A TRIP TO TAPANUI

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 13

A TRIP TO TAPANUI

1 By "The Head Hermit." To reap full advantage of a holiday one should seek change of scene, aud an altcre.fi occupation; taorc-in, I am p?rsi;adecl. l'nii'. half" tl v hol.daj'-maker-s go absolutely wrong. For do^pit-f the fact that j'unedin, m common with the other cities of the Dominion, is situate on the coa£t, ar.d • therefore exposed all the year round to sea breez?s, the majority of the most popular holiday resorts and camping: grouiv'--aro also en the coa&t. For, excepting the privileged fc-vv physically and financially 'ti a position to go mountaineering, and th^> comparatively small party of piscators, ever\- summer sees a huge exodus of the city population to the seaside resorts dotted along the coast north and south. ' Now, while I am an ardent admirer of the sea and thoroughly appreciate the immense advantages of the broad beaches as play-grounds for the youngsters, yet I am convinced that in many of the inland towns and villages of Otago and Southland there exists an unexplored wealth in holiday resorts unsuspected by the bulk of the popu- ' lation, offering a complete change of air and giving iu^t that sense of repose which : the jaded city dweller so sorely needs at this time of the , The first obstacle in the way of holidaymaking in the interior is the scarcity and general irr.suitabilitv of much of tho accommodation provided; but as the demand creates tho supply, so soon as holidaymakers evince a desire to visit the backblocks will the dwellers in the favoured localities bestir themselves to make the visitors comfortable. In the hope, to some t little extent, of creating that desire, I venture to pen a few lines describing a recent " Trip to Tapanui."' By Way of beginning, I may state that Tapanui was not our first selection— for although I have dubbed myself the "Head j Hermit." there were other would-be her- , mits (of whom more anon) to bo considered , and consulted. There is a hamlet under { the hill out on the West Taieri Plains to-waj-ds which we cast many a longing eye, | but alas! the existing means of communi- i cation— pending the duplication of the line , tq Mosgiel — were so provocative of bad lan- ( giiage "that, in the interests of elocution and ethics, we reluctantly decided against ] it. At the same time, that there i s a j future before Outram in the way of a holi- j day resort. I am quite positive. It is — or ! shortly will bo— within handy distance of the city, and the air is distinctly different | from that of Dunedin. _ _ | Thanks to an advertisement in the Daily , Times, our attention was directed towards j Tapanui, and the subsequent negotiations proving satisfactory, a furnished cottage | , ycelpt " The Hermitage " was secured for 1 a space of weeks, whither sped a haupy j band of hermits, bent upon making the best use of the days or weeks allotted to them ' — mostly days in the case of the" men, with ] weeks for the ladies. Another advantage of Tapanui as a holiday resort is its speedy j service. Leaving Dunedin at a little before | half -past 8 in the morning, and allowing for a brief stay at Waipahi, the train ' reaches Tapanui by 1 o'clock, or a distance 1 of close upon a hundred miles in a little over four hours, allowing for 20 minutes ab | Clinton for lunch. i Tho first object of interest pointed out j to every \ isitor when starting from Wai- j pahi on the Edievale branch is the phenomenon of a river flowing both ways at the same time. This is, of course, explained in the junction of the Pomahafca Riv&r with its affluent that well-known \ trout-fishing stream the Weipahi. the actual j point of union bein? a little off the rail- j way line creating the optical illusion. As tho train slowly passed the base of the Conical Hills the afforestation work of j the Government was plainly to be seen. : The bare hillsides are thickly planted with i thousands upon thousands of young trees, i arranged in symmetrical lines, giving in , the distance almost the appearance of a | . ploughed and" planted estate. In our car- | riage two sturdy Scotch settlers were de- i bating the wisdom of so much money i being spent for the benefit of posterity; ; the elder of the two clinched the argument by wagging his head and exclaiming, "Eh, mon! neither you nor I will get a coffin out of yon." Not every place in the Dominion of the size of Tapanui is as well served in the matter of a coach service to meet the train; for the station is a mile and a-half from the township. But here there is ! keen competition — two rival coaches meet j every train and drive passengers right to ■ their own doors, luggage and all, as well I as coming to carry them away in like con--1 venient fashion when the tims of departure I is at hand. The township itself is marked by an • entire absence of that strenuous life which ■ in the cities contributes so largely to the | , spread of neurasthenia; the atmosphere is j delightfully restful. Unices you be an j enthusiastic sportsman bent upon the de- | struction of bunnies, or inclined for a pot- | shot at some fallow deer which in the eaily j morning come down from the mountain* j to make a meal oft' tho growing cat crops, ; there is no inducement to get up in the morning and every inducement to retire to rest in good time. The residents sandi wich occasional -asks to the bowling green | or tennis couit between business. In the early dajs the Tapanui folk toiled hard, , and'cWied the land or worked at the sawmills and now, each with a comfort- i able competence in the shape of a few | acres of good land and a few hetwl of sheep j or cattle, they have settled down to e;iioy , life. And enjCA'nent it certain'} i*; wlnl« i for variety theie is a -\i-it to lm L-rcarcjiH i or Dunedin when the cheap fjrt- are on. I Tipanui and di^tuct i- -'diy"-n-t but that a drop of the light -tuff i= to b had if you know where to po foi it, but it has to be inquiicd foi - it i< n t pronur.^nt in the public tve. as in the lice'i <d ana . There is a tradition that wl.rn a lapanui . man wants a "spr«e" he d*>=cf>ivl<. up<!> Milton and proceeds to paint that l.irhly lespectable town-hip " ieO." Th^ro is al'o ' p tradition that tlie Milton coi. -table ha-= a distinct dislike to .•\ire=tmcr nmori^ fiow Tapanui. But th- tale i- told of one of Tapanui's oldest residents wlo was so far overcome by the hot wither t° 110 down in Milton" > main and obstinately decline to get up and go home; i wherefore. tic MiLon man of law and orcic ' had perforce to proceed to extreme* thus undul.- swelling the dime statistics ot , that mocU borough. I But lam forgetting the '• Ilcnmtafrc — ! in no wi-e i elated to the famou= hostel up Mount Cook way, but an unpietenuoiis i dvvoMing, bat coinfoi table withal: an ideal I si.ot Cor' a sjnimcr camp Ht.ie lam j rr-oiuded of m\ tementy in «-tjhng niy»ell j ."the- Head Hermit '; for in thv-^e da\-» |

of adiai.cerl idea- it i* pi-etmript'on on the ]>?!! <S ar\ mail to djcm himself the '• hoa-1 "' of ,Ti-rrhi'i!,-. My claim will deub'i«*<* lie oi •]>'><-><] by a. c;tain younp <rer.tie,..a.i of ;i illrle n-o-e than two = uninv"». \\i->o "\o.y v.re I s">e Mm brings ro iiiv n .-.-' i! <• >iiK» a'".(i' c^^rci by Words«O!ll' to Jl".i;'->\ C.I" .'-■n: O ')&--'•"> v.«.0i.-' ha^rv child, r ih v pi so cxqiii-m^'y wild And clou .. ll<-\. i!i c that n<.\>av.'ays, in a v-orv rear nJ iTO-put i^'is" »enso. the child is the father d the nan. there are also to be rec' out d with the claims of the lady who holds mi- imputed sway of my heart; to sa\ nothing- of sc^e.al ether fair ones coin prising the p-allant company of hermits. It may b= a-ked -what c'oes Tap^nui poss ss in the way of scenic and other attractions with which to •divert the a'.t-ant on and pass the time for such a company as 1 have indicated. Weil, given good weather, there are plenty of pleasant picnic grounds within eas\ rea r h of the township; while by aid of hor«a and trap or motor car thei-9 is an extensive and interesting district to explore The first trip, of course, is to Whisky Guilv, so called by reason of a private still "which v.;v; started there in the days of lons ago Tradition — in which Tapanui abounds— averts that the reason for the failure of the said st 11 consisted in the weakness of the whisky; it was so much under proof as to be scarcely distinguishable from water, ond this led to ihe breaksip of the svnclicate that was running the business. But despite this slur upon its reputation the gully is a good picnic ground, the only drawback :~ being the hordes of sa-ndflies which persist in forcing unwelcome attentions upon the visitors. Indolent folk are content to stay by the side of the stream and boil the billy and consume enormous quantities of tea and sandwiches and cake The more energetic of the party follow the course of the stream by the track which winds its way through the bush up the mountain, the track crossing and recrossing the water a number of times. There are two or three waterfalls to be seen, and the climber at length emerges on the top of the mountain, and on a fine day is Tewarded with a magnificent view of the country as far south as Stewart Island. Another favourite day out is to Black Gully, eight or nine miles away, and, like Whisky Gully, at the foof of the Blue Mountains. Here an enterprising settler has arranged quite a number of attractions, which with unexampled generosity he offers free of charge to all visitors. The venturous may indulge in toboganning ; for the lazy there is a luxurious merry-go-round fitted with hammock-like seats; whilst the ambitious may take flight in a most magnificent swing, the span whereof passes description. There is the bush to explore, the stream to dally by, and altogether Black Gully is a spot not to be ' sneered at. . , „ „» » I We spent- Christmas Day in this delightful spot and a real New Zealand Christmas it proved. So hot that it was hard to get j up a proper f ppetite for the plum prudding which had be-n boiling in the billy all the morning, to :ay iiothing of the other ! appetising dishes nrovided. And after the ! feast was over, lying contentedly upon the l green sward, it was amusing to watch the I lads and 'asses who had driven over from all parts of the countrjeide, in some cases as far as 25 miles away. Presently a merry partv-eame back from an excursion up through the bush, laden with branches o£ ! mistletoe, and then the fun grew fast and i furious. It was inspiriting to see, m the heart of the bush, under & sweltering summer sun, the same Lhxistmas festivities which those of us I come from the Old Land are accusi tomed to associate with snow and ice, huge 1 fires and drawn curtains. Which goes to 1 prove that after all environment counts for ! but little ' providing that the character is present and the tradition properly preI Then there is the river, "with fishing for I those who like it. and pools galore for bathing. On a warm day what can be more eniovable than to spend the time getting wet " and getting dry again away from clothes and conventions, and all things which embarrass. And at the river there are no eandflios to bother or annoy. There are other excursions within handy distances which I have not yet essayed, co for the present can say nothing. Mayhap, with the editor's kind permission, ami granting inspiration and opportunity, I may (yet pen a brief account of "Another lnp 1 to Tapanui."' Before concluding I wish to remaik—somewhat contradictorily— that the effect of enviionment upon character is e-cen in the ! fact that the favourite Sunday afternoon walk in Tapanui is to t,he conictcrv. 'aid to bo one of the best-kept hury.ng-Rrounds in Otago Heme Tapamu-ites acquire th. ! habit of meditating among the toniK: , vhich account* for many thins-. chi^\ their sobnotv and solidity.. The due too.. < of conversation is the price of land, and ! nothing excites folk to such a fever heat of anticipation as the pTospec.. of a land so. c I might also mention that one of t.'ic hr l effects of Tapanui air upon a visitor i« a disposition to slumber, arc! that (his ha-bu once acquired is hard to shake off. ln r e^fl, . Gomo people succumb altopethor, to ite m--1 fluer.ee. and arc rarely quite wide aw.n c. > Which again *hows Tapanui to be a f-p on ! did place- for Cno cure of neura-wiema. Th« <ame <»am by which we arrived a ! the station aUo biotmht several sacks ot ipabba«cs from Duned... once more eff'jeI tua'lv'd'-pelling t'n fond allusion that the I Sni.y i' the" place fo,- fn». «rd veset ,ble«. Foi- just as to pel fi-h at the -easide. to it is c'lihcult io piofn^ such hmi-ios as pea, and potatoes in t V roimry. while as foi tomatoes, n i-> Lefer not to mention th?ni D-pile the^o mino- d raw br ck- -ar.<l they are VoarccV wor'.h mcW.omne-Tapa-,mi is worth min ff as a holiday revolt, <--n-c"a"v ffi '-"< !l R? reciuire real refit, a l', ,-oucl! chart- from the coast, a mre iootS air, and nothing to worry from n-.orn.m? to night. It was eunei Hazlitt or Charles Lamb-indeed I am not onit- sui-c v heller is was not R. v >- wo6.ua that 10 raally enjoy a holiday one should «e.Me a region where clock* arc ftOt needed and wheie the only reminder of the fliirl.t'of time io tho craving of an unsatisfied appetite. All this and more can be found in Tapanai, for to eat well to sleep 3 and to roam the countryside from morning to night, unhindered and unhamlirUl surely in this consists the ideal h ln'To-r,.ction, 100, with this trip to Taoon? I flatten mr^lf that I have disSsd *» <***»*! solution of the sen '

: difficult.v, r.nd as I claim no copyright in ' rhe nisi but wi^h lo scatter the good ne-.vs broadcast, I shall hope tc elaborate it whei describing my second trip.