A TOUR ON FOOT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1927, 29 January 1891, Page 35

A TOUR ON FOOT.

THROUGH CANTERBURY, WBSTLAND, NELSON, AND MARLBORO JGH.

By M. G. C. P.

No I. As a Victorian lad whose travels had not then extended beyond the Wannon or th« Mitta-mitta, and whose acquaintance with Nature's marvels had been solely gained from an occasional Easter trip to Fernshawa, or a summer scramble over tho wooded spun of Feathertop, I can recall the ardent long ing that seized me on reading of the unrivalled glories of the new Wonderland lying to our south to explore some day the romantic windings of its silent fiords; to sail on the bosom of its mountain-girt lakei in whose profound depths might almost be submerged the mighty monarohs which overshadow them, or, with ice axe and alpenstock in hand, to scalo the rugged barriers oi eternal snow, and amid tho bewildering roai of the cataract and tha thunder of the avalanche penetrate to the fountain head oi those cold swift-running streams that rush across the plains of Canterbury.

Many years were destined to pass before these boyish dreams could be realised, but at length the opportunity offerod, and having rejected in turn the rival claims of Wakatipu, Milford Bound, Sutherland Falls, and Mount Cook itself, after much debating there was eventually planned a Jess exciting, perhaps, but more comprehensive, and to a stranger hardly less interesting, excursion by foot through the provinces of Canterbury, Westland, Nelson, and Marlborough — the rejected giants being left to bo attacked individually by and bye.

Christchurch, then visited for the fast time, was made the base of operations, and a day was pleasantly spent in seeing this very ecclesiastical and English looking town.

From the cathedral tower an extensive panoramic view was obtained of the city, suburbs, and surrounding plains. Tho artificial adornments of this young city presented a striking contrast to the rugged grandeur of the primeval wilderness of forest and mountain through which we should presently pass. A short generation ago the site of the present city,' with its busy streets, its smiling gardens, and Btately avenues, was a bare spot in a huge grass? plain, whose surface for scores of miles wuh unbroken bya single object, the only feature — now almost unrecognisable — linking pant and present being the ever flowing Avor.. along whose sinuous course now lined by noble avenues of English trees tho well- to- U« residents have built their tasteful homes.

It was a bright morning toward the clo-rf of last summer when a friend and mys^t turned our backs at length on the din an i bustle of the city, and taking train — for • » tramp over some 50 miles of dead level would have been painfully monotonous — were borne across the fruitful Canterbury plaiu at 12 good miles an hour, reaching Spring field, a lonely village under the very shadow of the grim mountains, about midday. Af tc a brief halt here we buckled on our knapsacks leaving the heavier traps to come on by coach , and with keen anticipations of coming ei>joyment started briskly off across the island by that now almost CLASSIC HIGHWAY, THE HOKITIKA ROAD.

The bare mountain spurs which wall us in on either side present, however, anything but a cheering prospect, and we are easily persuaded by the genial Irishman in charge of | the westward coach which overtakes us some dozen miles out, to mount beside him ; and so, behind a spanking team of bays, we bowl along the dreary gorges, toil round innumerable mountain spurs, and, entering a pleasanter region with declining day, skirt the shorcG of peaceful mountain lakes, whence through the gathering darkness rises the discordant cry of the waterfowl, and at length are landed chill drowsy, and hungry at the hospitable door of the Bealey Inn.

The little hamlet is all astir wit* the dozen or so passengers who arrive by the np and the down coaches, and some old West Coasters. From among these we glean useful information regarding the road accommodation on their side, the state of the river*. &c.

Acting on their advice, we are up befora daybreak, and away with the outward boun<i coach, which bears us safely over

THE TREACHEROUS FOHDS OF THE BEALEY

and the Waimakariri. The joenery greatly improves as we proceed westward. Loftiei mountains appear sh^ad, some still bearing on their scarred ndou tha tittered fragment* of their winter girt ; wMlc the moiste? atmosphere wh'.oh here prev&Ui has enable 1 the hardy pin* 4-mb tc MA* the nglinesi of the huge shingl* beds *f the <£»ers, an i obtain a fco*»«# »n tiie barren ••ountai* sides.

Until now the weather has been superb but the ominous glow which appeared in the eastern sky before sunrise has in some measure prepared us for the biggest disappointment that could have befallen us on this portion of the tour. For, as we near the crest of the rango> huge masses of vapour sweep over the pass, and one of the most remarkable sights in New Zealand, if not in the world — rivalling in beauty and grandeur the far-famed canons of California— Otira Gorge is utterly obscured from view.

Determined, however, not to miss this great sight for the sake of a few hours' delay, we halt at a point on the roadside commanding the expected view. It is a tedious occupation at best; but at length to our great delight the sun's rays gleam through the opening clouds, a bit of blue appears to seaward, the great mass of vapour filling the abyss below begins to rise, slowly grow tho giant walls of the canon, and in an hour the conquering sun beams on the farthest corner of the wondrous [chasm, causing every blade and leaf, fresh from their morning bath, to flash like diamonds, and playing joyously on the tumbling stream, whose murmur hardly reaches us from its rocky bed nigh 2000 ft below.

THE GORGE is certainly in his pleasantest and happiest mood, glowing in the warm colouring of the •ummer aun ; but when the Btorma o? winter

sweep down from the ice fields of Aorangi, and the wind howls and screams in its furious rush through the rock-bound chasm, and the gloom of the canon is deepened by the overshadow ing masses of angry clouds, then, indeed; must Otira be magnificent, terrible 1 The road now leads through the gorge, and our wonderment, if possible, increases as we wind down the narrow causeway which has been constructed in the face of the northern wall. One shrinks from a glance over the -slender rail at the dizzy depths beneath, and almost, shudders in the consciousness of the towering mass of rock above ; and yet down this terrible road the driver of the Hokitika coach, twice every week, tools hia four-horse team ; and one never hears of an accident. Possibly there never maybe so long as the driver is cautious and keeps sober, his team obedient, harness sound, and break in order, but should one fine day any 6t these conditions be found wantiDg, it is to be hoped that not even one's mother-in-law may be a passenger on the occasion. It is almost a relief to emerge from the gloomy oonfines of the gorge upon THE BROAD VALLEY OF THE TBEBMAKAU, whose cold, clear waters form numerous channels through the great dreary beds of shingle. The river is now abnormally low, but we see signs of its mighty flood strength in the forlorn skeletons of ancient bridges with which the hardy pioneers had dared to span its angry torrent in the early days of " the Ooast " ; and in the frequent yawning gaps in the roadway that hugs rather too closely its left bank, and which, air one 1 point or other, has to be reformed at a safer level almost every year. These shingle beds are a common feature of New Zealand rivers, and are a decided blemish in the landscape. They are evidence of the enormous wear and tear that has been going on for ages on the rocky summits of the mountains.' The rock in this country would seem to.Jse peculiarly subject to the destructive effect of frost, and airthe year round, but especially at the beginning and at the end of winter, ptreams of • shattered fragments come pouring down from the heights, scouring out great channels in the mountain sides, and playing sad havoc with the beautiful bush whioh clothes their lower spurs. The unequalled loveliness of this "bush is the main charm of New Zealand landscape. It is as dense almost as Indian jungle ; while from the marvellous variety of plant life which find a habitat here, it is. said to resemble that of the choicest regions o£ South America. The whole of the great western watershed below the snow line is said to be clothed in this luxurious manner, but in few places, perhaps, ace the beauties of the bush more s-uikingly displayed to the tourist than from ! his enchanting drive down the Teremakau. Occasionally, where the hill spurs force us close to the river bank, or where a sharper bend than usual has caused the stream to <\m-y away the intervening ground, we have ( he virgin forest on one side and the waters >f the Tereraakau flowing right below us on iiie other. But, wherever possible, the road ' -voids the encroaching river, and then our v/jy is completely embowered in the dense Lush, which, as though eager to hide the gnp made through it by the rude hand o£ man, has already joined overhead in fricudly embrace, Bheitoring the highway fro-.i the glaring beams of the noonday sun, a nt J - delighting the traveller with its cool,

jHirpetual shade. Oao sighs on reflecting that in another ;ecad«, perhaps, the murmur of streams tackling dowri the fern glens and the meloriions nofcos of the native songsters may be ode'y disturbed by the shrill jshriek of the i.^tcihg engine, and the discordant grind--njjof the continuous brakes ; and that the jitiless sawmillei it; his greedy lust after the, *<>-aly pine tsrj have wantonly wrecked the o>-.ze o' loveliness that surrounds it, and M-ilfcdthe inimitable handiwork of Nature -*n erstwhile earthly Paradise— into ft hideous ?.nd blackened .waste. Bat the ruin wrought by this last-named & spoiler of Nature will doubtless in turn be 'etfaced by the gentler art of the husbandman, who will see in the huge decaying timbers of shattered forest monarohs and the indescribable confusion of second growth now fast covering up the recent desolation evidence of the prolific effect of a fertile soil and humid climate combined, and a year or t--vo later the grateful valley will laugh its golden harvests and fatten contented herds on its meadows of perennial verdure.

For a dozen miles or more our way con- j rinae* through this charming wilderness, j And as the road is as smooth as a garden ! ,jath f and follows the natural fall oi the river, the pace never flags, and we are almost sorry when the curling smoke from the lonely accommodation house brings 5 o an end our first day's march of eight and i wenty miles. It^ is yet early when we arrive at Jackson'H welcome shelter, and are able, after a refreshing souse, to enjoy a leisurely stroll i.efore the stern business of the evening iiieai begins. A clearing of the timberabout the house discloses a magnificent reach of :h.s Teremakau, ,whose waters, uniting just ;ihove, sweep by seemingly with a full sense of their freshly acquired dignity and importance. The gay sun, setting to seaward, s^.nds a parting shaft of unwonted radiance £ir up the valley, transforming the vast bed of shingle into a golden pavement ; and, just before he disappears, strikes full against the, mountains opposite, bringing out with marvellous clearness, every tree and rock, and gladdening into fresh life the sparkling waterfalls that, hardly noticeable before, now, Hke so many silver "threads, hasten to add their tiny torrents to the" great stream below. Then, as the golden orb finally sinks behind the western bills, every trace of colour vanishes from the topmost heights, and all is grey, and shadowy and solemn. Returning to the inn with appetites all aglow, we are rather surprised to find we are not the only guests ; for upon entering the simg parlour where our meal is served two fair members of the opposite sex approach the board with apparently just as keen intentions regarding its tempting freight a3 our own. Needless to say that in the delightful society of our fellow guests, who, it appeared, were English ladies travelling the world wide by their own sweet selves in s- 1 roh of the picturesque and fan and knowledge. That evening in the little bash " inn passed right merrily, and it was the •iucert regret of at least two Wftrtws of m

__ " ' •JP'* party that arrangements did n.;& perroHratwo or three days' spell at tuw forest retreat. Contrary to the forebodings of the weather- ; wise the sun once again rose in a perfectly serene sky, and the dreaded prospect of tramping for days together under the pitiless downpour of a West Coast rain gave no further concern, at least for the present. Strong are now the inducements to spend just one day more in this felicitous spot and slay the local lion in the person of the hoary monarch — outrageously called

KELLY'S MOUNT, which looms up behind the house. Half way to the summit a local " syndicate " is diligently working a promising reef, and that galvanised iron erection some thousand feet up the mountain side is the abode of the swarthy miners during the long winter months, when the keen seekers after fortunes are snowed up in their aerial retreat, and communication with their fellow beings on earth ia often entirely suspended. And from the summit is to be obtained a magnificent panoramic view, including a big stretch of the Teremakau Valley, some charming lakes and an endless expanse of ocean. The temptation certainly is strong, but weighty considerations prevail. Our plans include a big walk through Harlborough round the east coast and so back to Christchurch, making a complete circuit of the northern half of the island; a day's delay would miss the Westport boat at Greymouth, and, by that, much anticipated pleasure. So, vowing to return at some future date and conquer the redoubtable Kelly, we resolutely shut .out bootless regrets and stride away towards the coast.

Each bend of the road reveals fresh charms, and the mind, ever revelling in the delightful companionship of these woody surroundings, scarcely heeds the passing hour. A luxurious bivouac on the shady banks of ,a rippling stream, followed by a meal of luscious blackberries, which grow plentif ally hereabouts, is a pleasant break in the second day's performance, and one feels "capable of bigger records.