 acres of freehold land, in addition to which is a large area of leasehold. Like white specks in the valley appear Mr, A. Reeves’ residence, the school-house, Mr. Williams’ homestead, and the residences of those whose lands I have noticed, singly esconced in clusters of trees. The view is a magnificent one. On the other side the hills on which I stood is another large valley, through which the river peacefully flows, Wending its way at the foot of the opposite mountains, In this valley are located several Native settlements, the land there being probounced by competent judges to be the best In the entire district; The river, though no further navigable, wends its way through Anaura block as far as Tokomaru, Branch, ing to the left from the gorge is the Maungatukarau Creek, pursuing the course of which the traveller would pass through the block of land just acquired by the Government, Some valuable bush country is discernible from the hills. The homestead at Whareakaka was erected about six years ago by Messrs. Graham, Kinross; and Co; The area of the estate is about 6,000 acres, a large portion of it being freehold. It extends from Mr. Reeve’s boundary, on the Tologa side, to Anaura, on the Coast, and adjoins Mr. Stewart’s and Mr. Someiville’s properties. It is bounded by the river along. the west side about four miles north of Tologa. The manager, Mr. McCllve, has resided taere for a period of four years. Five hundred acres have been sub-divided into paddocks and laid down in grass on land where formerly existed ti-tree, scrub, and flax, Much of it was then iwamp, and I am told that any one who had seen the land originally and gazed Upon it now would scarcely credit the trans, formation that has been effected. The spacious wool-shed, the largest in the district, was formerly used as a granary, for three years ago the land was under wheat, and the valley resounded with the sound of the Sickle and the song of the harvesters, Now only the bellowing of cattle is heard. The laborers have had to seek other fields and pastures new, and the machinery of litigation has caused a most desirable property, on which a large sum of money has been expended, to lie waste and unproductive, exoepting the use made of it in pasturing cattle and sheen. The number of hands formerly employed on this estate was thirty. As against 800 head of cattle formerly on the stalion, there are now 500 and 2,000 sheep. This year the shearing produced twenty bales of wool. Twenty-five miles of fencing have been erected and fifteen miles of drainage works oompletedi The river has 12 feet of water at the station, and therefore no difficulty is exjjerienced by the s.s. Rosina, or Noko, in navigating it. There are 1,500 acres of excellent flat land on the estate, the remainder being hill country. This season, the manager informs me, some new work is to be proceeded with on the hills, as burning off the fern and sowing grass seed. In the interests of our district, let us hope that the difficulties that have surrounded and retarded the proper development of this splendid estate, which was opened with so much promise of success and beneficial to the general community, will be soon cleared away, and that the fields x/ill again smile with waving golden-tinted corn, whilst the cattle and sheep will be growing and fattening in the rich hills beyond. MR. WILLIAMS’ STATION. This small but compact and desirable farm is closely adjacent to that of Messrs. Kinross and Co. It comprises an area of 550 acres, and is bounded by the river on the West side, Wharekaka Station on the South and East sides, and the Maungatuna Native settlement on the North. The proprietor of this station has been in possession of it six years, and during that period has effected many useful improvements. He has 250 acres of flat land, the residuum being hilly* His stock comprises 500 sheep, 60 head of cattle, and 100 pigs, besides horses. Between three and four miles of fencing have been completed and a large amount of drainage. Since Mr. Williams took possession of the little estate he has cleared a quantity of scrub, and thus converted what was previously useless territory into fine pasture land. I fancy Mr. Williams is rather an admirer of horse-flesh, because he takes a special pride in that class of his stock. He certainly has some very noble-looking animals on his run. One very pretty specimen he showed me was a young horse by Mr. McLean’s thoroughbred Mute. Throughout my travels I have not met a more hard, working man than Mr. Williams. He is about early and late, and personally attends to much of the work of the station. I trust his labors in this fertile and pleasantlysituated district will be rewarded with the success they entitle him to. He must succeed in such a favored locality. Doubtless many drawbacks have retarded the progress he wished to have made. Nevertheless, he is going the sure way to work, for to him labor is pleasure, and that must conquer every obstacle. (To be continued.)