A Holiday on Stewart Island.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Issue 41, 4 March 1899, Page 1

A Holiday on Stewart Island.

(Continued.) After picking up, we soon got started on our return journey. The wind had by this tune freshened considerably, and the little cutter heeled over till the water splashed over the side. To those who had never had any experience in a sailing craft, this was anything but reassuring, but Oui Oui said it was all right, and we had to believe him, However, as no accident happened, we soon got used to it, and were very soiry when we had to get into the dmgy and be put ashore at the Neck. Our friends went on and were landed at Golden Bay, after spending a most pleasant holiday. After tea, we had a stroll through the bush, and were shown what is called the " main road." It is a track about fifteen feet wide, with trunks of small trees laid across it. Tree fern is used to a great extent, and as they ver> otten sprout up again at the ends, these bush tracks aie very pretty. We were also able to study the Kata tree, which happened to be m full bloom, and the, blaze of scarlet blossom added wonderfully to the beauty of the bush. We made our way down to the beach, and for roiue time amused the children catching ' bullies" with pin hooks, after which we vent home and retired early to bed. When we were called ne^t morning, we [mind that it had started to rain, which f ompletelj upset the arrangements. Jlpw<'\ui, as it cleared up about ten o'clock, w-e got a boat and went out fishing. We pulled out a hundred yards or so from the fchoie, and in a couple of hours we i uanaged to catch a dozen and a half blue i. od and whiting, and as a native fisherman who was hauling in fish quite close t<> Hi gave us a fine groper and an exceptionally large treyally, we had enough 'iih to List us for a long time. The rest '>' th'j dnj was spent painting a portrait 1 f luitti.iy, who after much persuasion "insonted tp sjt to our "special aitist." 'Hns sketch formed a particularly interest-!-i» memento of pur trip, for llattray can. •• !'inu to have been born in the most remote puit of the British Dominions, as ne bimies, his birth place, js practicably the Antipodes pf London. In the e\empg we had a ft sing song." A number of natives came to the schoolnousi- ip) their weekly chojr practice, and when that was o\er, almost every rnem-l-ci ot the cho r gave a song, all joining in t lie ( houicpf.. 'ihey i mve particularly sweet \<>u-es, and seme ha\e a very good idea of putting m an alto or bass part, and the X'sult wns particularly pleasing. Our musical man sang a couple of songs, spemed tp take on very well, lupinn Aikmb " in particular becoinll^ A Bieat favourite. When the party "^perscd, it was quite amusing to see the l'««?piviatioiis foi going home. Each one

carried a Inntein for showing the way tlnongh the bush, and as the men invariably wore sea boots, and very often sou'westers, and the ladies were dressed for convenience rather than for appeaiance sake, they foimed a very picturesque gump. Next morning, Saturday, was still raining but as there was not much wind, we were not surprised when Rattray came round and told us that Oui Oui was leady to go to Golden Bay. Accordingly we got our paint boxes and easels ready and went down to the boat shed to wait for the cutter to come round from the little bay where she was moored. After an hour had passed, and she did not come in sight, we got into another cutter which happened to be unloading some timber where we were, and in a fewjmnutes we were round the point and into the bay where Oui Oui was, and we found that oiir boat had slipped her anchor, and had got blown ash ,va. Fortunately she was got off without sustaining any damage, but when we were ready to sail, we found that the wind had risen so much that it was not safe to venture out, and that we would have to stay where we were. There were two other cutters anchored in this bay, and a fish hulk. This fish hulk is the place where the natives sell their fish. They get nine shillings per lOOlbs for it, and when sufficient is got, it is sent over to the Bluff in a large cutter and then shipped to Melbourne. Some of the fishermen make very good money, but as a rule they don't work very industriously. We went on board the hulk, and had lunch with Mr McKellar, the man m charge. We put in the rest of the day painting a picture of the bay, and a very good subject it proved. Some snapshots were also taken, but they have not turned out a pronounced success, " the light was not good enough," or too good, or something : our photographer is not sure which. On Sunday, service was held in the schoolhouse, and in the afternoon we visited some of the people, we found them very kind, and they were all very pleased to see us, one of them, Mr Joss, knew Waimate and Timaru in the early days Mr Joss gave us a very good description of the >' mutton birding." He invited us to go with them when they go south in April. He told us it is a dirty, uncomfortable job, but most interesting, and we were very sorry we were not able to accept his invitation. Mutton birding plays a very important part in the year's work. It takes weeks preparing for the expedition as they have to prepare all the bags they use fiom seaweed, and they are away foi' eight weeks. When mutton birding is on, there is hardly a soul left at the Neck. The school is shut the whole time, as the children all go to help. We suggested that the teacher should go too. We could not help noticing the fireplaces in some of the houses. They are very large, and there are seats, each large enough to accommodate four people, on

each side of the fire, on the hobs as it were. It struck us that it would be ft rather smoky place to sit, but they seemed to like it. Perhaps they have got used to it. (To be continued.)