Excursion To The Interior Of The Island.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 6, Issue 287, 27 March 1862, Page 3

Excursion To The Interior Of The Island.

\{Continued from March \ *th.)

*4 'Friday f Jam—j;liail over night told 7'eira to "tether the horses hut on-awaking -just before day -break I could only find bne; If jtheretptejjiad to wait while he went and.; looked for. the other. At losing one hour and pib6snl<iu* m a stream called Margontjee, where we- breakfasted soon after this one of the horses knocked' ftbVVsh, : as V'it . might be. a before he could move on.r — I immeoiatbly tobk '.stock of the provisions and found that.,the' tvro of ;us could not remain for.■ mijfle two ■. days. ,1 therefore at: dhc^-'^fa^ei.'up jmy. mind. to continue the journey alpi^je^ying, ...Teiravwitli. the horse anil givii'i'| T 'liiih' "41l Che food -I’could; possibly spare, and, with ... a himph of. bread /and a bpx ‘""6f 'Siifrdines I. started for a weary two days’ journey through the: bush.., :; The leather being fine I had few' of the-diffieul-ties to contend with which „we encountered ‘going up, and night'found* iue bn the banks :of- .-the ihtafigiftkei'river." r l^ v met .usomeiinvi&'es Avtii -the Keu TieiFpah''traveling will) cattle to the interior. - A fine eelipul some.,,, masted. potatoes,- followed by some dumplings boiled in suger and water were plasddid)efbre> : ihe. for supper, and I. rolled up comfortably eneough in my blankets before one_of - -Sahfrdaf/, zsth ‘Jan—As I dvas uncertain. v whethjif I could reach home in the day; I started at early dawn and at eleven o’clock eat part of my bread for breakfast, bpt the. sardines' turned out a dead letter as-1 was it6' use uiy knife to cut the box open lest I should -break the blade and have nothingjto cut me put of, the next lot of^siipplejadks';iliiit I got died, up im 1 -tried my' stbrijup and, stone- hut it w.as -all n'bfg’o, and Ut dart'd give lip in. des : _. pain ' r maniaged by jdiii t of hard work to reach Kbh)e'tliat;'feveiiifig 'soon after dark. ' ;: //aving febnctnded my journal 1 will add on the country and its capabilitibfl'fifr' slieep fanning,- , agricul-, ture, road making, &c. <kc. In the first place-the 4erni->of 'Central pi# ins as applied I I the district through which. I passed is in a grbat measuie u lnisYibhier, as there are none properly.speaking, but rather a series? of rolli'hg'?id§§s £ 'deVei diPthe top and iiiter-’ ■sected by snftdb baileys. ! The soil on all these.dsdfbr-the most part very poor and totallyninfit-for-agricultural For . are codrse and’spare,' and I cannot fancy that any station would be iible to pay its expetices unless it had a very large space of country to graze ..over and a quantify stock to begin on. The Janci to tlib westward of Tohgariio is l-ber V lieve| better, hut this 1 had:' nui- a 11 . o p ppr tu» nity of ascertaining for myself, ~ With regard to roads lam of opinion that a very

p .let’c ib'e Mute migh'.bedpuud through ; iie Itu.'h ously thought of, but t,:iljmjs country beeu carefully '‘d^nuu&^ftr. the" purpose ah easier one mignt be found up the valley of and one which would be leesdiuble to suffer obstruction from sijow •dujvjg thehwinter 'months*;*. AJthe present time, however, '4nd :< ,witii file, roads us tiny are, 'l"'cuHiTtiiT'^see“why lilt:' soul hern.; portion carpnot. bd # • piifc ‘ ifi" 'cb'tnnrYiflliicdt ii>n Overfund. with Auckland and .thus enyov t .thg;;sai)\e ajlvaip tages which idiiwWs Bay receives. The inai! arriving at 'i'aitpc* iii %ht' ; r frott^‘-IBeiViSe'' surely have . a branch line, either down the,. Wsiiigaiiui' nver-'dr’ '.through .thedlangitikei; district, meeting the e<ast mail from Wanganui to - #:e]liiigfd!i,’ and the; receipt of letters by these routes would; be a great boon to the inhabitants of both .Wanganui aud Wellington... A.s far as th,e natives are concerned “I tlx add'; imagine that as the; Waikatoes graciously pass through the whole length of their territory, we need not fear opposition,.particularly'as the Queen’s mail is, no longer to be stopped, but. still if there is such a feel: ing, we must deprrcate jrplsfir," which, alt though a convenience to. both, jraces, is in a .yway ■J t i calculated to Jcxcl te? thfe, mind.’’ s On . tlie 'whole, although there were some difficulties and a few discomforts, to coiiteiui; jm;r;ne.y, v W;»s ; very delightful", \ and one 1 should strongly recommend to all lovers of ad.v'ehfiirej and should be very happy to. assist any one who intei^i taking;''in them the best ' stores, <fce. to take with thein.. For maps we are at a great loss, .but. as fur as I could -judge the--one in Dr. Thompson’s New Zealand, : is decidedly,file best ami most accurate that I. have met with. The journey properly undertaken is a very inexpensive u dne, and well rewards the trav-: oiler for any difficulties he may have to encounter. In iji? £ ysJt. ad f d,;. Urart as I am neither btfanis.f, , T!;'gebiogisti“ J .'hor maori scholar, dTas , r needless .to apologise for any mistSfkesVKhaVe made,, as my only plea, could, be .that, I, have,, jetted } down, Tilings a*s‘ they ’struck rue naturally add not iscientifieally. t .