KARAMEA AND NELSON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, Issue LIV, 11 March 1920, Page 7

KARAMEA AND NELSON

NEED FOR CATTLE TRACK TO BENEFIT BOTH I DISTRICTS Nelson at certain times of the year and especially in some seasons, requires a market for store stock. The Karamea, could with mutual advantage take all Nelson’s store cattle if the track from Wangapeka were completed. The matter is a very important one, and every effort should be made to impress upon the Government the necessity for the early opening of the track right through. Mr R. P. Hudson, M.P. for Motueka, lias been working diligently on these lines for some years and lie should he more energetically supported by this district.

Mr C. J. Royds, of Atawhai. has just returned from a visit to the Karamea, walking via Collingwood, and the old Hoap.y track, to Karamea and hack to Tadmor over the Wangapeka Pass. Interviewed by a representative of The Mail, Mr Royds described the track over the Golden Downs, through the bird sanctuary as particularly fine. The track lias been out of use for many years, but is still ,good. While at Karamea, Mr Royds met Mr W. Simpson, Karamea member of the Buffer County Conner, and be was keenly interested in opening up the track front Karamea to Nelson via Whangapeka. Mr Simpson provided a guide for the first portion of the journey and Mr Royds made the return journey by this route. The guide took him to a point where the recently surveyed it rack on the West Coast side joins the old track over the Wangapeka Saddle from this side.

The newly surveyed track starts at a place called Belltown, and goes through, the hush for a distance of 14 miles, where it meets the "Wangapeka track. The worst grades on it he track are I in 10. Mr Koyds points out that if ,that 14 miles could he completed and the present "Wangapeka track put in order it would he possible to ride a horse from Nelson to Karamea. From (he Wangapeka Pass the track passes through fairly wide valleys, heavily timbered, and from the appearance of the grass on the tracks the soil must be fairly good. On the Karamea side, added Mr Royds, the principal industry is dairying. The people over there feed pigs instead of rearing calves. The rainfall is plentiful, with plenty of grass, and with the track opened up, Karamea could take Nelson’s surplus stock in dry seasons. The cattle could be taken over the track in four days, and later returned to the Nelson freezing works.