THROUGH THE WANGAPEKA WITH A GEOLOGIST.

Colonist, Volume XXXI, Issue 5168, 22 March 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

THROUGH THE WANGAPEKA WITH A GEOLOGIST.

Aftkb a long spell of dry weather, when the pasture* are badly needing rain, and after the harvest ha been gathered, is scarcely the most favorable time for viewing the Waimea plains, though even then the many stacks of barley, of wheat, of oats, and of hay, bear testimony to the riohness of the soil, and convey an assurance that good husbandry has met with its reward. For my own part, I prefer nature when everything is young and fresh, and therefore the spring is my favorite season, a time when hope is strong,, and the parohed wrinkles of age are unthought of. Still; after the harvest is a picture for quiet enjoyment and satisfaction, it speaks of hopes realised, of rest for the weary, and of peace and plenty for those who have labored faithfully. The stacks of golden grain, the orchards.hung with red; ripe, fruit, and the trees which dot the plain, give to the Waiineas at this season an aspect the more pleasing in that contentment seems to dwell'there. Speedily, however, I must leave the plains behind, for my object in travelling this autumn morning is to reach the Motueka Valley, and thence proceed with a companion through the Wangapeka to the head waters of some of the rivers'flowing to the West Coast. Grossing the Spooner's range, over whioh the road winds to an altitude of nearly 1200 feet above sea level, we bowl down into and through Norm' Gully, that desolate place of boulders deposited there in immense drifts by an ancient river whose course and outlet Changed as the surface of the land emerged higher above the sea. * THE CPPBB MOTCEKi. In a very short time we arrived at Mr Bromell's accommodation house, situated on the Nelson side of the bridge which crosses the Motueka and Motttplko rivers, at the point where they come together, and there we halt sufficiently long to enjoy a hearty meal. Mine host in the meantime has harnessed a sure animal to a strong spring part, in which, with our impedimenta, consisting of tent and " tucker,*' as our friends the diggers have it, we have to journey as far as Mr Chandler's at the Wangapeka, a distance of some 20 miles by road. As we get into bur places we notioe, straight in front of us and across the. Motueka, the Motupiko Valley, up whioh the Bailer main coach road runs for a good many miles between fertile fields, but our route is down the Motueka Valley, and off we go. Stay, almost beforu we are off we have stopped and are down again, for the road, like many another in New ZealuuJ, has been carried right up a hill, merely tbat it may go right down again, and as our vehicle balances on two wheels, we find that it is necessary to trim ship at every rue and fall. Our captain, engineer, and pilot—in short, our driver —was very strong on the point that we should keep on; balance, and, as the operation was not difficult, we raised no formal protest. By merely moving the seat back ana forward, pegging on a hole or two or pegging back, our skipper saved ua from going on our beam ends, and we soon found eurselves rising from our seat as soon as the leve} of the road varied. We lost count of the number of times we "shifted ballast,"—we had not enough paper to keep tally—and if we did manage at times to surreptitiously put the peg in the same hole from whioh it was taken, no doubt the skipper deteoted it, and made us move instead of the seat. However, this oft repeated diversion did not prevent our looking about or admiring the landscape. I have already indicated tbat the country was pretty well parohed when I started, but in Motueka Valley the dry weather was the cause of giving to the whole country side a very peouliar aspect. Lower down the valley, probably at the Baton or at Stanley Brook, the settlers were taking advantage of the all pervading dryness to burn off the bush in olearing their lands, and the result was that at this distance a thin haze of smoke somewhat intercepted the sun's rays, and served to tone down everything, so that distant objects could only be Been dimly. It was as though a bloom, like that on ripe and luscious fruit, covered the land, and the 6ffoot was, very beautiful. On the low-lying fields th" "nnfttnn. araam Tia/1 «»<»«*■«•»•■» «. o -ia._ hue, while the fern covered hill Bides olose at hand were russet brown. Through the valley, the river, then visible, but now shut out from view, is winding its sinuous way to Tasman Bay, to a point opposite the port of Nelson, and the more distant hills and mountains, as seen through the thin veil of smoke, have a rounded and at times visionary appearance that removes all ruggedness, and adds to their beauty, it the mouth of the Tadmor Valley, which runß up from the main one a few miles lower down than Motupiko, are some bold bluffs, doss under whioh the river flows—indeed, they have evidently been formed by the rivor, whioh has gradually out its way bac's: into a terrace of comparatively recent. formation leaving precipitous bluffs. As we view these from afar, the hate leaving all beyond them indistinct, our first impression is ihat we are nearing the mouth of the river, and it is only natural to listen for the sea breaking under the cliffs, but the refreshing murmur comes not. The Upper Motueka Valley is a most favorable place for anyone to observe the action of rivers. Bpooner's Range itself was evidently formed by river action, for the boulders of whioh it is principally composed are all water borne, and from the summit one can observe that the adjacent hills of similar formation are all of virtually even height. As the country itself became gradually raised farther above sea level, the course of its rivers would be lengthened, and their levels varied, so that their deposits of boulders and gravel would not continue at the same spot. These depoeitii—great beds and banks Of shingle and boulders brought from inland mountains - would gradually eneroaoh seawards till the deposits became of great extant. Then as the land became further raised the rivers and storm torrents cut channels, whiehf, in aourse of time, left small valleys between the drift hills. Still the denudation of the higher ; mountains went on, and the smaller hills were bow also being to some extent broken down and washed by the streams, so that the granite, the limestone, Jk\ argilliferous, q*.... ihr-irtlieion> Troeks ®:»iiK" ground to boulders, to gravel, or to powder, a»d being carried down the valleys m times of heavy rains—rains whioh were probably much more frequent and lasting in those days than now. Nature's method of ground sluicing soon made great alterations in the appearance of the country, gradually preparing it for profitable occupation by man. Between the hills comparatively level flats or beds •! more Or less width were formed, and then the river cutting a deeper channel left a terrace, beneath the level of wbioh another broad bed war v tprmed only in time to be left above the decreasing level of the stream, and thus terrace after terrace was formed, the upyer ones sometimes being almost obliterated by slips from the hillsides above them. An •lamination of the Upper Motueka Valley is particularly intertstiig, for one may here observe the sources whence the various deposits ware brought. Indeed, 10 great is the variety, and such has bean the molt of looal floods and freshes, that the settler will tell you—Ab, thil deposit came from tbe Motupiko, this is good land," whilst a short distance further on he will say, '{You see this is very poor here, the l*ni has been covered with stones and stuff from the bead of the Motueka." It is a noticeable fact that even ■ow floods come down the Motupiko, when the Motueka river remains at its normal height or depth, and so it is with the Motueka, it rises when the Motupiko doss not, consequently it is not difficult to account for rich deposits having been left by one flood, feat not by another. The river bed to-day tihovs what power the stream has in levelling the country, in wearing down the mountain ranges, and in conveying the broken roeki toward! the tea, poaiding them up in their transit, and making rioh loam of some rooks, bat of others only hungry, comparatively worthless gravel or soil. Proceeding down the valley from Mr Bromell's, we gained a somewhat intimate acquaintance with the terraces to whioh I have already alluded. The road at present used was laid off sothat itasoends and desoends these terraces, thus enabling the traveller to enjoy a far better view of the oonntry than would otherwise be possible, but imposing harder work upon his horse than is positively necessary, for the road could have been taken on a comparatively level grade below the higher terraces. However, the local Boad Board, wbioh has more miles of roads and tracks to look after than, at all events, some 'of its members oould reckon, has no* had a road laid off where the original one sbouH have gone, and already a contract has been let for the first half of the work. The second peetion has yet to be let, and it certainly seems a pity tbat the whole should

right off. If one-h&l fis left undone for any considerable time, the other will be in disrepair before the whole is ready to be thrown open, and if the reason for the delay is that the ensuing three months embrace a portion of the yeftr unsuitable for road-making, such a reason should have caused the whole to be deferred till after the winter. I may add that this new piece of road will, in addition to being fairly level, save fully half a mile in diatance, and the maintenance of a considerable length of road, as, on its completion, it ifl intended to close the road up Spooner's Bange, known aa Oliver's road. Journeying along, we pass several homesteads, amongst them being thos9 of Mr Flowers, who has a good orchard, and was gathering in a fine crop of apples; and of Mr Pinnimore. Mr Needham's well-tilled land called forth our admiration, while the good taste which led him to plant oaks and ashes, which have now grown into goodly trees, is bringing him a reward in shade and Comfort secured, while the familiar old trees give a home-like appearance to the plaoe. Mr G. Gibbs has a nice orchard, and, amongst other places of note whioh we passed, were the Church, but we were told that the only use to whioh it is now put is.to enable marriages to be solemnized, and an unoommonly good use too agreed my friend and I. Then there was a store, and a mill which was osoe used for grinding corn after harvest, and at other times for preparing flax, but now the water power is running to waste, and the mill is idle. I must not omit to mention the Institute, whioh appears to be used for few other purposes than the' holding of Road Board meetings; the library which does not look very flourishing; the Chapel built by the late Mr Stanley/but now unused, and the last on the list God's Acre. I had neither time nor opportunity for Walking through the Cemetery, but what attracted me more than the handsome marble monument erected to the memory of the gentleman whose name was last mentioned, was the sad record of one cut down in the flower and promise of manhood by acoident. Go where one will in New Zealand, enter but the smallest cemetery, and •here, alas, is sure to be found a repetition of the. sad story, of death by flood or field, a hopeful life cut down by mishap before ita possibilities and capabilities were soarce appreciated. Too often our rapidly rising riverß are the occasion of gaps being made in the family circle, but in there not a possibility that the confidence of youth, spurning the idea sf danger, at times leads to the bitter grief of those who have watched with oare the development of a dear one. All this time we have been driving down. the vallay, somewhere to the right of the river, but I should mention that on the left bank of the Motueka, just below the Motupiko, there is some very good land. We are now approaching the ferry Accommodation House, kept by Mr Wright, whose duty it is to ferry travellers across the river in times of flood when called upon to do so, but as the river is low we are driven aoross the shallow ford. Before leaving the Motueka, however, let me say that the drift formation has con* tiaued down as far as we have come, and that the extent of terraces and river flats has surprised me for a lot of scrub has been cleared since I saw the valley previously. Of these flats and terraces, a fair proportion oonsist of good alluvial land suitable for agricultural purposea, the remainder being pastoral country, but the distance from markets, and the hills over which produce and stores have to be carted for many miles are such serious drawbacks to the struggling settlers, that the wonder is any have been able to maintain their footing here as produce has become of less value. Should the Midland railway come by this route, and there is every prospect that it will, the Motueka Valley will look up, and as I proceed I shall indicate my reasons for believing that brighter days are in store for this district, though they may not come for some.years. Crossing the ford of the Upper Motueka near the Ferry house, the bluffs to whioh I alluded are on our left, and below them is p fine stretch of the river, a plaoe such as one looks to when bent on duok shooting, and the river here should be a fine place for fish. Some distance higher up, I was told, large trout ar« nlnntifni *~* «»»»- Bionaiiy uaiilornian salmon are seen. Shags are said to be destructive to the fish here, and as these birds have a breeding place known as the Shaggery somewhat lower down the river, this is not to be wondered at. However; I learnt that a number of settlers had promised themselves a day's outing for the purpose of destroying the shags and breaking up their colony, so that the fish will have a better ebanoe. THE TADMOB VALLKY, ( Over the ford we are entering the mouth of the Tadmor Valley, the hillsides flanking which have still a good deal of bush standing upon them. Having proceeded but a very short distanoe we observe in the shape of a hop kiln, evidence that good land exists, for without rich soil it would be idle to attempt the cultivation of hops. This valley has not yet received the attention it merits, and its extent is not generally known. Varying in width, here pinohed in by spurs from the comparatively low hills, and there broadening out again, thn valley extends for a length of over twenty miles, and .comprises an area of probably not less than 12,000 aor«s. The low lands and hills are of superior quality, owing to the presence of the blue marley clays of the coal measures, which extend west to the Hope Saddle, and thence nearly to the Buller riyer, whilst north of us they extend to the Sherry Valley, towards which we are journeying. There is a large area of unoeeupied Crown lands fit for settlement in the Tadraor Valley, but more of this land would have been taken up before now had it not been that the valley is within the area affected by the.Midland Railway scheme, and the land has been withdrawn from sale by the Government in ord >r that the Bailway Company may, if it chooses, select this as part of its reootnpanse for executing the great woik that will open the country, give an impetus to mining, and enable the agriculturist to find a better market. One oannot help being struck on viewing Colonial settlements, and especially the more remote ones, with the vary great difference n'satuseable in the tasa&h ■&£.yeopte whose oircumataaouM and surroundings appear to -l?e very nearly, equal. I have often thought -that in such pla^a^ifrvfcaßifl is an index to the natural wealth of the locality as well as to i,tfo energy and brain capacity of the occupant, and that being so, I should say that the Tadmor possesses some excellent Bottlers, and some who are either indolent or are muddlers. Some of the homes there are all that one oould desire, comfortable cottages, neatly painted, with well kept gardens, indeed, jußt such homes as the majority of those in Nelson,.but there were some others whioh I can only likon to cabins, with chimneys of mud and wood, and in whioh families have been reared and trained to be satisfied with an equal want of comfort. A very pleasant eight was the bright schoolroom, through the open door of which a number of bright, healthy young faoes were visible, and on our return journey, when we came through this valley earlier in the morning, we saw many of the owners of these faces riding to school on their ponies, for some have a good distance to travel, and creek or stream to cross. The settlers of the Tadmor Valley are not merely dependent on the cattle' they can raise or the agricultural produce, for we have now got into a widespread region where gold is disseminated with the duit of the earth. A considerable amount of gold, in the aggregate, has been got in the Tadmor Valley; the diggings are not rich, bat a man oin always get a little gold, and several of the settlers now fill in their time by gold wash, ing. A land where fruit grows to perfection, where grass ii plentiful, and crops of corn, hops, and potatoes will follow the toil of the husbandman, is not to be despised, but as I have already pointed out, the distance from market is a serious drawback. However, the presence of gold in the coil just makes the difference, for instead of darting produoe a long journey for a few shillings, the settler can wash out gold enough to pay for a few stores, and it is comparatively little that a man oannot raise on his own land. I have already alluded to tba blue marly clay whioh exists in this locality, and no doubt my readers are aware that marly soils are generally moet fertile, for as long baok as the time of Henry 111. it was not uncommon in England to enrich soil by putting marl upon it, though now it ia more customary to use lime, the chief fertilizer in the marl, alone. What I wish to point out, however, is, that whore tbis blue clay occurs in the Tadmor and adjacent valleys gold too is found, and therefore its presence is of triple importance, though the fact of its indicating the presence of coal ia of the greatest consequence. After ascending the Tadmor Valley for a distanoe of. some five miles, our road' lies aoross the Tadmor river, a small stream' whioh hitherto

from view, and at tbii point we noticed wher* alluvial mining had been oarrled en. W« then ascend the hill to a low saddle, over which ia the i BBMBT VAILIT. ■ Right'on the Saddle is an old miner* claim, and on the other side, in the gully whioh runs down to the rear of Mr Phillips' house in the ! Sherry, are other mining olaims. From the summit down there is still some good bosh standing, though the owner of the land haa been burning off as much as possible, preparatory to sowing down in graßS, and making provision for sheep and cattle. The road we • are now going down was made gome eighteen > years ago, I was given to understand, when Culliford's reef was going to convert every Nelson burgher into a bloated millionaire. The dream of the time has passed like other yißions, buttha road remains and continue* in very good repair, though why, when a much better grade could have been got with less trouble and expense, the road was taken up and down, down and up, is a mystery to me. In a short time we reached the home of Mr W. H. Phillips, owner of a large seotioa 1 of the adjacent country, as well as member of the Waimea County Council and Upper Motueka Road Board, and then we said no more as to why the roads so far were well kept Mr Phillips ii a very important member of a small community, for he is the store, keeper, then he is a Justice of the Peace, whilst as member of the, County Council, Road Board, Education Board, &c, he haa his hands pretiy full. At his establishment there is also a Post Office and^flMWitf^ Station, of which Mr Phillips is noi]iißj»J|jr&b&t chief, but greatly as we were impit|i||pgaf&]fe l i the importance of that gentleman, KMHisjit^, sure my friend thought more highly «f FiWs deputy when he was handed a letter from home, from which he had been absent some time. Having enjoyed the passing hospitality of Mr Phillips, we start on again, meeting a number of rosy faced school children just let loose from.their books. Before descending to the level of the plain, we have some view of the Sherry Valley above where we enter it, but the smoky haze prevents us seeing very clearly. In tbe valley, the grass is muoh more fresh than that in the Waimeas, and evidently the land is good. Passing .through a gateway we soon approach the Sherry river, which runs between tolerably high clay bankl on which some native shrubs grow. In times of flood the river, so far as we could judge, rises to nearly the height of these banks,, which give the stream a. much more pleasing appearance than the usual shingle beds with whioh so many of the rivers in this part are usually bounded. On enquiring as to why the river gained its name, I was told it was because the color of the water was like that of the wine from which it.was christened, but I must admit I flaw little restm* blanoe. We orossed the river at the usual ford, bat ju*t above it a suspension bridge of simple construction has been stretched from bank to bank for the con. venience of foot passengers. We have now reached the excellent run, or rather sheep farm, belonging to Mr Roderick M'Rae, of Richmond, and well known as the Wangapeka Bun. In places we still have noticed the blue marly clay of the coal measures where side cuttings have enabled us to see beneath the surfaoe. The Sherry has for many years yielded good gold .and while at periods more or less remote small rushes have set in, there are always some men obtaining the precious, metal. • PKOSPBCT9 OF THE WDMOB ANB IHSBXtT. It will have been noticed that the opal . measures extend through the Tadmor and Sherry, and no doubt this formation connects with that at the Baton, where seams of ooal are exposed^ Away up the Tadmor, I wag told that coal had actually been exposed; and there ia every probability that a very extensive coalfield exists in this district, whioh is little more than 40 miles from Nelson by road. With the Midland Railway running from Nelson, through the Tadmor, to the Buller, the field would be brought within easy distance of a port, for the distance would not be so great as to make the railway freight £" „_» r ._t_tt.*..i.,. A. .ta»-w»«ijat or coal in. creased, the freight would come down to the lowest payable limit, and as, even with* out harbor improvements at Nelson, vessel! of considerable tonnage could be loaded with despatch, and would not be sabjeoted to the) delays whioh sometimes ooour in other places, the export of coal would Boon assume large dimensions. Such a trade would, of course; improve the local markets, and the settlors of the Motueka, the Motupiko, the Tadmor; Sherry, and adjacent valleys, would share largely in the increased prosperity of the whole district. When one looks at tha developments which followed the opening up of the coalfields in the North of England, speculation as to what would peour here is almost boundless, w' one must not forget that very maay yr ».ust necessarily elapse before there can b dry large local demand for ooal for manufacturing purposes. Still; one industry brings another, and with ready means of transport to the shores of Tasman Bay, to the West Coast towns, and through to Canterbury and the whole south of the Island, supply arid domand. while keeping pace Mr latively, would speedily grow apace. THE WAHGAFEKi PLAIN. , Mr M'Bae's run extends across the Wanga. peka plain, and embraces a large area of really good country, indeed,; the fine sheep brows* ing on the rich herbage as we pass, bear testimony to the excellenoe of the pastures, as well as to the good judgment of their owner, who seizes every opportunity'of improving hia flocks, more especially by the introduction of some of the best bred.ramß to be obtained. Not far below where we cross the plains the Shercy joins the Wangajpeka river, of which it is one of the largest tributaries. For many milfS down there is a large expanse of broad alluvial flats bounded by terraces, bot before the Wangapeka joins-the Motneka the flat land becomeacontrected'till the bills nearly meet the rivet flowing between them. Our course, however, is upward, and aa wo leave the plain the road is through busb, and close to tha Wangftpeka river, tba power of which is evident from the huge boulders and masses of water-rounded rocks between and around I which the river swirls. The river is bounded IVi both sides by broken, buah-eovered granite i J a^ea, .which extend up to about where the; Dart fiows"inlo-'ilh^aicn.^r i : Our drive up the Wangapeka is Vian exceeding* pleasant one, putting aside such minor discomforts^ 3; being jerked over a big stump at one point „ and being nearly pitched out, a wheel having met this obstruction Where only yielding^ climbing plants were visible, and bumping iri * another place over a shaky wooden bridge hastening to decay. Nevertheless, the chang. ' ing scene more than compensates,for any* thing short of a real mishap. Between us and the river the distance is only to be measured in feet; but short as it is, the spaoe is occupied by luxuriant vegetation, and so are the hillside and the small fiats on our left. Ferns grow in profusion, and some of the most beautiful of the New Zealand shrubs. Here and there, too, we come ttpon',. a bush of sweet brier, with its brilliant berries, and then upon great masses of bramble bearing blackberries of such a size as we had not seen before, the moist climate and rich ; soil evidently Buiting them well, I have called ' attention to the presence of the brier and ; bramble more especially with a view to point V out the danger whioh exists of theEb becoming ' ; an intolerable nuuance'. Till now we had. seen little of the brier—which has become such a pest on the hillsides near Nelson—after leaving the Motueka Valley, but the blackberry has already gained a firm footing «ght: through the district. It would, certainly be wise if those interested would spend a ixttU s , time and labor now in eradicating these rendered unprofitable. Proceeding along .this ,; bush road, we noticed that some'clearing hai:;been done on the steep hillside oathej)^^^ brambles for otherwise theywill find good laad aita bank'of the river,:and; as we journeyed we;:: came to fenced clearings on the side.oirwhicn : we were. This work, we foand, had been .; done by an energetic settler, Mr :*3Bkie, -*. whose house we soon reached. Adjoining it / is a fruit orchard, and the whole placo down, to the painted gates, shows not only that the owner bad determined to carve out a borne for himself in this out of the way valley, and that, by perseverance and labor, he has succeeded, but that he has gone to work in a most ' thorough and careful manner. A little later ' we crossed the river Dart, another tribuary of the Wangapeka, and arrived at our destination for the night, Mr Chandler's house. (To be continued.) "\ >",■ ,■ . ".i, '. ■ ■ < ■ •:■ i