A Bush Stream

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 7 December 1940, Page 9

A Bush Stream

(Original) Of all the bush-streams I have seen, this one is the prettiest, or perhaps it is that, being most familiar with this one. 1 know where to go to find its loveliness. A broad path leads down to'the narrow gully in which it is situated; a fairly gradual descent, though, of course, the gully is not amazingly deep. Kohukus (matipo), wineberries, fuchsias, five fingers, broad-leafs. peppers and other trees I cannot name grow here. Just where you reach a fairly level! place at the foot of the path ~is the i streamlet concerned. It is a very small j one and if one likes one can just step ! over it and go up another path, where 1 little native “everlasting” daisies and “bluebells” grow. Here an old log buried beneath the soil crosses the brook's course, and the water has worn a passage across it. There is always a twig or some other obstacle which causes it to spray out over the fern fronds and little wine-berries which seemed to have profited from this, as they grow’ very thickly here The stream then commences a fairly quick descent over stones and under logs which are almost invariably cov- j ered with moss. The gully grows narrower here and it is necessary to I clamber along the sides holding on to j branches and ferns in places. In other | places you can step from log to log, but. as some of these are rather slippery. one sometimes falls into a small but deep pool. This is not always satisfactory Again the gully gradually widens and trailing fern (I am uncertain of its correct name) often used for decorating purposes, hangs down the sides of the gully. What is left of what was once a fence but is now a pile of logs has to be passed. The sides of the gully slope away and become sides to two. of what we know as "the terraces." Only on one side do the trees grow now. with a hawthorn or two among them. The brook has only a log or two with staghorn ferns growing on them for variation. A series of pretty little cascades are then passed and the stream gradually becomes muddy and dirty with rushes growing about as it flows down one side of a delta-shaped rise. It originally took a course down the other side, but a year or two ago we children changed its course. The result was rather disappointing, however, as the surrounding ground is rather “squashy,” no definite course being yet worn. It gradually dwindles and disappears. —Elsie Arnold (13 years), Motupiko.