PIONEERING IN OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 81

PIONEERING IN OTAGO.

-.'':-• . to the. editorSir, —It seems to me desirable that the enclosed description of i the toil, hardships, and dangerous tasks undertaken by the early settlers of cur province should be more widely published, if only for the purpose of contrasting the spirit of indomitable energy, resource, pluck, and self-reliance therein displayed, with the lack of it as evinced nowadays by those who seek to despoil them. I wonder if Mr W. D. Mason considers Mr Watson Shennan a eccial pest. The extracts I enclose are from the Mount Ida Chronicle of July 28. —I am, etc., Self-help.

The following appears as an addend* to the history of the Brooksdale Estate, and was written by Mr Watson Shennan, and is an account of the fiVst years he spent m New Zealand: — I arrived in New Zealand in the year 1857, accompanied by a brother (Alexander), I having left Scotland for the purpose of engaging in sheep-farming in New Zealand, which was then an almost unknown country. It was reported, however, to be well grassed and suitable for growing. wool. A country that took five to six (months to reach by sailing ship looked like going to another world, and I did not like the idea of spending so long a time at sea. Steamers going to Australia were very few and far between, but afteir waiting for some time I heard of a steamer sailing from Liverpool to Melbourne, so secured a passage in her (Ihe Emu). The voyage was 58 days, one of the fastest made at that time. I had to wait 10 days in Melbourne before a sailing craft left for New Zealand, and was fortunate in not having to wait much longer. The only communication between the two countries was by sailing oraft of from 200 to 300 tons, and as it took about a fortnight to make the Voyage from Port Chalmers to Melbourne it "can be seen that very few trips could be made in a year. There were only one or two regular traders at than ti.me. Arrived at Port Chalmers in October, 1857. There were no sea-going ships in the harbour then, and the only way of getting from the port to Dunedin was by whaleboat: The country on the harbour looked very beautiful at that time; the bush growing down to the water's, edge, and only a very few small patches had been cleared to make room for a cottage. The harbour and swroundinigs were parctically as Nature made them. .-■ Dunedin at that time was only a village of some few hundred inhabitants, scattered all about —no roads or streets formed; very little to recommend the place except the people. They wore very kind, and gave newcomers a hearty welcome. After a short residence in Dunedin, I found that very little was known about the interior of the country, so I made ur* any mind to do some exploring. A difficulty, however, stood in the way. Horses wore necessary, but there were none to be got, and it was orrly after a small shipment came from Sydney that I was ab.e to procure ' the hacks and at very high prices. As soon as the equipment necessary • for an exploring expedition was ready, I went south as far as the Molyneux. Then returned to the Tokomairiro Plain. Early in December I left Meadowbank for. the inr terior, going north, and making for the valley of the Molyneux River. I found the country between the Tokomairiro Plain and the Waitahuna River occupied by the late Mr James Smith and Mr John, Cargill, but beyond that it was no man's land. ■ After crossing the Waitahuna River I found some very good sheep country, but much of it was very scrubby. Going on over tho ridges there was so.me nice open country between the branches of the Tuapeka River, and I pitched oamp one night in the gully afterwards called Gabriel's Gully, : little thinking of the wealth that was buried only a few feet under the ground. Had I suspected the presence of gold I might have eiven up searching for sheep country. Later I found the country too rough to get any nearer the Molyneux River, so kept pretty well up the ridges on the open country, until the Beaumont Station! was reached. After crossing that stream the country was still scrubby and difficult to travel _ over, and there was much the same description of land between the Beaumont and the Teviot River. Most of the country had a beautiful cover of good grasses. After crossing the Teviot River the country got much more operr, and the cover of grass not so good. TWa*w» the Molyneux River the country still continued scrubby, and therefore I did not make any attempt to get to tho bank of the river, so continued on

the-higher ground to the top of the Knobby Ridges. These ridges are well, named, as they are closely covered with rocks. At this stage I had travelled all over the country now known as Waitahuna, Tuapeka, Beaumont, Ormaglade, Teviot, -Long Valley, and Knobby Ranges. From the top of the Knobbvs I had a splendid view of the Manuherikia Valley, presenting a (most beautiful landscape—quite a change from the country previously traversed. I exclaimed to my brother: "Here is the countrv we are looking for; a land well grassed and watered—a very Land of promise. Here we will pitch our tent, and here we will stay; and made our tome for good." Things do not often turn out as expected, nor can the future be looked into. That night I camped on the banks of the Manuherikia River. It was an ideal camping place, with plenty of green grass for the horses, scrub for fuel, and a river of the purest water to drink. During my stay at that oamp I explored the surrounding country. Went over to the banks of the Molyneux River, and as far up as where Clyde now stands. Found the country all open, well grassed and watered, sufficient scrub for -fuel for many years, but no bush or timber* I found game very numerous—all kinds of native duck, quail, pukaki, wild pigs, wild dogs, and also a wild white horse. I can hardly class dogs and horses in a game list; still I can say that the horse was "game." Rats and mice swarmed, so the wild dogs found abundance of food, and they often caught a duck asleep at night. Afterwards they found mutton was more to their liking. After leaving this oamp I rode up the valley as far as Blackstone Hill; then went over the Ruggedy radges into Ida Valley, and found the country all well grassed and watered, and suitable for siheop. Then I wanted to see the country lying to the east of the Rough Ridge, so w*.-rnt over the top of this ridge—it may be called a mountain, as some of the highest points aire over 4000 ft. From the Rough Ridge there was a good view of the Maniototo Plain. Did not go down into the plain, but could see that it was very extensive. By this time I had been out in an unexplored country for a fortnight,. and the supply of provisions was running out, &o turned thu horses towards where I started from. I kept on the high country for a long distance, but on the high ground it was difficult, to find good campingplaces, so I tried the lower tlats. But that was a mistake, for swampy ground was met with, and was very unpleasant for camping. It was a most uncomfortable situation —not a stick to boil the billy and nothing 'but big snow tussocks for the horses to eat. .Choosing the largest snow tu£Gock, imy companion and I crawled under, finding this not quite equal to a feather bed. Disgusted with the place, we called it "Dismal Swamp,'* a name it retains to this day. I may mention that my party were the first white men that had visited the large tract of country now described. No hill, valley, or river had a name except the Manuherikia River. The Mr/nuherikia River was shown on the Maori map, or drawn from the description of the country given by the Maoris. The natives used to go inland for the purpose of catching eels and wild- pigs. Afterwards I saw many traces of their visits to the interior of the country. The Maoris have long since given up their excursions to the interior, as it was not necessary to go inland to procure food. To continue the return journey from Dismal Swamp, we climbed the Lammerlaw Mountains, and had a very extensive view of the country, and arrived back to Tokomairiro after a journey of three weeks.

Exploring an unknown counti-y. is rough work, but very interesting. One is always looking for something new, and finding something of special interest. The expedition was takeo for a special purpose, and that was to find a. block of good grazing land for sheep. In this we succeeded, and the fnex.t thing ■to do was to secure a piece 'of the country inspected. Application was made for two blocks, one c:i each aide of the Manuherikia; and wo ■"-...■3d one "Galloway" (after our native county in Scotland), and the other "Moutere.'the Maori name for a block of lend almost surrounded by water. TBo application to the Land Office was for about, 100,000 acres. jMy brother and I might have had nearly all. the land explored, but more country than one could stock with sheep or cattle had no value in those days. The country was unoccupied from a few miles inlaad from Palmerston South to the West Coast. Some time in 1853 a Government survey party went up the Waifaki River, and returned via the Upper_ Clutha Valley, Manuherikia, Maniototo Plain, and thence to the sea coast, surveying and mapping the country, naming the mountains, rivers, and burns. •> After the surveyors had given in their report a great rush set in for runs, and the whole of the inland country was taken.

The work of forming- a station and stocking, etc., was the next undertaking, so after a short visit, to Duxtedim, and finding no difficulty in securing a 14 years' lease of the runs, preparations were mad© for the occupation of the country. To comply with the conditions of the tease or license, runs had to be stocked within sax months from the date of issue—so many sheep to the thousaind acres. The period named gave ample- time to secure sheep, working bullocks, etc. Sheep were not plentiful, and there were very- few for sale. The owners had an abundance of girass, a.nd plenty of room for an increase in the number of their flocks, so they found ifc profitable to keep all the ycuing sheep; and sheep did not get old fast in those days. I managed to secure a good line of ewes and iambs from a runholder in the Clutha district (Mr Anderson, who died recently) for delivery m March, 2858, and fixed upon the last week of that month for a start for the Galloway run. Wbein exnloring I examined the country carefully for the purpose of getting a route that a bullock dray would traverse, o.nd decided to take that form of conveyance instead of sledges: but this proved a great mistake. The ground that was hard and dry in t-ummor got soft in autumn, and would not carry a dray; .r<nd this led to great trouble when on the iourney with the sheep. After a week's droving with the sheep, the dray accompanying them, it was found impossible to tako the vehicle further than the ridges leading to the Lammerlaw Moun■taina It had, _ therefore, to be taken Irhck to Tokormairiro, and sledges procured, thus losing two weeks; and that turned out to be a serious matter. (To be continued.)