A RUN THROUGH NEW ZEALAND.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2757, 15 March 1890, Page 5 (Supplement)

A RUN THROUGH NEW ZEALAND.

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Thef.K i- 1 a dailv expressrunninir between Christohureh and Dunedin, at an avern.re sped at over twenty miles an hour, This line is th« one bright exception in the New Zetland Railway system, though there is room for improvement even here We left Christohureh at eleven a.m., and at once found onr«elve»'speeding along over, the Canterbury Pl-iins. Mere are to bo Been immense tracts of country covered with grain, on either side of the line with noarcely any break for miles. At mo-t of the station* are large granaries tor storage purposes. It appear* that in many instance* they go on ornppin*? year after year and still producing a pavablo vield of wheat and oats But fchi" cannot go on for ever. Perhaps before long the .laud will be so exhausted as to produce no crops of any kind. The *oil. apparently, is of a gravel formation, similar to t' B Waikato, but it has certainly got more nubstanee in it The most remarkable feature of these pl.iins is th« rivers or, rather, the ri*'er beda. for the former are very innigniftnant oomp ired with the latter; at anv rato, in the summer time. It is quite evident that th«y must be imm»D«« floods of water in rainy neasonß. Tiie broad, vrravellv ohantiela are. in s'lm? oases, nearly a mil" wide and very shallow, throu/h tiiie lower levels of whieh the rivor finds its way in several separata puny stream". In fact it i.i almost, a mis-name to call them rivers; they are simply water running over the plain. But us they are formidable in winter time, it is necessary to construct very loag bridges ovor them. The scenery was very flat except for tho snow-topned ranges in the distance, until we entered Otavo where the country became more undulating. In this part of t e jonrney we m t Wttb steep grades and sharp curves, rn-iny one would think could have been avoided with little extra expense and with great saving of time and steam power. It was about nine o'clock at night when wc readied Dunodin, glad to have got over a very tedious journey. Here again we had comfortable lodgings already prepared for ila by "the kindness of some of our friends. Prom newspaper repoits and various otber rumours we bad cd to expect living r e rather expensive at Dunedin, but w* found it quite 1 oootaary, 80 aoownoda-

tion has been provided in the expectation of reaping a rich harvest during the time of the Exhibition that the thin* has been quit# overdone. Such is generally thcase in New Zealand, if auy money i* j t:> u-; mudo, eery bid y want* tlie job. With oar so&nty and scattered popalat.ou we h iv.e ail the signs of over-population Over«populated we caanot be. The cause of these evils is not far to seek if we look in the right direction, but I am digressing from my subject. A short ride in the tram hrought us to the house where we were to stay, and after a wash and some, refreshment we gave free vent to our appetite for sleep. Our landlady was a widow of rathor jovial temperament, and while we were there, besides looking after our general welfare, she kept us all alive with Iwr. hu nourous and conversational powers, mo thit we had no ohance of beinir homesiok even had we heen that way inclined. Sho was also a xpiritualist,. and a vorv enthusiastic one too, always ready to irivo a reason for tbe faith that was in her. and rather good at argument (for a woman). On Snnday oveninjf" and when she returned from the meeting, she u«od to tell us what spirits had been present, and what information they supplied. At the rime they were havintr frequent vi«its from the late Mr Denton, who died recently, I believe, in New Guinea, but most of their ooramunication* are with a very learned spirit who decline? to disclose hii name, but whom, they refer to as the'" Sag«.' While we th-i raynterious cons ervations were chiefly on the subjdot of re incarnation, shewing that tho-e of us who do not make sufficient use* of our opportunities of this life, will be sent buck to live over again But apart from her peculiarities in thin way, she was a kiud-lie:irted old woman, and took quite a motherly care of us. I must confess that I was rather disappointed with Dunndin as a city. In none of the, provincial tows in the rolony is there --o little attempt at arnauientation ill tho wiy of - tree-olantini? and public irardena.' One would naturally infer that tne Dunedinitos are so! absolutely in the race for wealth, that they have no leisure for recreation and for cultivating a,love for the beautiful. The most fashionable resorts for a Sunday stroll are the waterfalls and the ceme cry The waterfall is situated, two or three miles out of the town, and although rather insignificant in itself, is surrounded by some romantic bush scenery, which is well worth t"ie toilsome climb up the steep hill. The reserves in the town, including the famous " Octagon," are mere patches of grass left to run wild, except where it ii trod den bare, with here and there a tree surronnded by a few crooked sticks sup porting some pieces of barbed wire that hang on to them in the most slovenly fashion. The cemetery, howevpr is very nicely lai l out and well taken care of j it 13 also very fceautifullv situated on tbe slopes of a hill- overlooking the town Aa far as the natural surroundings am concerned, Dunedin is rather p'cturesqup, but it is much too hilly for a commercial town. Like Wellington, it appears .already to occupy all the available Bpac« botween the hills suitable for business sitM. The only way in which it cm expand will be hy forcing the private residences all on to thn hills and appropriating tha low-lying ground for warehouses and shops. There are. however, extensive harbour reclamations in the prospective, which will not only extend the commeroi tl quarters of tho town, but iilso inip'ove tlieuavij/ationofthe harbour The Chtho'iocathodral and the Hi'ahSehool are prominently "-Hutted on a bill behind the town. Both are very har.dsoine building*, the latter being quite an elaborate siruel.uro in comparison with which many similar buildings in rinh>-r countrio.s »iuk into utter insignificance. Ir i* quire evid -nt th it t.hn people of the !"vmth have received the lion's share in the way of educational grantsand endowments, As to Churches the Presbyterians, of o'virse, predominate, and possesa the finest buildings. Two of these—the First Church and Knox Church—stand out conspicuously, both from the'r cuntral position and their general elegance and design. The First Church is much more elegant in design than the Christchurch Cathedral, though not so pretentious Knox Church is partially covered >vith ivy, which gives it a very homely appearance. It is handsomely decorated inside, and possesses one of the finest organs in the colony. Both , driw large and fashionable congregations At the latter I had tho pleasure of hearing Dr. Stewart, who, though he is getting old, still retains much of his his power and energy as a preacher One thing in these services is worthy of notice. The Lord's Prayer retains its proper place as a model prayer, being used by itself aud in the beginning of the Sirvice. I was under th" impression that the usage of it was peculiar to the Church of England, but I'm glad to find it otherwise. In most Churches it is only a sort of formal conclusion to a long sermon addressed to the Diety. The Anglicans of Dnnediii possess building" of but verv humblfl Htrncturo. but thi-v make up for this in a way bv a hitrb ehoral service, whinh I am afraid would shock the curves of some of our huradrn ohuriih'rien in the Waikato. At "AH S'lin s' " I had the pleasure of he irinif Mrs Kilgo'ir, of the Tha-nas, sintr " Ana-els ever bright an 1 fair.' rendering of it was really delightful, and quite mada up for a very dismal sermon which preceded it. Thus with the music, of the An=rli-ans and the preaching of the Pr«~bvteriaus the churches are mo tlv well attended. There are for. ral buildings worthy of no'e, but I am afraid I am making these notes rather tedio'i*. so I will pass them over, as woll as the Kshibition. of which the readers of The Waikato Tuts art- doubiles- well informed bv t,h» reports that have atread> appeared in the«« columns. I must, not omit to mention, however, that my ex perienee if t.he Dunedin climate w<« very trving Durinsr the fortniirht I wathere, although it was midsumai-r according to the almanac. I was soareel* ever able to dispense with ray ovenvia' It wa- considerably colder than our averaire winter weather in th j North, Ct tin ir, o ill winl« frira th» S mt.hem qu ir tpr continued almost without intermission. Of nouriv. we were told ihat -nob weather was exeepti >nal, hut -inh exceptions, though perhaps not so sever#, I believe ar» not very un« > ?imon,