THE WHEEL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2334, 24 March 1892, Page 3

THE WHEEL.

A Bicycle Trip to the Otago Lakes via Central Otago, February, 1892., By C J. Goldstone and Jas. Gillespie. [Written by Cushion-tyre.] (Continued.) We had dinner at the Vincent County Hotel and a stay of three hours, as the heat was terrific, 120 deg. in the sun. Here we met in with Mr Hart, of the one-time famous Invercargill firm of photographers, of Hart, Campbell & Co, We accompanied him to his studio, and saw some beautiful views of the West Coast Sounds and Waterfalls. At 4 p.m. we left again for Cromwell, distant 15 miles, around the river Clutha all the way. Fellow cyclists can imagine the condition of the road, when it took us until 7 p.m. to reach Cromwell—a little more than 'd\ miles an hour. The whole of the way the road skirts the river bank, and is composed of loose sand and huge boulders. It is without doubt the worst road we ever were on. The scene going round the river is awful and grand. On either side rise stupendous cliffs and massive mountains towering to the sky. Down fifty or sixty feet below, roars, surges, and boils the angry torrent of muddy water. About half a mile on the Clyde side of Cromwell is a sea of sand called the "Brewery Hill." Fortunately it is not long, but it is fully six or seven inches deep in loose shingle and sand of a white flinty nature. After twenty minutes hard shoving we reached the top and saw Cromwell with glad eyes. It is situated at the confluence of the Kawarau and Clutha, high up from the river-bed, The approach to the town is over a beautiful suspension bridge. The most striking thing about the rivers is the great difference of color of the water. The Clutha is a clear and deep stream, and the Kawarau—owing to the sluicing and dredging—is a very dirty one. Cromwell was reached at 7 p.m., and very comfortable quarters were found at Mountney's Hotel, which seemed much frequented by business men. Unfortunately I was taken ill—evidently through the heat and the limy nature of the water we drank that day. That evening, at dusk, rain commenced, and it rained in earnest, without cessation, till Monday night. This effectually put a stop to our progress, so we had to grin and bear it till the weather cleared.

Cromwell cannot be called a pretty town, though situated high and dry from the river. It was a grand sight to go out on Sunday and see the river rolling down furiously. Chinamen seem to form a large proportion of the population here, and occupy a portion of the town near the upper end. There must be two or three hundred of them, and some of their dwellings are very primitive in construction. We took the opportunity afforded us there to inspect their houses and see " fan-fan " played. To us, who had nevey seen anything of the sort, it was indeed novel. We entered a small, low-set room containing about forty or fifty Celestials, all intent on the game. They did not deem us intruders, though they refused to let us stake anything pn the table. As far as we could understand the' game it was as follows j A square pisce of iron of about a foot in length, occupied the centre of a table. At each corner of the iron were numbers, from 1 to 4. You put down any amount you like, on a corner or on the side, and |ihe odds paid were three to one. At the head of Jjhe table was a banker, who took a number of coujateps-rat j.andom--and with a long stick he counted them off by fours. This was continued until all the fpurs were jHj.t agide, and the number remaining was the winner. Ifence, if £wq were left, and you backed two, you were paid, and so on. Another novel, and I may say a sickening, sight to us, was to see them smoking opium. Opium is of a sticky nature, resembling 1 molasses. The Chinaman takes a little on the p&in| of a pin, and gently heats it in the flame of a small lamp to destroy its poisonous qualities, he places i| on the top of a large wooden pipe with holes in the top, and draws the smoke through his nose. It had an extremely sickly and disagreeable odour. There are some grand orchards at Cromwell, and we were fortunate enough to go through Mrs Scott's whilst there. Tuesday morning broke fine, so, as we were now behind our time, wo yosolved to travel again, and ali 9.30 we left Cromwell on the road to Arrowtown, distant about 30 miles, over very rough roads. As may be expected, the roads were extremely heavy after the recent rains, so

wo made very slow progress. The road, after leaving Cromwell, winds round the j/org-e of the Kawarau for nearly fifteen miles. Along this narrow road by the river bank we saw instances of the recent rains—by huge rocks fallen down in confusion and numerous slips. At 12.30 we reached Victoria bridge, fifteen miles out, and had a rough-and-ready dinner at Johnston's half-way house. The weather now became threatening, and we feared more rain. At 1.45 p.m. we made another start, and now our trouble began in earnest. We had a stiff head wind and a road deep with mud. However, we rode and walked by turns, and tried to look cheerful, though we wished ourselves at home again. After about an hour's work like this we reached a small wayside hotel called Gibbston, about 11 miles from Arrowtown. The rain came down very hard for about an hour, so we resolved we would wait for the coach. However, the weather cleared up, and we went on again, the road every mile getting worse and worse. After crossing the river, about 7 miles from Arrowtown, the road became altogether unrideable, and cyclists can picture themselves in our position shoving the machines through thick mud. This state of affairs continued beautifully till about a mile and a-half from Arrowtown, where we got a rideable road, and along this we reachedArrowtown at 6.30, about five minutes after the coach that had left Cromwell at 12 a.m. Our journey that day was only thirty odd miles and had taken all day. Our first step on arrival at Jopp's Royal Oak Hotel, the stopping place of the coach, was to put the hose on our machines, which were smothered in mud, and we ourselves were not in much cleaner condition. Here the rain came on again and rained heavily all that night. Next morning broke fine,and as we intended going only to Queenstown that day, a distance of fifteen miles, we stayed at Arrowtown until after dinner. Here we met Mr H. B. Smith, the mining and' estate agent, who showed us round the township. That day was the day the court sat, and the town presented quite an animated appearance, being crowded with farmers, miners, rabbiters, and their dogs. The people at Arrowtown have evidently an eye for the beautiful, as the streets are planted with sheltering and ornamental trees, which, besides affording protection from the sun, add to the beauty of the scene. At 1.45 p.m. we left our hospitable quarters at Arrowtown and made our way to Queenstown by way of Arthur's Point. The road is fairly level and in good order, though in places a considerable amount of debris has come down from the hills. We crossed the Shotover at the bridge, and saw a dredge - working in the alluvial ground below. After crossing the bridge, the road ascends the hill and turns round by the river, which is walled in by massive mountains. It then descends gradually to Queenstown, and a few miles further on we got the first view of the lake we had ridden so far to see. About three quarters of a mile above Queenstown the road is narrow, and runs round the rocks. Here, as I was adroitly picking my way round the outer verge, I suddenly found myself and my machine on bop of me lying at the bottom of the bank, about six feet down, amidst the laughter of my more fortunate companion. No damage was done, however, so I mounted and rode safely into Queenstown. We had here a letter of introduction to Mrs Gardner, who keeps a nicely-situated and quiet private boarding house overlooking the lake. Unfortunately they could not accommodate us, but recommended us to another private house, Mrs Johnstone's, where we put up for the night. Here we made the acquaintance of two young men, just out from England, who were travelling for the benefit of their health. They, by their ignorance of matters colonial, and by the queer pronunciation they bestowed on Maori names, showed us that they were " new chums." I had always heard Queenstown spoken of as a pretty spot, and it deserves all the praise bestowed upon it, as it is indeed a lovely place. It would require some abler pen than mine to describe the beauties of this earthly paradise, so I will remain content by saying I would strongly advise anyone desirous of a pleasant trip to visit Queenstown. Unfortunately, we were not j able to stay and visit the head of the lake, as we left by the boat the "Ben Lomond," next morning at 10 a.m. for Kingston, distant 25 miles. The journey to Kingston occupied about two and three-quarter hours, and was straight down the lake, with stupendous heights on both sides, especially the famed Remarkables on the left-hand side. The hills are destitute of dense bush, being covered in places with dense fern and at other places totally denuded of vegetation. Numerous cascades were seen on either side, and the effect was pretty. On the Remarkables side of the lake we saw where an immense amount of soil and rocks had been precipitated into the lake, carrying away a couple of shepherd's huts and leaving a scene of general devastation. The waters of the lake are a deep blue, and the lake is supposed to be from 1200 to 1500 feet deep in places. Kingston was reached at one o'clock, and we hurried off to the hotel for dinner, which we found awaiting us, and served up equally as well as in a city hotel. Kingston is a dreary and miserable-looking place, and'but for the railway it would be unimportant. It possesses a railway station., and a hotel. ' (lo le continued.')