A TRIP TO PORT PEGASUS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10451, 29 August 1895, Page 2

A TRIP TO PORT PEGASUS.

If anyone wants to enjoy the pleasure of a warm fire and comfortable surroundings the best way to do so is to go without them for a while, and that is what a party of adventurous spirits decided to do when they made up their mind 3to go for a trip to Port Peg.iaua in the middle of winter—namely, on Wednesday, the 24-th July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five.

There were five of us, and the good steamer Aw&rua was to take ua across to look at that place which up to date has figured in New Zealand history only as the site of an abortive tin rush. As a mining centre Port Pegasus so far has only proved itself to be a ghastly failure. Perhaps, like the Coroniandel Peninsula for many a long day, it only lies under a cloud, and may yet blossom out as a New Zealand Cornwall. We have no records, but it is quite possible that the Cornish miners in the days of the Phcenicians got up a good many mining companies in which the. shareholders dropped their money and came out second best, whilst the promoters lined their pookets. It is as likely as not, but history is unfortunately silent on the subject. Cornwail, however, lived it down; perhaps Port Pegasus will. .■■:-■:

Tha ground was snow-white with hoar frost as we started in the 7 o'clock train from the Bluff,' and half an hour afterwards were undec weigh in the AwamA bound for Half-moon Bay first, then on to Port Pegasus.

That ili-omensd prophet, Mr Wragg c, prophesied a]l sorts of weather on ita way from Australia. . We could only hope that the storm centre would not ttavel so far south, but would strike these islands somewhere ,about Welliugton, and if.it blew the Parliamentary Buildiegs with all the politicians into the sea—-well, we would try and bear the loss with. Christian fortitude.

The journey to Half-moon Bay is only two and a-half houis-r-24>miles from wharf to wharf. There is consequently not much room for adventure, and we did not have any. We passed a cutter gracefully careening over, under the pressure of her gaff-tppsail, and very pretty she looked ; but the weather was cold, and we gravitated round the engine room. . Though she does not steam very fast, the Awarna can roll-very effectively, and, some of our party felt the effects of her accomplishments in, this, way, in a very marked manner. We just had.time for a cup of tea and a plate of liaka soup at Half-moon B&y, when we were off again, leaving there at 12.

■ There is: nothing very remarkable on the coast of Stewart Island. Mqun,tAuglem towers aloft, streaked with snow, and looking cold enough this bleak winter weather. We pass the wide mouth of Paterson's Inlet; then up to the East Cape, a somewhat bold headland,'past Port Adventure, but do not look in -then along a coastline for some 30 mile's—all low hills, covered with wood, with not an open patch to be seen,—the wind and the sea rising! the weather bitterly cold ;-■ and "by the time we get up to The. Brothers, a couple of: somewhat remarkable islands, round knolls standing tight up out of the water,.it is blowing half a gale of wind right ahead. .' .

At half-past 4', four'hpucs and a-half from Half-moon Bay ■ (38 miles), we entei1 Port PegaßUß, and in five minutes -we are in a landlocked harbour of. great extent and natural beauty, with hardly a breath of wind stirring on its calm w,afcers, \Vhtttftjrer . gajes may ;blow outside will scarcely ruffle the waters of Port Pegasus. They blow over the tops of the hills, and down st the sea level in the open harbour half a gale is a;lisht air, whilst in the-many arms and sheltered coves the surface of the water is as calm ss a mirror.

The harbour of Port Pegasus is about eight miles long as the crow flies measured on the charb, but owing; to its many indentations probably has a water frontage of 50 miles. Two islands of considerable siza lie right in the mouth of the harbour. The .northernmost entrance is not a quarter of a..mile T?ide, and up it we sped, glad enough tp get out of the rough sea and the rolling, and brought up for the night in a beautifully-sheltered.little .bay called Oyster Cove, where we lay at anchor in water unrippled by the winds that were tearing over the sea, and with no more knowledge of the weather than could be gained from tbe sleet and snow that fell during the night, which very fairly indicated what was going on in leas favoured spots. \"

Sfcill, it was cold enough; bub a stove in the little cabin and a good cup bE hot coffee made our position quite bearable. " '

In the morning we could, see well up the harbour for several miles, t.t is surrounded by steep; wooded .hills, with not an open patch visible but a little clearing where the hotel stands, the ground .there being white with snow. '..-)■ .-.'.-■ Two cutters came, alongside and put their catch of fish on board—from a ton and a-half to two tons of fine blue cod, with here and there a trumpeter and a' good few grpper. They had "all been caught in the harbour withip. 24' hours' of-our arrival; ; •.•'.'■ ■'• .■'•■ V _. - ~--.■ .;;.-■', ,

It was dead low water when, we took boaVin the morning to look at the waterfall named, we understand, Belltopper Falls. Surely some name less redolent of cockney life migbij be found for the beßt waterfall'on the Bast Coast of New Zealand. Wehave hot "the hardihood to suggest any other, but ,'sm for the name Belltopper a« applied to a waterfall, let it be in a mild way anathema maranatha. ; -

The fall is 27ft high, the sheer fall perhaps about 17ft, the width of the ledge over which the water falls about 50ft; fpr the remainder of the 27ft the descent is bver rocky" boulders and ledges into the sea, the distance from the sea being about 30 ysrds.r Sohere you have a valuable, water power close to the water's edge, which is a condition that we do not know that exists in.any other place on the East Coast of New Zealand. ; .

The volume of water of course ■ varies with the weather, Frpm a rough calculation it was estimated that it gave about 3000 cubic feet per minute in the state in which it was when we were there, and as the rainfalj. is pretty regular on the islands all the year'round that; .should give a fair estimate of the average power it will develop.

Waterfalls aje like a joint stock company in one respect. That is, tnere is generally a good deal of romance connected with them, and we have an idea that we have done greater service by measuring this fall, even 'if only in a rough way, than if we had raved over:the rainbows in the spray, or called it Mianehaha or laughiug water a dozen times over. There is truer magic in turning a waterfall to practical use than writing poetry about it; besides, the weather is much too cold for poebry. We will try) that when we go picnicking there in the summer. This winter weather we will stick to

We did not go up any of the other many arms in the harbour, bnt the captain showed us the chart and we saw there plenty of them. What wa did see of the harbour was enough to 6how us that 50 or more fishing boats could find profitable occupation there, nn<i that Port Pegasus has this advantage over the other harbours of Stewart Isiand that there is good fishing inside the harbour over a very, large area in all weathers, whilst it is easy of access and convenient to all the fishing grounds outside, and that if fishing is not carried on here on a considerable scale it ouijht !o b», and that is all we have to say about it. Given common honesty and common seme and fishing at Port Pegasus should be a success ; without it Coolgardie would be a failure. But the3e are the rarest of qualities, and there is. very-little use' far them these times. ■

The water up to the foot of the falls is shallow, in fact dry, at low water, but at ■ high water there will be sft or 6ft> at the rocky ledge just below the falls, ao fishing cutters can get right up there to discharge their catch if any one should be adventurous enough to utilise the falls, by putting up freezing works and cleaning sheds there.

We went to the deserted botel and found in ib a good many cases of tiu ore which a party of men* who are still working in the tin grounds, had gathered. They were, away at their work several miles away, or we should have liked to have asked them how they were doing, and whether there was room,for any more men on the ground;—that we must reserve for our next visit. Rock oysters of good size and fine flavour abound on the rocks all-around the bay. Mussels, too, are very plentiful, and when roasted are very good eating, so no one need starve at Port Pegasus. The requisites of life are there—fuel, water, and food in plenty—the conveniences o£ civilisation are conspicuous by their absence. There are no collections of salmon ting aud empty bottles such rs everywhere mark the track of civilised man. Nature is here in unspotted beauty ; ib remains for man first of all to mar then to add to her charms. That ia what he is here for, only he does riot know it. '

A truce to philosophising, we must be off again. We found a heavy sea outside, and the Awarua rolled her very best till we got round a point, when we got the sea behind us and made a fair wind of it for Half-mooa Bay, where we took on board another couple of tons of fish, and stated for the Blnfi again at 4 p.m., arriv-, ing there, chilled to the bone, at 7 o'clock on Thursday night.

Mr Wragge's gale arrived at the Blnff on Tuesday night. We heard it rattling against the windows whilßfc we were between the blankets; but Mr Wragge and his gales can go to

Port Pegasus,

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