WE CRUISE OF THE "CIDER BARREL"

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3043, 16 January 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)

WE CRUISE OF THE "CIDER BARREL"

FROM CAMBtIfDOE TO AUCKLAND TS A CANVAS CANOU. Tr/AKAD ia reached about 4 o'clock, and about 8 o'clock, after paddling along a lengthy reach, with mountains on the left and a long low bit of swampy country on the-right, I sighted the second flax-mill since leaving Mercer. 1 made for a mountain, a little past the mill, with the idea of camping out but, arrived abreast of the mill, I thought, iu so desolate a spot I might ask a stranger's hospitality. So the " Cider Barrel " was put about, and beached underneath the mill. The proprietor saw me come ashore, helped me to haul her up out of the reach of the tide, and we were soon on cordial terms. If I had any doubts as to my reception, they were speedily dispelled, for his hospitality was unbounded. He had a comfortable little room, where he used to sleep himself when he stayed at the mill, and which he put at my disposal, boiled the kettle for mo, and made me free of all his stores. Thou we had a bottle of cidor together. He had one mouthful, pronounced it really good, and in proof of his sincerity had auoth*r. I have much pleasure in recognising him as a man and a brother. I did not like his comments on my craft. He vowed that if I went down to the Heads in a thing like that, I should be capsized in less than no time ; for his part he would not go down in her for a hundred pounds. He didn't scare me. I was going on with my trip till I got drowned if half a dozen duly accredited prophets, with bald heads, predicted my certain demise.

I passed a pleasant evening after tea with the mill hands—a most agreeable lot of fellows Music, in the shape of a well plaved accordean and violin, added to our enjoyment. I turned in early, as I wished to be off by 5 o'clock, at least, to take advantage of the tide, and .slept most soundly in spite of the dismal prophetic utterances of our hospitable Mr Crawford. At 5 o'clock in tho morning, after a slieht meal, I launched the despised "Cider Barrel " on beautiful, calm water, with a light mist floating on it. My destination was the Awaroa Creek, up which I intended to ascend on my way to Waiuku, and with that intention hut'ged the right hand shore of the river, at this point full of low swampv islands, covered with raupo, flax and cabbage trees. In some unaccountable way I missed tho mouth of this creek, and paddled on till I came almost to the foot of tho vast extraordinary sand mountains, which guard tho right hr»nd side of the Heads. Here I found something, which looked as if it would be a creek at high water, beached my canoe at its mouth. I reiralnd myself on some bread and butter, and soon two raaori women came alonsr in a canoe. I shouted " tenakoe " to them, " tenakoe," they replied. I said " Kapai tenakoe is this the Awaroa creek." ; Tbcy answered some gibberish. I made a last effort to mako them understand. I yelled, for they were some di-tance off, " Kaput tenakoe maori is this the Awar.ia creek." Their reply sounded lite " pucky hoe." and then they moved on. Some of these natives are so stupid, they dont underetand their own language, I then explored the supposed creek, and came 00 the conclusion that it could not be the Awaroa. l launched ray canoe again and, the wind favouring me, made sail, and, roundinir a point, came iu siaht of Port Wnikuto, ruunitisr through a pretty heavy sea, my boat behaving splendidly. 1 was soon there.

Port Waikato is not an imposing settlement, but it's situation is decidedly beautiful. It is on the left hand side of tho harbour, backed by fine fertile hills, in pleasant contrast to the most extraordinary sand mountains on'the opposite side. I never saw anything like them. They are not hills but mountains, either of sand, or covered with sand, without a trace of vegetation on them.

Out to sea, n line of white breakers and a distant roar of surf show the existence of a dangerous bar. Looking up tho river, is a long stretch of water, some eight or nine miles in lengths suggestive of splendid boating.

I beached my boat at Port Waikato, and two Maoris on horseback came up just in the nick of.time.; They could speak English, and directed me to the Awaroa creek, although their directions eventually took me up the Otawa. I shoved off again, as the tide was making, and determined to make for the creek with that tide. The wind blew dead in my teeth, but by dint of hard paddling and with the help of the tide, I made my way slowly, against a bad sea ; the plucky little "Cider Barrel" plunging her head up to the mast in the vicious waves. I said, "dear me," or words to that effect several times as a wave, bigger than usual, would come on board and get into the well. It is a wonderful relief to one's feelings to say "dear me," or words to that effect in moments of aggravation. The stern moralist may say it is wicked and useless, but William Shakespere confirms me in my opinion, when he makes one of his characters say :

" Toor breathing orators of miseries, Let them have scope: though what they do impart Helps nothing else, yet do they case the heart." What astounds me about "William S. is that he appears to have plagiarised my ideas, hundreds of years before I had them myself. About noon, I arrived op* posite an opening, which appeared to be a small creek. I turned my canoe iuto it, and found that it simply went in a little distance, and then debouched again on the river. I felt something touch me, which I fancied must be a snag, and noticed that my craft was leaking a good deal, but in few minutes I really reached the mouth of the creek, and pushed up it. In a short time I came on a tlaxmill, and enquired how far it was up to the landing. About a mile, I was informed. I paddled slowly up the creek, which winds like a serpent through an old worked out bush, a scene of desolation.

I imagined I had gone about two miles, when I neared a hut in the bush with a barking dog, which brought out a man, who, in answer to my enquiry, said the landing was about a mile off. I guessed at that rate, it would take about two centuries to travel a bush mile, but I went 00. I wasn't going to let a century or two stop me. In the end, about 1 o'clock, I reached the landing, or rather, a rough clearing in the bush, which I imagined must be the place. I moored my boat, which I had had to bail several times coming up the creek, and explored the country. I fouud an awfully rough track for about a mile, leading to a fairly good road, so returning to my eanoe, I hauled her out and got her on her wheels. Having made dinner of bread and butter and eider, and having greased my axles well with part of my butter, for which purpose, like most store butter, it was au excellent sample. I began to drag her over stumps and lumps and all kinds of obstructions, with many a "dear me" and many a swig at the cider bottle. At last, after an hour's fearfully hard aud aggravating work, I got her on to the road, and made more rapid progress. I asked the distance to Waiuku of a young fellow who passed me and he gave it me as between three and four miles, with the welcome intelligence that it was a good road all the way. I dragged the canoe some two miles along a level road, through swampy country, and then enquired the

distance of sonic men digging a ditch beside it. "Oh atout four miles," they said. This was rough on me, to travel two miles and get no nearer, At this point of the road, it began to rain just sufficiently to make the hard elay lumps stick to my wheels. That clay for obligingness, could have given points to a young man, spooning with his girl in the dark, and I believe, from what I have heard, that that is saying a good deal As I near Waiaku, I beuan to go up and down red clay hills worth I should think, for agricultural purposes, about one shilling the square mile. This may be an under estimate, but the rain pouring down and the mud sticking to my wheels were not conducive to taking a rosy view of anythiug. A short distance outside Waiuku I found a young horse lying, tangled in a barbed wire fence. Whether it had, before I saw it, fainted into the fence at the sight of a boat travelling overland, or had been gaining experience by trying to jump a wire fence I know not. I went to it's assistance, and succeeded in releasing it unhurt, with the exception of a few cuts. I then harnessed myself again, through a pelting rain and a heavy thunderstorm. I halted at the first house I came to in Waiuku, aud asked permission to put my boat in the shed to make the necessary repairs. Here, again, I met from the proprietor (Mr Priest) and his wife that, openhanded hospitality I everywhere experienced. He helped me to house my boat, which on examination I found to have two slits in her canvas, inflicted by the snag I touched in the false creek In Waiuku, I procured pituh and canvas and thread and soon had her patched. Having had an excellent tea with Mr Priest, for which I was quite ready after my labours, I slept at the Temperance Hotel. At 2 a.m. I turned, out, and by 3 o'clock had my boat in the Waiuku. I was obliged to start so early to get any water, which leaves Waiuku entirely at low tide. With just light enough to distinguish the stakes marking the channel, I floated along comfortably enough, although my canoe was leaking rather badly and had to be baled out every half hour. Rounding a point, I just shaved over a rock and found the water spurting up like a little spring in the bottom of my boat. I found that the sail-nnedle I had used in patching my boat and thrown into it afterwards, instead of lying on its flat as any well behaved needle would have done, had gone right through the bottom, and, touching the rock, had made a slit about an inch long. This gave the crew a scare, and the " Cider Barrel's " head was turned for the shore. However, it occurred to me that the leak might be stopped by putting my toe on it. No sooner thought of theu done, and as it appeared to be effectual, I turned her head down stream again. I wiis like Balaam's ass—l was not going to stop for auything short of an angel. (To be continued. I