"PIONEER MEMORIES"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21326, 29 October 1932, Page 6 (Supplement)

"PIONEER MEMORIES"

HIKING IN 1862 " Hiking ? *' Grandma looked over her spectacles, " why, yes child I used to do a lot of it, though we called it walking in our day." " Tell me, Gran," Babette smiled in her persuasive way, " tell me about when you were as old as I am." " As old as you ? Why I was just eight the day we landed in Auckland. I remember it well. My, but we were glad to stand once more upon firm after three months in a sailing ship. Auckland was only a village then; we thought we had reached our journey's end, but soon discovered that our settlement lay eighty miles to the north. Eighty miles. It is not far these days, but it was a long way then. They took us on barges to Riverhead. Here we camped about three weeks, waiting for bullock teams and waggons. We walked most, of the way to Helensville. Sometimes we children sat on top of the goods on the waggons, but it was very unsafe. "My mother and the other women pinned up their skirts and petticoats, carried their babies in their arms and helped the older -children over rpugh places. The men attended to the waggons, and cut pungas to lay across the swampy places. Despite their efforts, often the wheels sank in mud to the hub and had to be dug out. The roads —ah! you would not call them roads—were at their worst. It was September, the winter rains had wrought havoc." " I was afraid. It seemed so strange to be wandering along sleeping by the roadside, having no home, no streets, no shops, just walking, walking into the bush." , " At Helensville after some delay, we taken aboard a cutter to proceed up the river." "Now we are home!" my mother held mo up to look. I have never forgotten my bitter disappointment, as eagerly I looked for what was my conception of home. Houses—streets —shops. I saw a winding river, a strip of sandy beach and bush —dense, dark bush. I began to cry, but my father spoke to me sharply. "Come! come child, tears will never help.'' So I ceased my weeping and looked upon my new home, Albertland. From Eleanor A. Midgley, 24 O'Neil Street, Ponsonby.