A STROLL WITH " MATILDA."

Manawatu Standard, Volume 9166, Issue 9165, 15 March 1910, Page 6

A STROLL WITH " MATILDA."

TO ROSS. (Contributed.) A dull, drizzly Sunday morning found us doing the sixteen miles of hilly track between Williams's and Baikin's at the Waiho. Tho bush scenery was beautiful, but to us monotonous, and our minds were more occupied by thoughts of the next ford. About six miles from \\ illiams's the Waikupakapu is in process of being bridged, and we crossed on the framework. The Waiho (a corruption of Waiau-roaring water), which is feci bv the Franz Josef glacier, is spanned by a swing foot bridge, a few chains from which is Batkin's, comfortable hostclrv —thr> first licensed house since leaving* Pembroke, on Lake Wariaka, the population further south not being siuhcient to support one. anel this in \\ e»tland. The Waiho has known the stir oi dign-inf days, but the- golel is v.otkeel out? and now only a few old diggers eke out their old-age pension by wasmng about the numerous creeks, To visit, the glacier we re-cross the brief ere anel strike 1 up to tho left, when aco !pie of miles brings e>ne to the- lmf. whor.ee a s-deialid panoramic view of the dazzlinsi marvel is obtained. Ihe Fn-iiz Josef is much larger than ihe Fox. and can he viewed more comprehensively. It is good to sit: at tho dixx of the hut anel feast ones eyes on in a-, glorious scene. .Hie' glacier ean be followed in it? course far up the lower snow-fields, from which tributary glaciers come. The main stream gradually bends out of hight, but up r.ie left sue,. thorc 1 i? - 1 \v colorfully track here out into ihe rock, there on a platform hun.? on irons driven into the reu ie, arid HU'ain coun>';m ; c{ of -roros ot roc:<V .stops. It is t.im work oi* one oi. 1 lii> KeiiC'es of [fence's ferry. The surface of the nhucier is rougher than that of tho Fox.' arid thruvforo' more picturesque, the projections a~e more pve.nounceel ano the crcvas.-es The same delicate hue h present, <••? cvir-e. and the suyrour.diiurs are similar hut. graneleu. \\ e made our way down to ihr. terminal faee. •which is remarkably tree- of cte'bris. y> the ice-cave on the right. from which tni; "•lacial river eo'.:-es rearing out. .For some tli.-variee t • streain arid its tides are strewn with ice-blocks of varying sizes, some chunks as b;g i.s large pac::ins,* cases. Jvrerv now anel the i n lumps fafi in from the'top of the cavc and go bumping anel rolling down stream. As we were returning a man we met invited us te> oomo and nave; a. hot batn. We crossed the river _by a perilous path on a rotten sluice-pipe bridge, worker up the bank about half a. mile. and there, in full view of the glacier, in the bod of the ice-feel river, lay luxuriously in a natural hot spring; it smelt quite Hoforuary, 100. The sand-fii''s made- things "eery lively while we weie

it 1> 90 mile:- fiT.ni P.atkin's to llokitika. tlr> mile- being marked on the telctrraph posts. A Lour 1G miles brought us to L. Mapourika, but with the rain failing and a cloudy sky. what is usually spoken of as a beautiful lake seemed to us dr,rk anci gloom\. Morco'wi. we expected to find a hoiel here, but it had closed down for want of business, so wc had lo push on lor lunch to the Okarifo Forks, another llu-ee miles. Itwas raining very tfoadi'y. the wheelrut.- wore running with water, and w:> were anxious to get over the Y\aitang: R. before she rose. but mine host of m*.Forks as-ured us that this was not heavy rain. Not being argumentative, we let the dictuni pass without challenge. However, we passed along L. Yvahapo. and in spite of Boniface'.- assurance, felt relieved when wo got to the Hokitika side of the river. Tont night- wo stayed at Gima'a at the Wataroa., where there is quite a considerable settlement. Next morning we were on the road early, for we had a big day to do. and as we were feeling somewhat bruised and stale we did not stop c.uf quite so_ lively as when leaving Quoerietown. We crossed the Wataroa by a fine traffic bridge. :i monument to the late Mr boddon's siiplomacy, for he argued that if the larthest rivers wore bridged fir?t the intermediate ones would have to follow. After a few miles on tho flat we ascended the Hercules Saddle by an easygrade-. and descended to the Little Wanganui, which we had jo ford, no very difficult task. From the_ Little Wanganui to the Big Wanganui is six miles. The country, which_ is known as the Intei'-Vv anganui, is fairly fertile, and well settled, the centre being Ilarihari. comprised of a small store, a school, a few houses, and Adamson's ac-commodation-house. "Jock" Adamson also runs tho south coaches and mail. Tho Big Wanganui is. I suppose, the worst river on ihe route, and £10.000 were placed on the Estimates this year for bridging if. The main stream is four or five chains wide, and though ford able with horse and vehicle at ordinary times wo felt no overmastering desire to try it afoot. Fortunately there was no need, for a siim young ferryman named Hondo (this is known as Hondo's ferry), with an air of perfect unconcern, ptil out with us in a boat over these troubled waters, and after flirting round some nasty-looking boulders, and being carried down ecruo distance, landed us safely on ihe other shore. To anyone in search of a shilling's worth of sensation I can recommend that crossing, to say nothing of the exhibition of boatin an ship. A few miles on wc met the south bound coach, heavily laden. l)r. Teiehelrnann. a well-known mountaineer, was on board, oft for his well-earned annual holiday. a couple of months among the mountains. The little doctor is a medico, and a good one, by profession. but a mountaineer by nature. He had been told that he would probably meet us. so the coach pulled up while wo exchanged compliments. 1 understand lie suffered a disappointment in being forestalled in the ascent, of Mr.. Aspiring. We made Urquhart's at the Waituha that, night,, having passed the beautiful little L. Lanthe a few miles before. The distance we accomplished that day was 33 miles, our biggest day for distance, but not for work. Mrs Urquhart was no exception to the kindness we had experienced along the "Wot Coast." It, seemed a pleasure to them to fuss round and get/hot water for our swollen leer,, and all the little etceteras that one needs when travelling with a slender kit; and, as for homeliness, well—as the Americans say—they are just "it." The mosquitoes were very plentiful at Urquhart's. and we were treated to an exposition of tho effect ot sugar-smoke on them. It certainly settled them for a time. The school inspector, Mr Morton, was also there that night on his way south for his annual visit, and he. too. had been told by a friend in Tloka- to look out for U5.

Ross, the railway terminus, is about 16 miles from Urquhart's. so wo sot out next morning with sore feet but light, hearts to cut out the distance before lunch. The first few miles were ideiil Westland scenery —the road a bush avenue, between ' tall, sOaight pines, a heavy 'undergrowth, and ferns down to the edge of the macadam —even such a delicate growth as tho kidney fern was there. It came on to rain heavily, but tlie rivers now were all bridged, so we did not worry. Soon we came upon long heaps of boulders, the unsightly remains of sluicing claims, and about 12.30 wo passed the Ross Goldfields Company's poppet-head, and found ourselves in ■Ross, a rather decayed-looking town, tvpicallv West Coast.' But the inhabitants \vili not have it that the gold is done. Oh. no! there is plenty of gold there yet., and Ihov instance the finding of the' hundred-ounce nugget "Roddie." Be that as it may, and it seciris vandalistie to attempt to spoil ihe visions of such cheerful optimists, Ross was more interesting to us from the fact that it completed our walking tom\ By dead reckoning we had done 453 miles, which had taken us 22 days. We had endured j pletny of fatigue and discomfort, but j ■wc finished up hard and fit. and when ! wc booted "Matilda-" under the seat of the railway carriage we reckoned it had been well worth while.