OVERLAND FROM NELSON TO SOUTHLAND IN 1856.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8039, 31 July 1894, Page 1

OVERLAND FROM NELSON TO SOUTHLAND IN 1856.

[By W. H. S. Roberts.] I ' (Continued.)

30th. —Ruined heavily from 11 a.m. to 3 pm. Wo left Moeraki at half-past ten, Mr Hertslot accompanying us. Wo passed through a Maori kaiko and saw a few natives. There was a large Maori reservo hero and the Government had eurvoyed a township doso to it on the sandy spurs for which the charge was L5O an aero I Wo travelled up and down spurs and gullies with narrow cattle tracks in all directions, tho country being good pasture land. .;Kartiki(or Katirga — vanquished) wo went down on the beach, but found the tide too high, so had to camp in the rain for half an hour. After following the beach for nearly two miles, we rode up a bpnr and crossed a high range -of sandstone — known as the tho Horse Range— well grassed and fair travelling. Tho descent on tho south was very t-teep 1 ; at the foot was a nice broad flat with tho Shag river (or Waihemo— waters passed by ; or Waihemu—deadly wator) running through it. Riding over moro ridges wo came to an accommodation house kept by Mr Kennard on Mi 1 John Jonta' land, at a bush, through which we passed, and came in eight ' of Mr Suisted's homo station— Goodwood—the largest house in tho district, which was very appropriate, as ho was the largest man, weighing about 22 stonos, and tho largest runholder. Mr Suisted, before hocamo toOtsnjo, had for somo time resided in Wellington, where ho kopt a first-class hotel, and made a lot of money. His wife's mother, Mrs Richmond, resided with him at Goodwood ; she was a vory stout lady, and from her happy, genial disposition a great f.ivorito with all who knew her. They were most hospitable people. Suisted, although ho weighed 22 stones, used to ride from Goodwood to Dunedin in a day over tho snowy mountain, but always took two horses, riding them alternately. He used to carry onoueh lunch for two or ihroo persons, in case he met a hungiy traveller. The lunch was always something toothsome, fowl and ham being a favorite sandwich. Mr Hertslot went up to Goodwood, bub Davidson and 1 went on to Mr William Jones' house, Matainanga, threo miles from Waikouaiti. The track took us down tho Pleasant river valley and up a long spur at no great distance from the ocean. Tho horso I was riding knocked up, which was not to bo wondered at considering sho had carried mo 580 miles since leaving No'son. so I had to leave her, and rido one <i tho p ick horses, and reached Matainanga at 0 p.m. Mr Jones received us very kindly and tro.tud us most hospitably. Mr W. Jones was very young to bo a married man and tho father of threo line children. Ho was tho son of Mr John Jones, tho erst-whilo whaler and then Dunedin's leading merchant, who had been many years at Waikouaiti (water j that had becomo less in quantity). Tho Bishop mentioned having visited him at Cherry Farm on 23rd Januaiy, 1844; and in April 1847. Mr Jpnes employed about 40 men hi whaling and fanning. He had 100 acres in crop, 500 ca'tlo, GO horses, and 2000 sheep. Since thenjhis riches had increased, and in 1850 was considered a very wealthy man. Ono of his bous. lived at Cherry Farm. Matainanga was a pretty place, situated on a dry bandy lrll above tho sea, with a coiibiJorablo amount of ag'iculture around it. The houso was a good sized one, with out-buildings, stable, etc. There waa a Wesleyan mission station among tho Maoris at Waikouaiti ; tho Reverend T. Creed being tho missionary. 3lBt.— Snow and rain, bitterly cold S.W. wind. Mr Jones kindly went with mo to bring my knockod-up liorsj to the farm, and g.we her a feed of oats, which she had not tasted since we loft Chiißtchurcli. Wo were thankful to remain thero alltday. - *June Ist, Sunday.— Ground all covered with snow, yet we starttd to crosa tho snowy mountain for Dunedin, no easy ta>k in line |vveather. AYe-crossed the Waikouaiti river at Cherry farm, and rodo through ono of the well fenced paddocks. It was a splendid property, with several biuldings and a good house, owned by F. and A. Jones. It is about #0 miles from Dunedin. After passing the farm, wo rodo up a long spur, wi h several eteep pinches on it, leading up to the summit of tho *<snowy mountain, 4500 foot above tho sea level, a distance of 17 miles. For tho tirst fe.v miles tho snow had melted, but the ground was sloppy and slippery. Tht-n, as we roso, tho snow balled badly, rendoring travelling very fatiguing to the hoises, and compelling us to walk up .and down tljo stooper hills and sidings. As wo nearod tho top of tho range, wo found tho track marked by conical mounds of sods, erected at about 50 yards apart, by tho provincial govornraont to guide travellers in fogs, or when the track was covered by Bnow. Up to this point thero could bo no difficulty, as the ridge was narrow, with a deep gu'ly on either side, and tho wholo country seemed to bo the same, ridgo after ridge culminating in tho Waikari range or Snowy Mountain, like tho ribs of a vast umbrella, each spur throwing out branchy at intervals as they descended, the ritfgea clotuoddfj grass and tuasac, tlie gullies with fern and tutu (coriaria sarmontoaa) a poisonous deciduous shrub, which bears clusters of small black berries, liko older, they are very sweet to suck, and mako excellent wiuo, but contain a very poisonous si cd. Ono pinch on the road was called tho steep pinch, down which our horses slid, with all four foot togethor, for fully 50 yards, never attempting to raise a hoof. On the saddle below this pinch, wo were sheltorod from the piercing south-west wind that was blowing, ami as theco \y»s less snow, we spoiled for an hoar;' and' l cat tho bread and choesu Mrs Jones had kindly given us, while our horses picked j a miserable feed from tho tussacs, know- '> jj n g4>y scraping tho snow off with their forefoot. . ..... ! After passing a small bush known jh

Lees' bush, and a few of tho mounds, the ridgo flattened considerably and widened out, and wo noticed a clump of treei with a small hut on our left. We travelled on, for nearly a mile, but finding that tho enow deepened and balled very badly, and that our horses showed signs of fatigue, we gave up the attempt to reach Dunedin that night, and returned to tho 44 Clump of Treos." Tho hut was newly built of bplit slabs, with a place for a firo on one fide and a bunk ab tho end, well thatched with snowgmss, and appeared very comfortable compared wxth tho snow and wintry bla^t out on tho range. Wo woro very thankful for the shol cr, and after a good supper of toasted bacon, biscuit, tea with sugar, aud a good firo of wood (which we had to ilry before it would bum) wo felt aa jolly as Mark Tnpley ; but tho poor horses did not faro so well, as they wero exposed to the m hv\ and weather, steading in snow, \\jUi nothing b^t tho tops of the snow« grass to munch at, to one of which tussaca oi\o o\ the horses was tethered by a rop". Tho-e strong tussacs mado splondid fcethor-pegs, when tied vith a proper hitch, for no horso could possibly pull one up or break the stringy leave*. 2nd of June. — There was a sharp frosfc during tho night, but we slept ye y comfortably. After breakfast we started for Dunedin ; 'he day was fine, but -i bitterly cold wind blew on tho top of tho mountain. A long spur sttotched trom tho clump of treos down to tho sea at Waiputi Bay, or Blueskin us it was called after a much tatooed chief, winch with tho adjoining spurs was hold as a run by John Andoison. Tho track to Dunedin formerly crossed the rango from Wai-* kouaiti to Blueskin much nearer tho sea tlun the spur wo travelled along, then ovor Mikiwaka (lament for a canoe) hill, and down through tho bush to Koputai (Port Chalmers), but as it was only a foot track, unfit for horses, John Jones a fevr years previously explored tho Whakaari (now called Wakari) ruiges, and discovered tho route which wo followed. Wo led our horses through tho enow, guided by the mounds of sods. Near tho top of tho Snowy Mountain, ..t an altitudo of '2402 feet, wo passed two dangerous stouoy swamps on a flat piece of ground, which wo avoided by keeping to our right. After passiug these the track descended into a deep saddle by a very steep siding, and thon rose up a high hill, 2187 feeb above se» lovol, named Flagstaff hill. Wo had a most extensive view from this hill of land and sea, mountains and valleys— the magnificent agricultural plain of tho Taieri, with ita winding river towards the south, with picturesquo peep* of Dunedin and tho wooded gullies to the east, with the Peninsular and tho ocean beyond. Tho descent from Flagstaff Hill wag very steep and stoney for some distance, till wo arrived on a spur which appeared to pass to tho west of Dunodin, and extended to Saddle Hill. We then turn u d to our left, and passod a small patch of Native timber, called tho Half Way bush, whore there woro a few resident It was a pi(;y the Nativo namo, TapuUkinoi, had nob been retained. After passing thn thero was a roid, but it was very steep and in bad order. It crossed a narrow valley about two and a half miles from Dunedin, in which was a boggy creok, a tributary of tho Kaikor.ii stream. I loffc my horse hero to rest, and when I row turned for her I met a gentloman who asked me where I had como from ; I told him from Nolson ; ho s-iid, " How did you cross Cook*3 Strait V I replio 1 that Nelson was in this inland, and that I had ridden overland all tho way. Ho said, 44 1 always thought Nelson was in tho North Island," which showed how littlo was then known about our sister colonies. Wo then rose a spur on to the ridge immediitoly bchii.d Mio town, and descended by a very •-teep track to the town belt, which was thickly wooded. Wo passed tho little cemetery in Arthur ►Street, and went down a Bpur covered with fl-ix nearly to tho bsy, then turning sharp to our ri^ht, followed a ateep track, where tho cattlo had made ateps and stairs, to tho Royal Hotel, at the cornor of Princ s and Kattray Streets, of which George Smith was proprietor. Tho spur wo came down ran nearly cast a-id west, terminating in i sandstono bluff 113 feet high, which was a useful building .stone and easily quarried On thin blnif was erect d a wooden frame, to which was hugu *q the town boll, hence called "Bell Hill." The base on tho east was washed by the waters of the harbor. We found tho Royal Hotel full of visitors, but wo succeeded in securing a good dinner and a bedroom. There was no room in tho stable for our horaes, so, after giving thorn a feed of oais, we tethered them out among the flax on tbo hill. Up to date I had ridden 627 miles, and had been 177 hours absolute travelling time. Tho. original Miori inhabitants of Otago were tho Ng.ti-mamoo tribe (descendants of long'flleepcr-)- They wero destroyed by tho Ngofci-tahu tribe (descendants of Tabu): Tho sons of Tura-kau-tahi mado a raid and crossed the Waitaki rivor, and glrovo the Ngati-mamoo befo'e them to Aparima (company of five — now Jacob's river), where at Tarahau-kapiti they wore brought to bay, and being defeated retired some muV up tho river, who o they took up a fortified position. In a few days they wore again attacked, and nfter a dosporato resistance were defeated with great slaughter at To iho ka (tho prieab burnt). Tho fow who escaped fled into the forest ac oss lako Te-Anau (seek or wanderer).— " White's Ancient H'Story of the Maori." Tho Maoris had sovoral pas or viilage3 in the site <f Dunedin. The one which occupied tho place where tho post office now js was called Otopoti (beyond which ,y oj) cannot go) ; tho prosont q «ol site was Ng«i-u»oana o-rua ; at tho Water of Leith was one, called Owah o. Opoho naa so named tfftur a celebrated chief " Poho." Andersons Bay was called Puketai. Tho niino Dunedin was selected for tho f.ettlemont by the Otago Association in I'Miuburgh as it was the Celtic name f»r th it ci y. It signifies a height with » .steep face. When tho John Wickliflo arrived on the 23rd March, 1818, with the Brit's immigrants, the site of Dunodin, was covered with almost impenetrable scrub. The " village " then consisted of five buildings—the surveyor's office, Mr Charles Kettle's dwelling, a email hut adjoining used as tho office of the Ncsr I Zealand Company, a house built for Captain Cargill, but never occupied by him, as he preferred being in a tent pitched upon the beach, a bina 1 store in Princes Street belonging to Mr Archibald Anderson, and Watson's hotel, a small shanty 'on the beach. There was nlso a small hut in Polichet Bay, occupied by a surveyor of that namo. There was no jetty. Sir G. Grey had visited tho site of Dun«din a few days previously, and he made a second visit on 17th Nov., 1850, wheuh* I authored tho expenditure of Itf QQ, I (Xq to waUawsd.)