TRIP FROM MASTERTON TO THE KING COUNTRY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9629, 22 October 1909, Page 3

TRIP FROM MASTERTON TO THE KING COUNTRY.

(Bv"Haunitiri Kai Pereh On reaching Ongarue, our destination, so far as the outward journey of the train was concerned, we are at once enquired of the coach proprietors it a vehicle of any kind was available to convey us to Matiere, some fourteen miles distant, along a mountainous road—road, shall I say; a veritable "slough of despond" is a more appropriate appellation, arid were apprised of the fact that all vehicles were at the other end, unable to be brought in on account of j the execrable state of the road, and , were likely to remain there until the beginning of summer, which generally begins here about the middle of November. 0 n making further enquiries as to whether an animal of any kind would be obtained, at anv price, we were told money could not induce him to appc-ase our desire. However, nothing daunted, we went to a Maori whare, and enquired there, and our hopes were elevated by an answer in the affirmative, and were told we could go straight away. After lounging about for two hours and three-quarters we had—what shall I call them.—a couple of {

Maori scrags harnessed in a gig,at our disposal, and were told the charge would be £3 10s to take us out and bring us back. We started off in high glee, and hoped to reach our destination in a couple of hours. All went well for about two miles, but imagine our disgust and chagrin whpn we were eight hours negotiating the trip. After the two mile peg we encountered mud, the likes of which we had'never before seen, and fondly cherish the hope that it will never be our lot to traverse again. To give an accurate description as to what the backblock ■ settlers have to contend with, needs a more abler pen than your humble scribe, but I will endeavor to convey a very vague idea, for to exaggerate would be impossible. At the three mile peg my partner ventured the remark that it would be an ideal spot to start a brick kiln, because a mill would be aunerflous to mix the clay into mud, as it was already mixed to perfection. When I say the mud was for miles continuously up to the horse's girth is not a fabrication, but puts it very mildly. At the six mile peg we turned the "prada" on to the side of the quagmire, and gave them half an hour's rest. On resuming we decided to allow one horse to drag the gig with one passenger, and the other passenger to ride the other horse. This lightened the gig of half its loadi but progress was considerably slower fiom this point onward. After travelling about an hour we looked a-ross country and were able

to read the number on the peg where We rested the horses; we learned after that we had had the pleasure of going round what is known as the "horseshoe corner," and were on the nine mile hili. We thought it was ninety-nine miles. On reaching the top of the hiil, we had attained an altitude of 80ft. We were rather sceptical on this point, but were assured that 80ft was quite true. At the 12 mile peg we rested, and had a consultation as to the wisdom of pursuing our course, but I innate J on reaching our destination—!v*?:'iere —so on we went; but alas.'oi.lj fur two miles, which brought us to the 14 mile peg. At this juncture ihe horses positively refused to take us further, so we placed the gig in a gully, planted the harness in the fern, mounted the horses bareback, and started with renewed energy, to cover the remaining six miles in cir • cus style. At the 15 mile peg we had another consultation, and this time decided to "pad the hoof," and the last three miles was covered in safety. We endeavoured to avoid the mud as much as possible, but before we had gone n dozen yards we were knee deep, and frequently had considerable difficulty in extricating our feet from the bog without losing our boots. At the 17 mile pee it was getting dark, and we still had a mile to travel on a strange road. At a quarter to seven o'clock we could see the lights of Matiere', and were thankful indeed when we crossed the j threshold of our destination. Our host

took our horses to the stable, and gave each a well-earned feed, and we repaired to the bathroom and after a good scrub we were once again able to recognise ourselves. Then the inner man had to be attended to, and a sumptuous repast was provied by Host Chase, of the Matiere hostelry, and such a meal we had ever before enjoyed—we ate so ravenously.. After w<? had appeased our appetites a smoke and a game of cards was suggested, but we elected to retire for the night,, quite satisfied with ourselves. Next day, Oh, dear! we felt about one hundred years old, and were unable to qustour beds till after midday, preferring to rest than take breakfast. At 1.30 p.m. the luncheon bell sounded, and we were very loth even then to turn out. By a supreme effort we tossed the clothes off and rolled out, but oh, so tired.

Another bath, and we were ready. During the afternoon dark clouds congregated and several showers fell, which softened the road somewhat. Jn the evening there were more ahow • era. We wanted to return next day at all hazards, bo hunted'round Mat-

I iere and hired five horses and a four wheeled conveyance, to carry us back to Ongarue, and fixed the starting time at 8 o'clock next morning. Punctually to time we started. But before doing so (.he seats were removed and four sacks of chaff were provided in lieu uf them. On these we were very thankful to sit, f(.r they w;re much softer, than the bare boards of a wayback buggy seat! So far so good. Now for the resumption of the return journey. We took nothing in the way of refreshments, thinking we would reach Ongarue in time for lunch, but fate was against us, for it was a few minutes pa3t three o'clock when we jumped out of our conveyance at Ongarue. We had a better opportunity to view the environment now than on the inward trip, becuuse we had chartered a driver, consequently were not hampered by handling the horses and picking a way) through the mud. We recall a trip:

from Pahiatua to Pongaroa, a couple of years ago. and were rudely shocked by the state of the road on that occasion, but the trip from Matiere to Ongarue made us unanimous that the former has to take second place. A couple of miles on the way from Matiere we overtook Constable Owen, of Ongarue. who had been nine miles past Matiere to a place called Mangaroa, and in coversation, he mcirtiootd incidentally that the road i e had jusi traversed was beyond description and far worse than the one we were on then. We were thankful of the constable's company, for he pointed out many places of interest, and at one point he told us that a packhorse with two boxes of butter fell over the bank, a distance approximately of 270 feet, and the butter remained there for five months. Strange to say the horse was not killed, but the fall was broken by the growth of scrub on the bank. At another point a boiler for a sawmill broke the chains by which it was fastened, and rolled off the waggon down the emhankment, and after four months was hauled up again by means of chains and bullocks on to the road. We passed a team of nine horsas drawing a waggon, and the load consisted ot twelve boards Bby 1, 14] scantlings 4 by ?., and feed for the horses on the journey. At 9 miles from Ongarue we passed a man with three horses in a spr»ng trap, with a few bottles of cordials—spirituous liquor is a forbidden the King Country—and he had been four days on the road. There are a fair number of wild pigeons in the bush, and we saw them flying about, but we had not the slightest desire to attempt to secure tham; our anxiety was to reach Ongarue in safety, so we stuck religiously to our task. Seven miles further from Ongarue we reach Tommy Ah Gan's, a Chinaman's residence, who has 1,500 acres stocked with sheep, and wa>a told that he was the most hospitable person on the road. Rich and poor are welcomed alike. From this point to Ongarue nothing of importance occured, beyond a repetition of the outward journey, and reached Ongarue at the time above stated. After satisfying the inner man. we have two hours to catch our train to Taumaranui and re?t there till 3 o'clock next morning, when we are aroused from nur slumbers to join the express from Auckland to Wellington, and we give a sigh of relief when we enter a sleeping carriage for the homeward trip, finally reaching Masterton at 5.3 C p m.