A TRIP TO FOVEAUX STRAIT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXI, Issue 7178, 1 March 1884, Page 3

A TRIP TO FOVEAUX STRAIT.

In the following lines I purpose giving a short descriptive account of a trip to the south coast of this island, and next month, if space permits, will give my impressions of Lake Wakatipu. I will not tax the patience of the reader by entering too minutely into the journey between Christchurch and Invercargill, but shall reserve myself to deal more in detail with the extreme south, which to most readers is probably a terra incognita. Perhaps it would be difficult to find a less interesting country to travel over than a large portion of the Canterbury Plains, presenting', os it does, so little to arrest the attention of the traveller. But from Temuka to Oamaru the land improves in quality, and the undulating nature of the country affords relief and pleasure. From the handsome little seaport of Oamaru to Dunedin, the journey abounds in interesting features. High hills, winding valleys, mountain streams, follow one another in quick succession. Now the railway follows the beach, and anon is cut out’ of a rocky cliff hundreds of feet above the sea. Steep inclines, sharp curves, and numerous tunnels (through which the traveller has to pass with unlit carriages) are the prevailing features on this line. Twenty miles from, Dunedin Seacliff Asylum is passed. It is a magnificent pile of buildings of stone and brick, on the top of a forest-clad hill, and commands' a panoramic view of the coast line, with Otago Heads'in the distance. Passing Port Chalmers the train is once more on sea-level, and follows the serpentine coast line to Dunedin, The hills on the south, though bold, are not so precipitous as those on the north of Dunedin. Most of them are cultivated, even to the top; while the intervening low lands are renowned for the luxuriance of their crops. . . Generally speaking, the railway between Dunedin and Invercargill is some miles from the sea. Balclutha (252 miles from Christchurch) appears to be a rising and flourishing town, on the right bank of the Clutha. This river, which is here very deep, and about 300 ft wide, is spanned by a substantial bridge resting on iron cylinders. Seven miles from Balclutha on the same river is Kaitangata, noted for its coal measures. The coal is obtained from a tunnel 1 run into a hill, and also from a shaft 400 ft deep. As one proceeds further south bush becomes more plentiful, and saw-mills are seen on every hand. When about fifteen miles from Invercargill an incident occurred which relieved the monotony of the journey. The train appeared to be behaving in a strange manner and gradually came to a standstill. On being examined some part of the engine was found to be broken. By the aid of crow-bars, ropes, and other appliances we were enabled, after an hour’s delay, to proceed on our journey, and arrived safely at Invercargill at half-past five. By no stretch of imagination can the southern metropolis be called a handsome town. It is as flat as Christchurch, and its streets —all named after Scotch rivers—are laid out similarly to those in this city, but are much wider. It has a population of about 5000. Its principal buildings are the Banks, the chief hotels, and a few shops in Tay street. Some of these are of stone, and are not wanting in architectural beauty. Gardening is an art that finds but few patrons here. I failed to find one good garden in the whole town. The taste of the people of Invercargill evidently does not lie in this direction ; though the wretched climate may be, and probably is, answerable to some extentI paid several visits to the Athenaeum, which is the best I have seen in New Zealand. The reading rooms are most liberally supplied with newspapers and magazines from all parts of the world, and are furnished with every degree of comfort, and I may add elegance. The library, though limited in extent, contains books suited to all tastes. Spending a Sunday here I had an opportunity of seeing the volunteers turn out for Church parade'. They mustered about 80 strong, and marched to the strains of an -excellent- band. I took a run to the Bluff, IT miles distant. This unpretentious little seaport lies about one mile from the entrance to the harbour, at the foot of the eastern slope of the Bluff Hill. The township consists of some dozen houses, including two or three hotels. I took a ramble along the rocky coast for a mile or two, when I came across some bush rich in botanical treasures. I may mention that the following genera of ferns are well represented her®: —Gleichenia, Dicksonia, Hymenophyllum, Pteria, Lomaria, Asplenium, and others. In addition to these the hill is clothed with various native timber trees to its summit, which is nearly 1000 ft above sea level. . Riverton was the next place I visited. This quiet little watering-place is about 20 miles west of Invercargill. The journey lies through a flat rich country with forests here and there in the distance. The town is on a small tidal river, and not far distant from a woody range of hills that separates it from Colac Bay. A bright future should be in store for this place, as it is situated in the immediate vicinity of rich agriculture! land, extensive forests, and of a gold-bearing country. Riverton is six miles from Colac Bay, with which it is connected by rail through a heavy bush. The terminus being in a forest clearing, and about 10 chains from the sea-beach, reached by a good road. There is but one train a day, and this only remains at Colac half an hour. Knowing this, and being desirous of spending as much time as possible at the bay, I determined foundertake the journey on foot. I made an early start from Riverton, and soon found myself at the edge of the bush. From this point a good corduroy track leads to the beach, about four miles off, and thence an hour’s walk will bring the traveller to the few scattered houses that constitute Colac. The forest is in all respects similar to that on the West Coast. The chief timber trees are rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum), miro - (Podocarpus ferruginea), totara (Podocarpus totara), manuka JLeptospermum scoparium), silver pine (Dacrydium intermedium), the first named predominating. It is also rich in Alices, lycopodiums, musci, and other cryptogams. The botanist would be amply repaid by spending a few days in this locality, for so far as I can ascertain no collector has thoroughly examined this district. After a brisk walk of little more than an hour through the forest, the beauty of which was enhanced by a glorious morning, I came in sight of Colac Bay, about a quarter of a mile distant and 500 ft below me. The bay is orescent-shaped, about five miles ooress at its widest part, and perhaps a mile deep. The beach is sandy, and so hard in places that the impression of the traveller’s feet is scarcely seen, liie walk, therefore, under a bright sun, tempered by a delicious sea-breeze, was most enjoyable. One passes an occasional settler s house, whoso occupants eke out a precarious livelihood by keeping a few cows, ihe bush, reaching within a short distance of high water mark, precludes the possibility of anything like extensive clearing. There is also a Maori pah, which I visited, and found a goodly number of men, women, and children, from whom I purchased some shells of the sea-urchin. Colac Bay has a State school, atwluch about 40 children of the two races attend. ( An excellent opportunity is presented at , this bay to make collections of Aig® , sponges, shells, and other marine objects. , After securing all the treasures I could find, I left Colac by the 1.30 tram for Invercargill, passing several large saw- , mills, and arrived at half-past four. ’ W. Tipm®.