EARLY CANTERBURY RUNS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20328, 29 August 1931, Page 12

EARLY CANTERBURY RUNS.

HAKATERE. (Runs 181, 189, 256, 293, 350, 371 and 384.) ' Hakatere took in the country between tlie Eangitata and the Ashburton, above Mt. Possession. At one time it went up the Eangitata as far as the Lawrence and up to the head of the Ashburton. Part of the country on the Eangitata side was first explored by Tripp and Acland in March, 1856, as I shall explain when I come to Stronechrubie, or Erewhon, as it is now called. The Ashburton side of Hakatere, and the Lake Heron country, was first explored by Thomas Henry Potts, F. G. P. Leach, and Henry Phillips, jun., in April, 1857. I have already given an account of Leach. Phillips was a son of Henry Phillips, of Eockwood. Potts was born at Brandon, in Suffolk, in 1824, and arrived in Lyttelton on April 24th, 1854. Before coming to New Zealand he had been a principal but sleeping partner in Brander and Potts, the London gunsmiths. He married a daughter of Henry Phillips, sen., of Eockwood, and bought an interest in his father-in-law's run, and lived for some time at Valehead, in the Hororata "Valley, opposite the Eockwood homestead. Ho and Phillips ran their cattle independently. He was a born naturalist and observer, and besides "Out in the Open" left a very interesting diary, which I have been allowed to quote from. Unfortunately, only the part from April 6th, 1855, to March, 1858, and part of the year 1865, have survived, but what there is gives as graphic an account as I have seen of the day-to-day life of the early settlers.

For example, a description of a nor'wester, April 29th, 1855: "A day not soon to be forgotten. Last night the wind increased with strong gusts, and towards midnight raged with a violence that was perfectly astounding. Our roof soon felt the effects of the storm, the walls rocked, windows blown out, and we had to pass the whole night in barricading the doors, whilst the rain poured in torrents through the open roof, damaging most of our effects. At dawn we got ready for a start to Eockwood for shelter, as our own dilapidated cottage was untenable. Mr Phillips and Seal came as we were about to start, and we all with them. Great numbers were uprooted, our fences very much injured, some rails were blown from the posts to an almost incredible distance. The stable roof blown down, and much other damage we suffered from this terrible tempest. On our arrival at Eockwood, the ravages of the storm ■were most conspicuous in the multitudes of fallen trees that were lying in heaps on every side." It took a week to make the house habitable. On May Sth: "We all returned home again from Eockwood. The roof seems very strongly thatched, and the cottage altogether tolerably comfortable again." When Phillips decided to break up some land—(July 17th, 1855). "To Eockwood to help plough. Tried two mares and a bullock, worked very badly." Next day, "To-day we used two bulocks and one mare, -with much great* er success than yesterday, although the team is in anything but good working order as yet." On October 15th he notes—"Saw . . . several quail, an unwonted sight now, and when we came they were quite common, but the great fires have probably diminished their numbers so rapidly." However, he saw a covay of young ones on - January 20th, 1856, and shot some on Match 9th, 1858. On December Ist, 1856 lie saw two rabbits.

By the beginning of 1857 Potts *s cattle on Eockwood had increased to 250 head. He had already made several short expeditions up the Eakaia and to the back of lake Coleridge to find a run to carry them. On April 6th; 1857, Potts and Henry Phillips, the younger, started .on a longer expedition. On the 6th they went to Snowdon to pick up Leach. Next day, after calling at the Acheron station, where Groom, the manager, lent them an extra tether rope and other gear, Ijiey followed the ridge between Lake Coleridge and the Eakaia until near sunset, when they came to the gully leading down to the present iron store. They came down to the riverbed and erossed the "Wilberforce, and camped on an island in the shelter of some toe-toe. They were disappointed to find no wild pigs,, though there were plenty of tracks of them. They oaught some young ducks, which they ate. Next day they followed up the Eakaia till they came to the Lake stream, then folowed up the lake stream until they came to Lake Heron, and camped, I think, near the mouth of the Cameron, in the shelter of an Irishman. "Harry went duck-shooting, Leach and T.H.P. cooking. Leach gave an alarm and T.H.P. ran to see what was the mat-

sPiX'IALLX WBITTEH JOB "TTTg

[By L. G. D. Acund.l

deavoured te * *n. * ■ ■ ~ the wind *« . horses, Ilfctfißfeiri riverbed Jl we^fog^ drove the'cattfemn present P In f- J w ?l^^sSS was too dark to eee wfiEZT then we were jnndii*wsSßti Camped on the ~ Ashburton abous myyßjMT * agent, to Iljikatere. were Adand araHßgj Foe many^an homestead *•»,- self, though- fa) man, Um