RURAL RAMBLES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1704, 19 July 1884, Page 26

RURAL RAMBLES.

A TRIP TO PORT MOERAKI.

It is a freßh and invigorating morning. Nature ia clothed in the silvery- garb of a severe frost. A merry party of young folks, including some of the gentler sex, may be seen making their way towards Shag Point Junction Station to catch the 8 a.m. North train. Of this party lam a member. It is our intention to alight from the train at Hillgrove, and then continue our course to Port Moeraki. Just as- we are still some distance from the station the train appears in sight, and an exciting race to catch it ensues. Huge boulders and sandhills prove trifling obstacles, and we reach the platform quite breathless. Hurriedly taking our seats in the train, we find that it, after all, does not start for fully ten minutes. However, the run has only served furthnr to raise our spirits, and I can (without indecorum, I trust) truthfully assert such exercise is highly conducive to further enhancing a pretty face (female, of course). As the train speeds along we become quite enthusiastic on the beauties of our district, and indeed we may be excused, for at this early hour the peculiar rocky beach extending j from the Shag Point to TCartigi— the Kartigi 1 Bay with its rich-looking beaofa. culminating at Moeraki Point, with its lighthouse defined clearly in the transparent air of this morning, — is a fascinating view ; and the grand Pacific, calm and subdued, its tiny waves rippling and surging over the sand and among the rocks on shore, its fretful murmurings forming soothing music to the ear, adds an additional charm to the scene, and, all serves to ensure us of a tolerably pleasant day's outing. < ' , . While we have been satiating our taste for scenery the " iron horse " whistles, and we are soon standing on the Hillgrove platform.' There we notice several Maoris of both sexes, and as we intend visiting the Kaik later on in the day, we may as well introduce ourselves at once. We did so by gesticulating in Maorilike fashion, and saluting them with " Tenakwae 1" They evidently seemed pleased, for the volley of "Tenakwaes" that follow "in response is almost alarming, and one can easily imagine the imposing effect of a Maori war dance. We afterwards learned that these Maoris were on their way to Oamaru to sell fish, tea cosies, table mats, &c. The tea cosies and mats are deftly manufactured from flax : scraped into fibre with mussel sheila. They are very prettily worked, sometimes in diffe-rent-dyed colours, and make very suitable presents to send to friends and relatives in the Old Country. For these articles they obtain old put-off wearing apparel— or, if Bold for money, they charge ' from four to eight shillings ; but .1 am afraid the price depends*, greatly upon the buyer's capabilities as a purchaser, and also varies according to circumstances. For instance, if a person happens unfortunately to visit the Kaik when perhaps all the " manufacturers" with the exception of one are away selling their wares, their "stock is up," and you find ib extremely difficult to purohase a tea cosy .under ten shillings. This' was sadly exemplified with us' later in the day! At any rate we came to the conclusion that Maoris, even their " fair" sex, are not particularly afflicted with & very tender conscience. However, the experiences, or at least some of them, must be recounted further on. We leave the station in the best of spirits, and walk briskly towards the Port. We enjoy the walk very much. The rather chilly freshness of the early morning has given way to a deliciously warm balmy air, and the road to the Port is in many places very pretty. We do not wait long at the Port, but after dipping our billy in a large water cask, and inadvertently letting it sink to the bottom and fishing it out again, causing the wetting of sundry white shirt sleeves, provided with water and every neoessary, we begin to ascend the hill-to the old Signal Station. The ascent is rather steep, rugged, and arduous, but the buoyant spirit of our party would surmount any diffi culty, and we are at last standing by the railings of the Flag Station, to our .intense gratification surveying the beauties of Moeraki, its well-sheltered bay still as a mill-pond, and its calm Burface glittering like crystal in the sun, its pretty golden beach, its cliffs ; its port, sad to say, with its' crumbling old wharf and buildings going to waste : and the undulating land stretching away towards the lighthouse on Moeraki Point, three or four miles distant, with its variegated green patches of bush clothing its slopes and elevations. Further away we notice a Bmall vessel, with its white sails set and glistening in the Buri, tacking its way into the Oamaru roadstead ; also a steamer, leaving in its wake a long line of smoke, ia plainly perceptible. Beyond this for miles one can make out the rugged i coast line of numerous promontories and bays, all combining to make a brilliant and entrancing scene. But, though .only nine o'clock, our early and I am afraid necessarily hurried breakfast, our journey and change of scene and air, conduce to a keen appetite, and pretty scenery does not conduce to its appeasement ; so we turn from the study of the beautiful to the study and production of a substantial meal. Water and edibles we have in plenty, and there ia also an abundance of wood ; bo in a few minutes we are seated on the green sward, comfortably enjoying, a substantial repast, forming a bright animated group, and as happy as the native mooking-bira apparently, which is pealing forth its rich full notea of song on a branch just above our heads. In fact, ono would; think to look around that Nature was ' .putting- herself forth for our fullest enjoyment, an,d we could hardly feel this without being thankful and contented. A short time occupied in such innocent games as a spelling-bee, conundrums, and other equally harmless amusements^ that don't look well in such an' unromantic column as this will occupy in' a newspaper (they would make a fit subjeit for discourse in the Novelist column of the Witness, though), we feel prepared for a ramble i here, there, and everywhere. , .

A young lady wishes to procure a tea' cosy as a eunosity. One of our party of the Bterner 1 sex is commissioned to direct his attention to a. whare ou,tside of which, some ohUdren. are playing. Apparently his approach exercises a peculiar effect upon the lunsis. of theße dusky little New Zrealanders, for they at once commence making all sorts of peculiarly thrilling and equally wonderful vocal and physical demonstrations, and' run screaming inside : but, nothing daunted, our friend enters the wharc and, *c ho informed w, shook bauds all

' round and made himself known at oace m * thoroughly harmless creature, and we were gui c .prepared to believe him, for before bidding his adieu outside to one of 'the young lacfcea of tfris habitat he was seen examining one of her digits, evidently, praising its delicate construction, and admiring a ring with which it was adorned. On bis return we learnt that no cosies were procurable, and we instantly direct our Btepa to the Maori Kaik. A walk of about * quarter of an hour brings us to a small gabled ohureh, with broken win dows and in a general state of dooay. It evidently had done good service in the old days of the missionaries, and occasionally Episcopalian services are still held in it. 'On the western side of the church is the graveyard where several railed-in plots mark the last resting-place of many of the old natives of Maoriland, and also remain in memoriam of the ravages civilisation has wrought upon a once flourishing trib9. This church, this churchyard, and a few dwellings form the Moeraki Maori Kaik — at one time one of the most important in Otago. On our approach not only the children, but also the more mature "sweet sixteens" and seven teens (of course of the gentler sex) are scared By the formidable presence of a few pakehas, and evince a desire to stare us in return by their screaming and extreme restlessness, while the/ juvenile members of the wbare to which our •'cosy agent" first made his entrie displayed their vooal and physical capabilities to much advantage. We paid our respects (m\wbioh " Tenakwae " seemed to be » necesaary element, and a no less equally important word in our Maori vocabulary generally) to all the deorepit old women, middle-aged women, .younir women, and children in the Kaik. In one house we found the Maori chiefs wife and a whole assembly of matrons, young and .old squatted in a manner calculated to convey to one the impression that they were partial to a low, a very low seat. Some were crying, some hysterically laughing, others moaning and gesticulating—all mourning over the sickness of an infant, the afflicted mother of whiohjit waa difficult to distinguish among' the ''many mourners. The scene was a most 'affecting one, and we 1 offer our condolence; shaking hands all round, and leaving the Kaik without having become the possessors of a cosy or any other curio j but possessed of the disparaging information that the Maoris' seen at the Hillgrove. Station in the morning were on their way to Oamaru with cosies, 'mats, &0., and that therefore we 'should find it moat difficult to procure the much-desired article ,that day. But we have not visited all the habitations of the New Zealauders, and there still remains a possibility of our becoming the happy'possessors of that much-sought- after tea cosy,' We wend our .way, to the' residence i%f one who disposes the lex loet of ihe'Mabri"' papula, tion. We find the Maori Dictator stretched out on the road in front of his house, smoking. His *' better half " ia also similarly occupied, and their daughter— a neat, 'trim young lady, with a grace a.nd dignity; of acti&ri : that would do. credit to a princess-i s employed in needlework, and is seated also on the road; 1 On in, quiring for cosies, we find it is the' ♦• sweet seventeen " we ■ have to deal with j ' but this decidedly independent young ls>dy refuses to make a bargain' "under ten shillings. To this price we most strenuously object as gross extortion (only [!] five' shillings interest imposed for our coming to purohase »n a day When all the dealers are away). Half an hour's pleading has no proportionate effect, and we take a walk further on, feeling tolerably sure 1 there are no cosies to' purchase there, but feeling, or more properly hoping, that the probability of oup getting the article there will' have a salutary effect upon the relentless dusky maiden • but, alasT we reckon" without our host, for I am afraid that the dialogue that took place between the young lady vendor and' the woman of the house during the hundred yards or so that intervened between the two 'places has served to make her also tolerably 'sure that we Khali not be able to make a purchase! As we thought, there ara nope in stock.' -J We leave this house and pass on for a 'ramble through one of the patches of bush, intending' to' return again to the stony-hearted maiden .arid purchase at any price, but fondly trusting the .while that our absence may have softened the young lady's resolution a little. J Half an hour later we are again pleading, but withdut the desired effect. No ! not a penny will* $his invulnerable young damsel '• come down," and the suggestion made by the member^f our party who distinguished himself ' previously in conversation with the Maoti woman 'that she should "make it a noto '' and " throwherself in," was met by .contemptuous and dignified disapproval, though her honoured pater and mater thought it a grand joke, and I verily believe would not have objected to see it carried out in practice. At last this'blushing (?) damsel conseuted to " nine shillings," and with commendable good grace ard 'surrendered dignity offered to kiss ,the gentleman, whom she hoped she had not offended, if he would — if he would only make it nine, shillings and sixpence ! This . the young gentleman most ungallantly refrained from doing, and we, with stern disapproval of the whole affair from beginning to end, took bur departure, and never halted till we again reached the Signal Station. Picking up our, wraps and refreshment bags, we were soon descending the hill, and shortly afterwards made our way to the railway station, and were soon on our return journey. Our arrival at Shag, Point Station ended a most pleasant day's ramble in a most charming locality. ' •■ < J. C, G. J). B.