A LETTER FROM ANGLESEA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 81

A LETTER FROM ANGLESEA.

Dear Dot,— After 18 months' travelling in the Iforth Island, we arrived safely in Dunedin on February 4. It is so pleasant to be south once more, meeting old friends, who all seem very pleased to see us back again. They

make a mistake, though, in expecting us to

bring back a good collection of Maori curios, for, except a few kits, we hfive absolutely nothing. One hears of the generosity of tho Maoris, but that is a thing of the past. Now if one wants a curio one has to pay a good price for it. As a Maori said to us when we asked the price of' a huia feather : "Oh, all

depends; if you want it very bad — 30 bob!"

On Tuesday, February 7, I went to the Debating Club's meeting. The day before I visited <Dot and the editor, and, as I was rather shy

about going to the club "on my own,"^the

editor kindly offered to take me in ; so that is how I got there. The D.L.F. present were all very nice, the papers read by the various members were splendid, and I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting, and hope to have another spare Tuesday evening when I return to Dunedin. It is wonderful how, in a few months, Dunedin should ma^e such changes. Everywhere are new buildings — warehouses, shops, and houses. Then there are the electric cars : they are certainly the best in the colony. The Auckland car service is better in one wayone can get almost anywhere on the- cars ; but what are they like? — very second-rate affairs.

The seats are like those of a first class rail-

way carriage — all facing the same way — and only hold two thin passengers. The passage between is so narrow that when a stout woman —

a Maori, for instance — comes- along, she or anyone else can hardly move. -We spent a few days in Dunedin, then departed for a tour of the goldfields, starting at Lawrence, and visiting Miller's Flat, Rox-, burgh, Clyde, Alejtandr^, Cromwell, Bannockburn, and Arrowtown. Driving through the goldfields is none too pleasant. It is all so shut in with the high hills that during the day the heat is intense, making one feel utterly worn out ; biTt what lovely, cool evenings they have. The dust, too, is a great nuisance — indeed, some days -when we arrived at our journey's end it was with great difficulty that we recognised each other at all. To make travelling really comfortable a water-cart should go on ahead of -the coach. Roxburgh is a very pretty little township, nestling- at the foot of Mount Benger. How cosy and neat the grey stone houses look, each with its little bit of garden. The sight of the fruit gardens made me long to be let

looss in one for & while. From to Arrowtown the driving is very tiresome : the country is so uninteresting — rough, rooky, and

sandy, with very little grass growing on it.

What numbers' of dredges there are on the Molyneux, and how industrious they have been, destroying the beauty of the river by making

great mountains of stones in the middle of

it — all for the sake of gold. Some of the < dredges are still working, but others, like a great number of unlucky investors, have "gone

At Alexandra a friend took us to see the Alexandra Lead working, but when we got to the bank opposite the dredge we found ■that to get on board we would have to slide dqwn a plank, so .we, contented ourselves with watching it from a distance. Coming back from the dredge we passed through a small Chinese township. The huts are mostly made of mud, and for fences they have row upon row of kerosene tins filled with earth and plastered together with mud. Alexandra has grown considerably since last ■we were there — five years ago. It now possesses some very nice stone buildings. Cromwell is a smaller township, situated at the confluence of the Kawarau and Clutha

Rivers. We spent a Sunday there, and as there are no Botanical Gardens, etc., to see, we just had a lazy day of it.

We spent two days in Queenstown — the town ©f honeymoon couples and new, shiny' wedding rings. Queenstown is still the same quiet, dreamy place. It never seems to go ahead; indeed, I think it has gone back lately. The oaly time it shows any sign of life is at night, ■when the boat arrives from Kingston — the one event of the day, or, rather, night. One gets a lovely view of the town from tha lake. AH round are high hils — the Ramarkables to the right, Ben Lomond to the left ; and nestling at the foot of the hills in the middle is the pretty little towai. We went to the Head of the Lake, but as the day was showery it spoilt the enjoyment of the scenery to some

extent. The morning dawned beautifully fine, enticing a great crowd of tourists and holiday-

makers to decide on taking the trip, but we had not left the wharf half an hour before the water got rough and the rain came on. At Glenorchy we landed and went for a stroll. What a magnificent view met our gaze! Straight up from the blue water rose the high mountains, the peaks of which were covered with snow ; and when the clouds moved off and the sun came out the effect was beautiful. On the road we met a horse and cart, with, of

course, a man in charge of it, and on neariiig us the horse did a cake-walk to the other side of road. Father remarked to the driver: "Your horse is evidently not used to seeing human beings." "No," he replied; "he is shy — like his master." Paradise is 12 miles farther on, but as the Jjoat returned in two hours' time we could not go there, bo left that for the honeymoon couples.

Scientists say that at one time Lake Wakatipu was several feet higher than it is now. It does seem as if that were so, for all round the bottom of the hills that fringe the lake are to be seen ridges marking the height of the -vater which has gone down. I have met several DJL.F. since being down south. Anioiig those that I remember are Ifeece, at Lawence ; Mike, at CronTwell ; and at Arrowtown I had a short chat with Boy, who I think is rather a big boy now. Now, Dot, I shall bring this letter to a close. With love to yourself and the L.F., — Yours truly, ANGELESEA-

T nve/cargill, 'February 27,