OTAGO PENINSULA AFTER' THE FLOODS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1319, 10 March 1877, Page 18

OTAGO PENINSULA AFTER' THE FLOODS.

(Written for the Otago Witness.) A few days after the late heavy rains, I started on a pedestrian excursion round the Peninsula. After passing Anderson's Bay, I observed several gangs of prisoners busily at work removing the landslips that had blocked up the road. The landslips are so numerous,, and some of them so large, that all traffic (except on foot) is quite impossible ; indeed, in several places I found some difficulty in passing, and had to take to the ' water to avoid the risk of getting bogged. .There i 3 some heavy work to be done about Macandrew's Bay before the road is passable, and at Mr W. Cawley's a large piece of the frontage- has slipped into the bay. Mr Cawley estimates the damage at not less than £100. The properties of Messrs R. Anderson, Thos. Anderson, and Clearwaterhave all suffered much by landslips. Arriving at the Portobello Hotel, we take refreshment and a good, rest, which is much needed, and then proceed along the road to the Portobello drill-shed. Here a district road leads over the range to Wickliffe Bay ; but is so blocked up by a large landslip that we determine to try another road. It required great care to find our way over the masa of soft mud that covered .the road for some distance . up the hill. On the top of the range, ia J f the farm of Mr Lewis, who has lost the * lower part of a fine artificial grass paddock. It was washed down the hill and deposited on the flat at North's. At this place the flood must have been a perfect torrent of mud,, carrying all before it, fences, trees, &c. The gully here is narrow, and it is very wonderful how such large trees were forced down it ; boulders of clay, vines, and grass, all sizes, becoming larger as they roll to the bottom of the hill. The damage done to Mr Lewis's property is difficult to estimate, and it will cost a deal of labour before the road is available for traffic. Passing over the range and through the property of Mr Dick, we remarked a very luxuriant crop of the real Scotch thistle, which has taken complete possession *of the soil, and in a very impartial^ manner - distributing the seeds with, every change of wind to all the surrounding district. Making our way round Wickliffe Bay, sometimes walking through the-fwateiy Cape Saundera .is soon 1 reached;,; 'Here • some very, considerable rifts in the side of the range show" where large slips ,, have/ occurred on the v properties of Messrs - ; Macandrew, Walter Scott, Muir, :and Geary.. . - . „, ,•, ! Making our wayrouhd Hooper's Inlet, we pass the sawmill of Messrs, Dickson, and soon reach Sandymount, where the mostdestructive slips are. At Mr Cowan's,* the largest we have yet seen, the flood haa swept away "about 10~acres"of ' grassland, a stack of hay, and crop of potatoes. *A small piece of bush land, with the trees still standing, apparently none the worse for the journey, has moved some distance down the hill and settled on the flat below. The loss. to Mr' Cowan ' must be great, as the floods have swept away vast quantities of the alluvial soil, and where formerly a fine piece of grass iand was, all that remains is a mass of bare clay and stones. All that remains of- the homestead of Mr Craig — about -half-a-mile from Mr, Cowan's — is a portion of the roof of the house which appears ab.ove the surface. This place is a total wreck — dairy, "fowlhouse, and piggery being quite buried. Mr Craig's loss is heavy, having had over 100 cheeses, worth £1 each, buried in the ruins ; also all his his poultry and pigs. The escape of Mr Craig and his family was very providential, the disaster happening in the night-time, when the family were asleep. Mrs Craig fancied she heard a strange noise, and got up to see what it was, and had only just time to waken the rest of the family and clear out, when the whole place was buried. Returning to the Portobello road again, we find the way blocked by two considerable slips near Mr EUis's farm. It is estimated to cost £150 to clear the road at this place, bat at present no steps appear to be taken to put the roads in re- . pair. ' I fancy it will take a great deal more money than the Road Boards have at their disposal. In the meantime traffic is stopped, to the great loss of the settlers.— who cannot get their produce to market. T It is impossible to arrive at any near estimate of the damage in the Peninsula ' by the late heavy rains, so much permanent injury has been done by the alluvial soil having been swept away into the sea. The damage to roads is also very great ; it will cost a large sum to put them in as good repair as they were before the flood. < Most of the settlers being dairy farmers there is not much grain grown, but those who have any, estimate the loss at fully - one-third. The hay crop is completely ' spoiled. In all my travels 1 did not see any that was fit for market. The grass ., paddocks are first-clasa. Nowhere in^ Otago or Southland have I seen such luxuriant artificial grass lands. Travelling along the Portobello road to Dunedin are to be seen many varied and beautiful views— Dunedin City and harbour on one side, the ocean on the other. Anyone having the leisure, could spend a very pleasant day ; and at Seal Point there is a fine place to picnic, much fre--quented in summer by pleasure-seekers. I cannot conclude without returning thanks to the settlers for the extreme' kindness and hospitality with which I was received at all the places I visited. I may say I found it a land flowing with , j milk and all the rest of the good things of this world, a Rambler,'