A DAY IN THE BUSH

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 10, 12 January 1929, Page 17

A DAY IN THE BUSH

FROM LOG TO TIMBER

INGENIOUS TRANSPORT

AKATAIIAWA Ti:ii»

The inorniiig-was-gloomy unJ forbidding, but the deeper gloom on the faces of-the-children '.decided us to risk v' : wetting'.by'..llie" ■ fulfilment:' ■ of a promise to them of V'day in the: bush, so while: the car; Was got ready a substantial luneli:-.'ba'sket";Vvas :>packcd,': and 'at about 11; a.m. we f were, oil bur,way up the Uutf Valley.- Beyond-' Upper Ilutt we turned' to the 'left^. up the Akatarawa, road, and seven .miles .further on again to" tho left. ; „A' ,few miles, on a good ; macadam " road, brought us. to Campbell's, mill. '. Here a stop was made to ' ascertain ,if >'the . tractor was on. the road beyontl,\aud. being informed that \it was .due. any minute, ... we waited, previous; ,experience ' having told ,us.. tliat. : ".tijis.,r.oad:.-w,as?.b.uilt . strictly, for. one^vyayr'triiffip.'^]' .Presently the sou-riiP-: or- . motor, was';heard ,■ . and rou.nd.-tjie,.corner, the...tractor hove in, sight, i'team'.pouring "from ..the radiator as-i't' tugged. at. ; thß!-.trailer 'bn . which; was ..chained .a -24-fe,efc' stick .'of ;V.rhnir. som^; three ; j!e ; et;.in;,.diameter.: ..Tile,l'oacl' being ■ now|-clear, -we '.drove 1 cautiously; through one of : the. prettiest-pieces of, New.. Zeala,ndvsecnery,it ■ is. possible- to conceive: ......A./fr.eslr.'yiew opens, with every jiH.irii;' und:W'these 1 iiverage; one ti| •ev'Juryr,,"dozen 'yards, -no', .outlook: had^ time ,ta p bccOino.,.'tiresome.<-■ : . .- :

'Tb'tliclcit' the;Littlc;Akatar;nva eas^ cadpd..oyeiy-it's .rqe}?y\bcd, oil it:: way; Pto join tlie main. Akatarawa, its. banks friiigod .with;. ; a; ; wiealtli,,.o,f : ,fqnis and shrubs, .with; fdxg.lb.v'fis'i nodding tc .each otligr, oyer^the/JTya.ter;;: to thg ;i"igti t. tli c bui'li-co.vcre.d-,^Ws .ro.se' ;abruptiy, : tho ciittiifgs: ■;<ilptjh<;d with ■• drooping :' fern' frg.ndS; XxGX.ii. .andrtHerp.;a...tiny 'jvaterfall gl^a.iji.ed. in-: tlib/suh.'V In front,.of- tho <sai Jitli:dtti* lluttcre'drrfi'iuo vey r'-of ;gtfall; wliita.diurtjter^o.fe.a phtaSsuit, ,pee'pcd, r ab .us'.-,^'roiULi.''li(JiiiJ-(l-:-tljo.--il)Uslj.e_s; l -oyerli.(}a(l the .swish*/d!f i-thc! wings* of .the; nativo pigeon ( -was heard; and-the; bush was alive: with" native songsters, tho: sound bi. > tile mocking/;bir,di being•;rn,ost : frequently heard. • . Tho rpad.rises steopJy, and then descends again into, an^open. space, \vhere there is a; wool shed. ..'.'■ '■]■. .' '„ ' This is the end of. the road, though v on paper, it continues on till it .links agaiiiH\;itlu; the,.main.';Aka,tarawa- road near "the .saddle..;': !'•'.- '■'-.'. lloro we -left.-the cjir'aiid went down to;: the';.wat?r?s -l^eclge.:;,-.; Tlie ; weather had wonderfully::• cleared;' ancl' a..:soft south'e'rlr^'bre^^^ trees and. teinperejl'tiie Heat .'Lunch 6 ver. ' we,' crossed a- •bridge ;ah'd after.; viewiiig a 'prospective;-site;fbr.;. '.the .reservoir whiih''.iS^;''t6vas's.isi;'.';to'i/,Bupply;'the',-oity-and thovHutt'.- Vailey,:'with ; water, we followed-.tlievsub>taiitial]y-biiilti woodeii tramway: which'/winds';upwards'.'at an easy. „grade;; i;ouxidl.tli'e,, shoulder: .of -..a low-lvill,:;:aiia^':pr^MVUy;;^erQ'.confronts cd with.;what; ,;a t ■-Jfir^t V-I oVl< eel - like a gia^''s'.;''s^irw.ayY';;r l isjn_g--'' : '.stcopijl j 1' li-;..in1 i -;..in places at;Vi:'gra:Sei!6f^oiiefin.o^U;;tip,tlie J^ice .of-aVhinya.fqiiar'ferof a:!inile-;long. It>; is-' a:;cal3le\^tramway;;;coTnp - osed ■■ ;fov the ,: :gvoatcr';;;partif -?pfv; tliree,: lines of-' ..friilsj -j'thV:; Hiniddlcr, ; rail ." ,'act-. ing; :f.or;':: .^otlv,-s;;\lines;- '. .Half-way iiij thcrb;is^':loppiJinbVand;:it. this -point the -,up and 'd.owii^.tVaihs pass." E,6cally the traniwayl '• is '"called ■ '.'.'the. .up an d; down.". Wheii 1 we arrived .we. were just in times to .'.witii ..a I-, huge "stick" of rimu appear.over tlie brow of the hill and descend, while .from the lower -end 1 an empty 'truck; attached to the ladeii olio,by;-.a',:wiTC::cable, ascended, dragged: upward-'by'tho weight of the descending lbadj ;-thb' wholo: operation being- controlled 1' by-a .winch' at- tho;top. As soon as -the: laden'truck had reached tho bottpni," .there'appeared' over the brow, a driver 'and.'liis !- 'team of two horses who: with "careful steps and slow desceiided;;.the.?quarter of a mile long stairway, using thei .sleepers as stair treads. '.Tt.vwas' a :siglit.-',not bo : forj gotten to sco these intelligent animals obeying, not'the tug, of the reins, for they were, entirely'.free,.'but the soft calls of.tlieir driven '", This team was. brought.'down to.haul back the .empty, truck as, ,even. apart; from ■the. steeply .graded h : ijL,poi!tion,. : ;t.herc;;is.'.sufficient' fall, over' .the whole,- of.'.thattramway- to make the.use of bra,k'es .rather than haulage 'necessary. •' 'We were glad to learn that very shortly the niill will bo brought: up to the road head, and that then it will not be.necessary for these faithful ariinials.". to .make' that perilous descent and 1 still 'hai'der ascent four times, a day.: '. -■?'.;:■, •-. :

"Wo watched ; the'laden .truck away again on its way to 'the: road head, where its burdeii-'is taken charge:o£ by the-tractors.-';. We looked askance at the climb up that steep stairway, but the lure of the unknown called us and we breasted'the steep ascent. With many pauses, .to.yieiiv'-,the, scenery, we at last reached the top, and after another quarter of .a.milo of easy-going heard the hiss of steam and the sound of axes.- We rounded > a bend . and there at the roadside;stood the powerful log-hauler and -a for-the logs. The hauler, is. a steam winch which actuates an endless; stool' ■ cable,' ; which winds its^way, snake-like, up the slope and into-the'-bush.:;'lt-is "at this:work that old;fashioned , steam :. shows its superiority to the internal combustion engine by its Vabilityiito give just'that little bit -extra,''beyond its recognised power, to start the/log .on'its way.down hill. Just as we arriv-ed every ounce of steam was Being applied .to -the cylinders in a aeries, of jerks. We saw the

slack-cable suddenly.tighten and strain as the,.full head was applied, but the whole operation was unsuccessful. A huge rimu'attached to which was a Tata almost as.big, had .'Joe- felled, and attempts were being made to drag the riinu from the grasp of the rat a, but without, avail, so. tightly had the parasite , gripped its .support. \>e ■.climbed': up; into- the.bush, 'and took part in a conference about what should be done. A decision -was .made to crosscut the rimu half-way down, and- brawny arms were•■ soon moving with rhythmic strokes, and . the., fiftyfoot f! stick " . Was: halved. . Again the cable, was a'ttacl.ed . and, tho signal given;* the line tautened, tiicre .was a crack .and ; a .crash,, and ,tho log was being. ■'•'snigged'''down-the steep slope.: In a few months, that is. if the builder gives time for seasoning, the timber will possibly be part of a new bungalow. .-., . - ■. . j '• ■ ■ ; it was, now- time. to. turn, homeward. Thii steep stairway was negotiated in quicker time'on the. downward journey, the'only stop, being to gather a handful of white and purple foxgloves from the thousands which make the hillside gay with their blooms. ! In our car again we set off at 10 m.p.h., bus soon find'this was too rapid, as . we, overhauled a .truck, .which had come. out of. a,"side . road, laden with birch poles for the Kharidallah railway 'tunnel. •The ■ driver ' was. courteous, and at a point where'the road' widened a few feet offered, to back.in. and give us the. right of way; but why should wo inconvenience: him? ■ He was on business,'.and we on pleasure; so we followed on at 5 m.p.h.'till we both overtook the'tractor, and the • pace again slackened.' '.However; we reached the''mill, before" s'plm.'ahd renewed sonic old ' acquaintanceships, viewed again those huge twin breaking-down saws and the' smallci; ones which cut the baulk's'into' scajitlings iind,boards, interviewed tlie lunch basket, 1 and then reluctantly turned •homeward again, after a perfect holiday in the bu^h only a few miles from the Capital