A HOLIDAY JAUNT.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12770, 11 February 1910, Page 4

A HOLIDAY JAUNT.

(Contributed.) Few travellers who view the bold i outline of the Mt. Arthur Range, with the foothills apparently coming down • to the plain along which the train wends its way through the Waimeas, ; have any conception of the large area of good land — much of it eminently suitable for general cultivation, and : thousands of acres of excellent sheep , country which lie between the railway ■ and the great range. When the question of the prospects of the district . comes up there arß many who should s know better who are too ready with ' the old time phase — "no back count try" — a cry which has helped to send ■ mauy of our young fellows away to > the North Island and elsewhere. A . short account of a trip recently taken ; by the writer may he hopes induce ■j others to view for themselves some of . tlie distribts referred tpj when he feels confident that they will be proud of :" their district, which though in parts hilly, has been blessed with rich river i flats, fertile and sheltered valleys, and ; abundant water supplies; It was a typical summer's morning ! when the writer and a friend started . to drive from Wakefield along the j Pigeon Valley road. Here on the 3 sunny side are a number of small farms, on which are several young , orchards, and, in adition, one or two , hop gardens are noticeable. On our . right blackberries are in nossession, the ground being chiefly river bed, but ' oven these will give some return, as ! the bushes are well laden with fruit, which will no doubt be gathered in , due course. A drive of a couple of , miles. or so brings us to a finger-post pointing out one road leading to Dovedale and the other to Stanley Brook. [ We take the latter, and before commencing tlie hill journey we pass several holding, with young orchards, , whose healthy trees amply prove the \ suitability of the ground in tho locality j for fruitgrowing. Much of the land i > througli which the road passes appears ' [ to be- splendid grazing country, but at | I present it is • largely overrun with t blackberries and briars. The hill road was found in very fair condition, but j it is evidently but little used, since [ the "Brook" is more readily accessible I by train from Motueka Valley. The| j- hill country grows good grass, but be- } ing not yet cleaned up the best is not being macle of it. _' We found the descent steeper than on the Wakefield side, and in a very short time we were at the foot, bowling *. along an excellent road through good } sheep country towards tlie valley. ■ Stanley Brook lies in a shallow basin, with hills on every side, the stream coming from away up on Spooner's range, winds down the valley, and I runs out through a gorgy opening in:to the Motueka. The soil is fertile, 1 i.and especially adapted to general - 1 fruitgrowing, small fruits in particu- - I lar growing to perfection. When one i considers that there is a railway station ' tion within six or eight miles, there j? can be no doubt that in the future this district will share largely in the fruit 3 industry. At present mixed farming > is followed, the hilly country being \ i used as sheep runs. j j After leaving here we crossed the *• i low saddle into Motueka Valley, a very " j fine view being obtainable from tlie 3 i top, one being able to see the slams 3 j extending southward to Motupiko, am! I also to see the homesteads at :ne ? . mouth of the Tadmor valley, across f the river. Before us as we descended were the 3 fine farms belonging respectively to V Messrs Macmahon and Drummond. ■ Here a considerable area of land, for- « merly under scrub and bramble, is 3 now bearing good corn crops, and the 1 fine cattle and sheep seen grazing in i the fields gave additional proof of care- - ful farming. Turning down the vall ley we soon descended the terrace 9 towards tho Motueka river, whose silver gleam is seen between the weep- - ing willows, while tho darker greens 1 of tho forest trees and the rugged , bluffs on our right blended so richly 1 as to make the scene worthy the 1 brush of an artist. > ! Crossing the Motueka over a care- ' fully picked ford we came -to some 3 charming peeps as the winding road a between clumps of trees led round the j hill. On our left we pass the homo of j one of the Drummond Bros., the well- . \ kept grounds of the homestead mak- . ing it one of tho prettiest places in the country. The road is now continuously in the Drummond estate until the Wangapeka crossing is reached. I heard that the run reaches well up the valley, and that the brothers own some six thousand sheep. The river crossing looks deep and uninviting, and turns out to be deep and rough, and in a fresh would be decidedly > dangerous. We catch a distant view » of the well-known Wangapeka plains, 1 and to the right the towering peak of j the Devil's Thumb conjures up visions B of the olden days, when settlers hoped r that an El Dorado lay in its shadow, ' as great things were expected from 1 the reefs in tho vicinity, but, alas, r those hopes were dissipated, and the 1 settlers who had invested. their hardj earned money turned again to face 1 their farm duties, sadder but wiser " men. We soon find ourselves wending our way up the clayey sidings on the Baton saddle. The hill slopes are still in many places carrying a great growth of fern, but patches of grass seen here and there show us tvhat the hills are capable of. At the top well grassed fields are met with, and on the Baton side ifc is evident that the land has been in occupation for many [ years. A good view of the Baton valj ley is obtained from the saddle, and t the grandeur of the mountain scenery is striking. The only homestcjad [ visible is that formerly owned by Mr t Alex. Thomson, whose extensive run , is now in the hands of a farmer hail- ' r ing from the Canterbury district. Tlie t road along the valley is in splendid I. order, and as there is considerable fall the river alongside rushes along at j! a great rate, adding much to the charm of the mountain scenery. Generally the valley is narrow, but here and there it widens, some of the more extensive flats being under crop. Nearing the mouth of the valley the hills are well grassed with abundance of feed. Approaching the junction of the Baton and Wangapeka the valley widens, and the suspension cart bridge across the Motueka is seen ahead. . This bridge is a fine structure, and . considering the long span is remarki ably rigid. The pretty homesteads . on both sides^ of the bridge, embowered [ in the greenery of their gardens, with j the bridge as the chief object of vision, is a scene that fixes itself in one's memory, and is worth going a long way to see. We are now in the valley of the Motueka, and to the south a finely metalled road leads back to Stanley Brook,- arid northward stretches on and on to the port. - The extraordinary fertility of the river flats is soon in evidence, and the drive along this district is most enjoyable. Soon the Dove river, another tributary of the big river, is reached, and we cross it by, tho new cart bridge. Turning up the valley, we drive towards Thorpe. This is a well settled district, and we pass several fine lots of milking cows, yet a creamery in the district stands unused! Hop gardens and corn fields are again noticed until we reach the night's rendezvous at Mr A. Silcock's well-known accommodation house. 'In the distance its gabled roof and surrounding buildings recall the picture of an old English homestead,; and here the visitor . is made to fed so much at home that it is really like being at some well-kept country house. From Thorpe the traveller to Motueka has the choice of two routes, both over good roads. The more direct' leads overflow saddle, and then is down -hill 'through' Ngatimoti and Moutere till the townslfipTS reached. The other is to follow the Dove back to the junction, and then to take the river road, which is on the banks of the Motueka for the greater part of the distance. We chose the latter route, and with j regard to scenery it is far and away the finest drive anywhere within easy distance from Nelson. 1 Besides the striking beauty of the river reaches,

nearly every turn brings into view j homesteads .. c l ., ..i'.-ated on gentle elevations overlooking the river. It i certainly came as a surprise to me to find the country so well settled, and the land on the hill slopes so good. In places rape and turnip crops are to be scon away up on the hill sides, and looking equally as well- as those on the level. Tiie river scenery is very beautiful, the banks being planted with weeping willows, whose greenery droops into the water. In places the native bush is still standing alongside the road, and the shade of the trees looked invitingly cool on this hot summer's day. So far there does not appear much flat land on the western side of the river, but lower down the valley widens, and I was told that it would be quite possible to make on that side a practically level cart road from the Baton down towards Brooklyn. Where the Pearco river comes in a large valley is being opened and cleaned,, and from this point a road is already made to the more settled valley of the Graham, which enters the main stream at Pokororo. In this locality there is considerable settlement on both sides. Crossing the big river at the wide reach at Haycock's ford a pretty drive through an avenue of trees leads back towards the Pearce, or one might drive up the Graham- to the point where the track leads up to the Tableland. The flats near the river in this district are of splendid soil, being especially suitable for fruitgrowing. At Pokororo a fine suspension bridge spans the river, and while stock may be driven across, ii is unfortunate]./ not strong enough for vehicular traffic. From this point downward orchards and raspberry gardens on both sides of the river become a common sight. One large orchard is said to be fifty acres in extent, and what looks one of the largest raspberry plantations we were told was some twenty-six acres. The next striking feature is the fine bridge at Alexander's Bluff. The structure, built of hardwood, is supported on filled iron cylinders embedded in concrete on the rocks below, and the bridge must be a great boon to the settlers across the river. The cutting up of the Johansen estate on the right bank has led to much closer settlement, and many young orchards and raspberry gardens are to be seen. What is likely in the future to be a great trouble to the settlers is the willows and poplars in the bed of the river. Numbers of small islands are being formed where willows have already grown to considerable size,' and these islands are likely to not only divert the stream so as to cut into the banks, but will also in flood time check the water getting clear away. Innumerable young .willows are to be seen growing on the gravel, and unless these are removed or keDt down, ,n the future it is going to cost somebody a_ deal of money. Expresses laden with empty red raspberry kegs are met returning from Motueka, and similar features as before^ — rich river flats, orchards, and well-built houses — continue until the. flat open farm land near the port comes into view. ' Motueka is too well known to need further description, but only a casual look round is sufficient to show the growing importance of the fruit industry. The district has become famous for raspberry. growing, and a number of pulping factories arc to be seen,- including those of several outside firms, such as Crease's and the Frimley Company. While- at Motueka we found comfortable quarters at the Motueka Hotel, now under the capable management of Mr and Mrs Savage. Before starting on our return a drive was taken around the thriving district of Riwaka. The richness, of the soil in this favoured district" is well known, and a number of settlers go in for mixed farming. Fruitgrowing is receiving much attention, while parts seem ideal country for dairy farming, and in other parts extensive hop gardens are under cultivation, and are* looking well. Here, as in Motueka and up the river, are to be seen usually in the orchards or near them pumpkins and melons growing luxuriantly, and giving promise of an abundant harvest. Our return journey was made via Moutere — a valley which in tho near future promises to be a series of orchards from end to end. Very few hop gardens remain, but the flats are gradually being brought into cultivation, much of the land bearing good crops of ripcining grain. At Upper Moutere the undulating hills have been greatly improved through cultivation, and are now capable of supporting numbers of sheep. The higher land is still reckoned barren land, but with tho advance, of agricultural science even this ma 3' 3 r et be turned to profitable account. At Redwood's Valley, on the Nelson side, where heavy clay land obtains, tha orchards now in full bearing amply attest the excellence of the soil for this crop, and it is surprising that orchardists have not given this district more attention. What impressed me most during the trip was the very large extent of sheep country along the river and its tributaries, the wonderful fertility of the river flats and their capability for large and small fruit growing, and the progress, made in recent years by Motueka and Riwaka. Seeing that an effort is being made to improve the harbour at the former place, so as to make, it accessible for larger steamers, the chief necessity in conjunction with this enterprise is for tramways or light railways to run up the river valley and the Moutere rer.pectivejy, to enable settlers to bring in their produce more quickly and for general transport purposes. The scenery along the route described is very fine indeed, and the Tourist De<partment could well add to their collection photographs of parts of the district to show the beauty of the river, and in others the fine orchards and raspberry plantations. The round trip from Nejson, via Dovedale, down the river road to Motueka, returning home through the Moutere, is approximately about ninety miles. The roads are uniformly good, and the delightful scenery along the route make it one fo the finest drives in the Dominion. K.