THROUGH THIS LAND

Evening Star, Issue 21316, 21 January 1933, Page 2

THROUGH THIS LAND

A TRAMP’S EXPERIENCES [Written by Frank Harris, for the ‘ Evening Star.’] Mr Frank Harris, Otago University student, continues the story of his tramp from Dunedin to Auckland with £l, for boat fare across the Strait, in his pocket. We have condensed, the story. I stayed the week-end in Timaru. On Monday,- November 28, I began the march again. Before me—a blue summer sky, and the Alps at the sky’s rim, with, their shining needles ami white capes and peaks. On this hot day I walked thirteen miles. At the fourteenth l -mile I was actually offered a lift to Ashburton. This ivas in defiance of the story of the two lunatics, who held up a car a week or two before,, which had given me good reason to despair of a lift. The dreadful thirtoen-milb straight of the Hinds road was passed safely. We picked up another., tramp halfway across. He was desperately sick of it oven at that distance. ’ Ashburton was reached at 12 no’on, in time to meet a fierce nor’-wester. Next day I set off for Christchurch. I walked nineteen miles. This was my heaviest day’s work. The heat was oppressive. Two cars refused lifts. These were the first refusals I had had. ■

Then at last I got my lift to Christchurch. The driver spent the first five minutes laughing at what he thought was the maddest sight he had ever seen on the road. This was probably true. Think about a blue football jersey, white shorts, stockings and boots, a heavy pack, and a cardboard eye-shade on a tall, thin, red-haired person. This man was the most sensible talker I had met, but I was weary, and the comfort of the car almost sent me to sleep. Happily I always managed to wake up and nod at tho right time. Once arrived at Christchurch, I found I had to walk right through the heart of the city on to St. Albans at the far end. As a tramp I caused a minor sensation in the town streets. That made me more tired still.

I stayed five days in the city. On the Sunday I discovered that I had stayed too long, _ and would have to reach Blenheim in at least two days. I also found that I had addresses- at Kaikoura and Blenheim only, so that, unless I was very lucky, I would have to work for a night’s rest. The journey was done almost entirely by lifts, and Blenheim reached at 6 p'.m. At Picton I tackled the boot problem again. I discovered the kindly bootmaker I wanted. He refused my offer of work, but be gave mo a new set of hobnails. This made me slightly more cpmfortablo, but there were other odds coming on. I discovered after a hard search that there was no ’ possibility of a smaller boat going across at this time of the year. The T.S.S. Tamahine was- my only way, and that meant I had to spend my one and only £l. I would land in Wellington with not a single penny. Thursday afternoon was stormy. A fierce wind drove across the peaks and down into the Sounds. Rain began to whip through the air. 1 went into a snipping office, and when 1 came out 1 had my ticket, but not a penny beside. I came back to tbo bouse and displayed my ticket. v : Before five minutes had passed I was taken aside by an older lady of the household, a slightly deaf person, whom I had scarcely noticed. Somehow she had hoard indirectly about my uncertain affairs—probably from the small girl of the household, the one and only person who was interested in- the details of my trip, and to whom 1 had confided every tiny fact, as Robinson Crusoe would have done to his adoring Friday. The old lady gave me a new 10s note. She asked this only—that in my .own way through life I N should help other wayfarers.

The wind whipped up again. I fought against it as I went down to the boat. " Modcstino ” (his travelling cape) clung tightly round me. The 10s note made mo feel distinctly cheerful about the prospects of a bad crossing. From the Wellington wharves _ I trudged to Wadestown. Arriving there, disgusted with the hard footpaths and the dust, I discovered in a most unexpected quarter that someone had saved 10s for mo as a twenty-first birthday gift—which meant that within twenty-four hours of the spending of my £1 it had all come back to me, and that according to my original plan I had actually crossed the Straits for nothing. „ I stayed in Wellington over the week-end, and made acquaintance with the city. Then I set out for Palmerston North. 100 miles away. A good steady heat kopt up during the day._ This was finite bearable, however, since I had changed into the lightest clothing for the North Island part of the trip. Moreover, it made the tar pleasantly soft, and this was an absolute saving of boot leather.

About six miles from Wellington I was stopped by a group of road workmen who wanted to know if 1 was the student who was tramping through the country. “ Aye,” I said, and chatted for a minute or two. The most delightful part about this was a talk with three Dunedin men who had recognised the ’Varsity blue of my jersey. They offered me a drink of tea, but I was not thirsty, and I went on, cheered by this warm patriotism. By 3 o’clock I had walked' fourteen miles, and was just beyond Porirua. This march had been clone without a break, so that I was quite ready for lunch. I pulled out mv blanket and ■sat down in a dale of daisies. It was an exquisite pleasure to Ho on my side, the weariness of the fourteen miles casing out of my body, and to have white flowers sitting together at hand, the summer smell of the land and tame bush birds for mess mates. I ate my lunch and my orange and my usual four