SURVEY OF WEST COAST

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17916, 21 October 1932, Page 6

SURVEY OF WEST COAST

ARDUOUS WORK

EXPERIENCES OF SIR A. DOBSON

Interesting recollections of his survey of the West Coast nearly 70 years ago were, given by Sir Arthur Dudley Hobson at a meeting of the North Canterbury branch of tho New Zealand Educational Institute in Christchurch. Sir Arthur ‘said that in 1836 the Canterbury Government called tenders for a Survey’ of part of the West Coast. T lie

area iur survey was 'about 75 miles long, and tlie surveyor was to explore as far into the ranges as was possible without the ‘survey costing too much money. Tim contract was let to two people. Sir Arthur (then aged 22) being one of them, i lie other man tried to carry out his part of the work in boats, said Sir Arthur. Two or three of the hum were drowned and he lost all his stores, .so •ic returned to Christchurch, and the Provincial Government gave him iHCU or CiOO as a compassionate allowance. Sir Arthur said that for his part he borrowed about CBCO and .went with another man to Nelson, with the idea of hiring a schooner sailing down the coast. They chartered a boat of about 15 tons railed the Gipsy, and procured enough stores to last 12 men for 12 months. They sailed from Nelson on .August 8, and, alter encountering rough weather about Farewell Spit, finally found themselves of Mount Cook, which was further south than they wanted to go. They

sailed north again, and after being five weeks nut front Nelson reached the Grey bar and went ashore.

Sir Arthur said that next day two white men turned mp, one of them being a man named Townsend, who had been sent across from Canterbury to open up a store, for diggers had begun to drift down the coast. Townsend, with two others, was later drowned in a canoe which had been made out. of green limber. Concluding his address, Sir Arthur said lie engaged Maoris, and found Hiem excellent workers. In 15 months he surveyed the whole block, whirl) contained 1575 square miles. He (related some amusing experiences of the West C ::s| in those early days.