A RUN THROUGH NEW ZEALAND.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2766, 5 April 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

A RUN THROUGH NEW ZEALAND.

(CONCLtIDKI)).

A little over six hour#' ride at the orthodox rate of travelling on the New Zealand railways brought us to Invercargill. Here our run through fclie colony came to an end, as we had no intention of extending our wpnderings across the strait to Stewart Island. If one thing more than another served to remind us that wo were at the other extremity of the colony it was the different length of the days. To our surprise, we found it almost light enough at half-past nine in the evening to see to read The weather also was extremely eold, and had it not been for fear of making superfluous luggage to look after when we returned to tho warmer regions, I certainly should have invested iu an additional overcoat. With the exception of the harbour, the town is very pretty, and well laid out. Business seems rather dull there, in. common with many other parts of. New Zealand ; but for all that there are some very fine shops and handsome public buildings, all being built of brick, as building stone is not found in that locality. Near the centre of the town is a high brick tower, which forms a conspicuous land-mark all over the town. This at once attracted our attention and puzzled our ingenuity to guess for what use it had been erected. On approaching it, however, we discovered that it was the high-level reservoir which supplies the town with water. As there is no natural elevation suitable for that purpose owing to the extreme flatness of the district, an artificial elevation had to be erected. The tower is of ornamental brick and is quite an ornament as well aA a landmark to all the town. We stayed in Invercarfrill over-night, and the whole of the next day was ocoupied by our journey to Dunedin, a distance of about a hundred and forty miles. I stayed at Dunedin a few days looking round the town and Exhibition once more, and then proceeded on to Oaraaru where I stayed a night and gut a view of the town, and also made a short excursion into the adjacent country where agriculture is extensively canied on, chiefly iu tho way of grain and potatoes, Oamaru is pleasantly situated on sloping ground round a wide bay. The houses and shops are built of the beautiful white freestone found in tho vicinity, and altogether, when viewed from one end of the bay, the general aspect of the town reminds one somewhat of pictures of Naples. An artificial harbour is formed "by two breakwaters, the outer one of which has apparently Buffered severely from storms. One cannot fail to bo impressed by the tremendous force of water, to see how such enormous ' blocks of cement, of which the wall is built, have been lifted bodily out of their places by the force of the waves. Making an early start from Oamaru I arrived at Timara at eleven and stayed there for several hours. Here also an artificial harbour is necessary ; but the breakwaters are both in good repair. Both here and at Oamaru the railway station seems tho chief place of public resort at the time when the express trains run through. Everybody who lias no more important business to do — and this apparently includes a very large number —crowds to the station to see and be seen. This fashionable custom tends to make travellers believe these places are of more commercial importance than they really are, though both are thriving little towns considering tho general condition of New Zealand trade. At Timaru I noticed a granite Obelisk erected to "he momory of those who lost their lives in endeavouring to rescue the shipwrecked mariners of the City of Perth and the Ben Venue, which were wrecked off Timaru duriog a terrible storm on 14th May, 1882. Though we have no lack of brave meii in New Zealand, monuments of this kind must necessarily be rare in so young a colony, yet no country can boast a nobler and grander historical heir-loom than that plain block of granite in the streets of Timaru, and New Zealanders have every reason j to be proud of it. At Timnru I accidentally fell across Mr Edgar Ward, who, it will he remembered, was one of the victims of the Cambridge fire. He has the management of a business there, but contemplates going into the law, having already successfully gone through his examinations. Leaving Timaru at about 5 o'clock, I arrived at Christehurch at about 10, and rejoined several of my friends from whom I had separated at Dunedin, in order to visit Oamaru and Timaru. We were wishing to spend several days here, but were not able to do so, owing to the bad arrangement of the mail service, the steamers not running in conjunction with the Wellington and New Plymouth Railway. We fornd very comfortable ijuatters for the night at the City Hotel, where the charges are more moderate, I believe, than any other house in the colony. Our host, Mr McNamara paid us every attention, and the attendants were most obliging. The hotel is most luxuriously fitted up with evßry convenience; and I can safely recommend it to all respectable travellers. We found time to devote a few hours to the Christchurch Museum, which is certainly unsurpassed by any in the Australasian Colonies, except perhaps Sydney. To me this Museum was much more interesting than the Exhibition, especially the Antiquities Gallery. I was especially interested in the models and relics of the ancient Swiss Lake Dwellings. A glance at these is much more instructive as to unwritten history, than a great deal of reading. There is also a splendid collection of stone and bronzis -instruments together with casts of all of the more celebrated specimens of the bone carvings of pre-historic times. The development of human ingenuity from almost animal like simplicity is thus shown in a most striking manner. I am afraid I might make these notes too tedious were fto notice the rare old books, newspapers, autogrrph letters and other curiosities stored up in this shrine of Science and History. Most New Zealanders are interested in the Canterbury collection of moa skeletons which really is the only collection of the kind in the world. I was very much disappointed in being hurried away from Christchurch, 36 no city I have seen in this part of the world interested mo so much. The Jubilee of the colony was partially celebrated here ou the same days as at Wellington, so we were enabled to see come of the festivities at both places. At Christchurch we witnessed the procession of the Baker's Picuic, which quite '.spoiled me for giving a favourable verdict on the much-talked-of Jubilee procession in Auckland. The procession consisted of about eighty bakers' carts all finely decirated and full of smiling faces. As prizes had. been offered for the best decorated cart, and also for the best looking family, you may depend upon it that everything was very smart. We left Christchurch in the afternoon, and arrived at Wellington next morning in time for the second day of the J übilee festivities. This time wo had_ some genuine experience of the Wellington wind and dust. Thn latter seemed to be haying a holiday spree as well as every- i body else. " Walking circumspectly" jyaa altogether out of the question, as we i were obliged to keep oae eyes shut and i (trust to an occasional peep to prevent 1 unpleasant collisions. We soor fojjnd i walking imposuble, and toik refuge in a <

tram-oar, but, as everybody seemed to do the sumo, we had either to hang on behind or, if seated, to carry two or three persons on our knees. However, we managed to get to t.ho liu.sin Reservo where the Jubileo sports wore to be held. These oommenced with a May-pole Dance, whioh was much applauded, though it did not nearly ooine up*to what I saw in Hamilton a year or two ago. The most attractive item on the programme was the Maori haka, and when the performers marched on to the ground there was a general rush into the... enclosure. I had a good position on some rising ground, and the sight was one of the most remarkable I ever boheld. There were over Jten thousand people on the grounds, and they were all seen to be moving at onee to the centre. The performers, finding themselves thronged, formed into line and marched off the arena. After about half-an-hours hard work, the police succeeded in clearing the enclosure, and the performance went off very successfully. The rest of the sports were of a very ordinary nature. We left Wellington at seven o'clock next morninir, taking breakfast in tho dining car on the Mariawatu Company's railway. A very good breakfast was provided and it helped to break the monotony of so long and so slow a journey. We made a short stay at Huwera, but noticed nothing worthy of note, except that I did a little geologizing among the paving stones on the streets, which I found to be of a foisiliferous .lature, being obtained from the shore close by. We obtained a very good view of Mount Egmont from HaWera, and were sorry that time would hot permit a climb. ■. A very short stay sufficed at New Plymouth, and we were forced out of our beds at the unearthly hour of half-past three in' the morning in order to catch tho steamer, in which we. had a vety pleasant run up to the Manukau. We arrived in Anckland at church time on Sunday evening, and in time for a third edition of Jubilee celebrations, but which wo were little inclined to notice, being glad to make an end of sight-seeiug for the time.