ON THE WEST COAST ROAD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3948, 13 December 1880, Page 3

ON THE WEST COAST RO AD.

[by oub special eepoeteb.]

The opportunity came at last. I had been hopiDg, longing for it for years. Stories of the wonders of the West Coast road— of the marvellous beauty of the Otira Gorge -had led me, aided by photographs of the scenery, to take this journey in imagination again and again. My chance of the overland trip seemed as remote as ever, when I met Fuzzbee. Everybody knows Fuzzbee, and he knows everybody. He is " something in the city." Has a mysterious-looking office there, and a snug residence elsewhere. Keeps a few good horses, and one or two unpretentious but useful and com! ortabjelooking vehicles. A man of some importance is Fuzzbee, and a useful p ; llar of the church of which he is a parishioner. There are two Fuzzbees, however, Fuzzbee, the rigid man of businojs, ar.d Fuzzbee away on one ot his somewhat numerous excursions. On these occasions the reserve of the man of business is thrown off, and the other Fuzzbee stands confessed — a man full of vivacious, pleasant chat, through which runs a vein of dry humour. A ely dog withal, one who knows his way about, and who, when the time come?, knows thoroughly how to enjoy himself to the utmost.

" Look here, old fellow," he said, " jou're getting used up, and want a holiday." I pleaded guilty. " A)l right," continued Fuzzbee, "Come with me. I'm goioK over to the Weßt Coast — on important business, you know." For a few days afterwards, there was a painful sensation about the, region of my ribs ; for the " you mow" had been accompanied and emphasised by a vigorous poke. The matter was speedily arranged. Fuzzbee's plan was to drivo over, taking a pair of his own horses, 6taunch animals, such as he could depend upon, and a Btrong trap that had been built expressly for euch journeys. I receired a note, telling me to be at the railway station at four o'clock on Friday afternoon, Dec. 3. There I met Fuzzbee, who, somewhat to my surprise, told me that we were to be off by train. I was not to bother about details, he said, it was all right. Just like Fuzzbee, I thought, and held my peace. It occurred to me then, that although one could scarcely find anything new to say about the West Coast road, a sketch of the trip might not be uninteresting to tho general readers of the Lyttelton Times, s-ud that possibly a good idea might be given of a plan for making the trip an enjoyable one throughout. By coach the journey is necessarily a wearisome one — at anyrate i »r the inside passengers ; and the timed stag s do not afford opportunity for wanderings a<vay from the line of road.

In due time we were amongst the coal mines at Springfield, ani then I found that trap and horses had accompanied u». We were to pass the night atCassidy's, and make an early start therefrom on Saturday morning. Of course Fuzzbee's first care was for his horses. We saw them well- stalled and well-fed, for upon their well-being our own pleasure would materially depend. What a tea-tablo that was ! Everything ready just at the right moment, as if our worthy host had known of our intended trip. Apparently Fuzzbee foresaw my question, for as he leaned back, satisfied, he said, '' Always tell 'oin you're coming, and then your room is ready, and you have'nt to wait for something to be cooked." After tea, a pleasant chat about the trifling incidents of the railway journey. We had noticed the prosperous appearance of the township of Waddington, and the neatness and solidity of the falls and crossing places of tho Malvern water race, along which a good body of perfectly clear water was now flowing. We saw evidence, too, of considerable progress in the township of Springfield. A co-operative store, which seemed to be overflowing with all the necessaries, and not a few of the luxuries of life ; a wood-kerbed footpath running through tho main thoroughfaro ; and new trams to new coal niineß, indicating that at anyrate efforts were being made to secure a larger out-put of tho native product. And Cassidy, too, had kept even with the progress about him. He showed us his new pumping apparatus, which is capable of supplying tho hotol with a hundred gallons of water in every five minutes ; his new bath and billiard rooms ; and the various alterations made in order to secure privacy for visitors. At tho present time, however, his]) it; cede resistance is a wonderful pocket-knifo, sent out to him by Lord Harris, as a memento of the somewhat exciting overland trip made by tho members of tho English cricket team, who came hero last year, How many times will the genial whip quietly express a preference for soda, as in his own quaint way he tells tho story of that journey, and the episode of tho burnt hat ! On the road, Cassidy is, in all p:obability, to bG known no more. He and his partner, Mr Clark, having failed to secure the continuance of the mail contract, have sold tho good-will and plant of their coaching business to Mobsib Binney and Co. The uew firm commences operations on Jan. 1, and tho popularity already ci joyed by Mr Binney will bo much in Ms i'uvour. So far as I could ascertain, the present wellknown drivers will continue to handle the ribbons ; and there will bo no appreciable difference in the service.

On going to bed, I noticed tlinfc one of the windows of my rcom was covered by a stoul shutter, tho valuo of which I soon experienced. A nor'-wester was springing up, and in the course of an hour was lunging at the houee as if intent upon battering it to pieco9. The placo fairly quivered with each roaring gust; but the telegraph wires, t adding within a few feet of the window, boomed out a monotone that lulled mo to sleep. The Saturday morning was delightfully fine, though tho Weeks of cloud which wero driving along overhead, indicated that tho nor'wester — unfelt by vs — was blowing hard, and was probably making iteclf known in Christchurch. At half-past seven we sat down to a substantial breakfast. Half-an-hour later, our horses, snorting with cugerness, wero bowling us along the splendidly kept roadway, en route for the Cass river hotel, a spin of about thirtyfivo miles. In passing, we had a look at tho dam in the Kowai rivor bed, constructed for the purpoM of direrting a iuflioient quantitj

of water for the Malvern race. The work appears to be very substantial, and lo have * fair chance of withstanding the effeots oT the floods to which it will be subjected. A couple of miles further on the air was filled with sweet odours. AIL about us was a profusion of gorse, broom and manuka, ana at one point there was intermingled the fragrance of a wood fire, reminding one of rides of a similar character in Ireland. Oar horses faced tho first ford uncommonly well, and we were enabled to satisfy ourselves that the brake worked properly. I have heard of people proposing to attempt the WestCoatfc trip with a light buggy. That buggy, probably in the very first river-bed, would experience " First a shiver, and then a thrill. Then something decidedly Hke a spill." Just before we dropped down to the secontX crossing of the Kowai, F iizzbee pulled npy and requested me to mutate Lot's wife. Truly, that purple-blue ] nd scape was worthstopping for; every demil seemed "softly dark, and darkly pure," and one felt that even for this the jourmy was worth takißg. The steep and winding roadway of the Porter Pass revealed new wonders at every torn. Big clouds were drifting over, and clinging "awhile te the hill lops ; and as we neared the summit the rushing wind seemed to have M » confusion of voices" amongst the rugged peaks. At the top of the pass, where our horses were glad to halt, we noticed with some interest a couple of telegraph poles, and for the reason that we had been previously informed of the fact that these were the highest erected in New Zealand, their altitude being about 3300 feet above sea. level. The thin air was most exhilarating^ and one could fully appreciate how intensely cold this locality must be in midwinter. Fuzzbee's illustration, however, requires confirmation. He says that the people actually use ordinary baskets, instead of buckets, when milking their cows. A little, further on, w» met one of the lumbering waggons which? convey provisions, &c, aiocg this road. A. few minutes afterwards, we passed a picturesque group of drovers, who were taking » big mob of cattle over. The eleeklooking animals were grazing on a well pastured flat ; the 'drovers were seated about » camp fire a few yards away from their tethered horses, and were smoking their pipe* in lazy contentment, the dogs meanwhile keeping a vigilant watch. In front of ub was Lake Lyndon, its surface strongly rippled ; and we soon passed the icehouse, lately erected by an enterprising Christchurch firm. The water of the lake is beautifully clear, and singularly free from vegetation, bo that the ice can scarcely fail to be of fine quality. At somedistance beyond the lake, Cassidy and Clark's stables for changes of coach horses have been established. The place is known as The Springs, and we drove along very slowly, in ordor that we might notice the number and volume of the springs, which boil up in all directions, some of them discharging very large quantities of water, Fuzzbee's idea ii that these springs are simply underground streams from Lake Lyndon, which appears to have no surface outlet, and the contour of the country certainly favours this theory. Here we met Tommy Power, who, not at all intimidated by the heavy legal load of which ho had charge, pulled up for a brief chat, promised qb alt sorts of difficulties before we got through, and, in passing on, flung after us an allusion to some funny yarn which ho had heard from Fuzzbee, and which now nearly caused Fuzzbee to fall out of his seat. We had a good bumping over the wide bed of Dry creek, and then a liberal splashing in the Porter river, now running in a narrow but rather deep gut. After this, our attention was almost exclusively given to the somewhat curious ecenery of Castle Hill, a pkee which affords an admirable example of the denudation of rocks. From out the grasßy knolls, gigantic and fantastically shaped masses of limestone project themselves, now singly, now in groups. We rapidly invested many of these strange forms with legendary charm, though I am afraid our ideas were as supple as those of old Poloniuß. The only point, indeed, about which we wero at all certain,, was that one of the larg< sfc rocks bears a striking resemblance to a i:uge charger. Of this limestone or freestone there must be an enormous deposit. At subsequent stages of our journey we caw that it had been rather extensively used for building purposts. We were informed that ifc works extremely well ; that it withstands the action of any rough weather in a satisfactory manner ; and that various persons who had been enabled to compare the different freostones found in New Zealand, considered the Castle Hill samples to be by far the best. There is a queer littJe water mill here, put up by Mr O'Malley, for working his chaff-cutting machines ; and from this mill Buppließ are drawn for tho various coaching stables on the load.

At noon, almost to the minute, we pulled up at the Caßtle Hill Hotel, 20 miles from Springfield, and decided upon remaining for at least two hour*. Having stabled the horses, we went for a ramble in tho neighbourhood of Mr J. D. Eny s' station, and tested the working of one of that gentleman's snow gates. It is a queer looking apparatus, the posts to which the gate iB ni.ng bearing some resemblance to a double gibbet, with a rope dangling from either arm. Full one of these ropes, and the gate rises, describing an arc as it passes between the two high posts, and drops down on the other side of them. In the winter time, the heavy enow falls at Caßtle Hill would render the opening of an ordinary gate a task of considerable difficulty. But this gate pops up easily, and is as easily replaced. The contrivance iB so ingenious, and yet so simple, that I should much like to sco a model exhibited at our next Metro* politan Show. The dinner which Mrr Douglas prepared for us, would have been creditable to any hotel in Christchurch ; and with appetites sharpened by the bracing air, it need scarcely be said that we rapidly qualified ourselves to be regarded as civic dignitaries. Perhaps it may not be out of place to mention that at this and other hotels on the West Coast road, there are certain things which are always obtainable in unlimited quantity and of splendid quality. These are — home-made bread, home-made butter, cream and eggs. Stretching ourselves on the ground after dinner, and smoking our pipee, we listened to the song of the skylark. Fuzzbee, who has been over the road many times, says he was not previously aware that theso birds had established themselves here. Afterwards, however, we caw and heard eovoral. At half-past two we resumed our journey, and were soon in the Porter river, along which, when in flood, the boulders rush like peas down a shoot. Looking round at the hills, and observing the innumerable slides of shattered etone, it is impossible to mistake the sourco of the shingle supply of the Canterbury plainß ; and just after leaving the Porter river we saw a striking example of some of the mighty forces which are unceasingly at work in lowering these hills and in filling up the valleys and elevating the plains. There was a sudden noise, resembling a slurfc peal of thunder, and away on our left we suw what was evidently an enormous slip from the upper part of one of the peaks. Then, a great cloud of dust, of quite a p. liar form, rose slowly up to tho very top, and was there beaten back by the wind. The next stream — a small one — was Dead Man's creek, where, some time ago, the body of a murdered man was found. That murder is included in the long, dark list of undiscovered crimes. We were now nearing Cragieburn, an extremely pretty locality, and our road was on the oil go of a gully, well timbered with birch. A rapid river runs down the gully, but wideus into an easy ford lower down. Among the birch trees in the lower part of the gully, we saw two largo heaps of coal, and soon found that the outcrop had been followed for some distance. Tho quality of the coal looked promising, and an opinion subsequently given of it was that it is very superior, for household purposes, to any of the coal from tho Malvern district. A mile or two more, and at an elevation of nearly 3000 ft., wo wero skirting Lake Pearson, which is situated at the foot of the Purple mountain, and there is a statement current, that the merinos lose their teeth prematurely, having constantly to hold on to the luesacs, to uuchor themselves clown. The regioa may surely be called tho region of wind. The water of the lako was formed into ores' cd waves, and the sudden gusts would make boating thereon a dangerous amusement. Seeing that there were numbers of birds, -we proceeded rather elowly, vi.d noticed paradise ducks, teal, and ono j^air oi the erected grebe. Passing Lakes Grii-Mnere and tiuruh, und spinning jrapicly over about threo miles of nearly straight road, with v gsnllo downward grade, we finishes our •ruvlhtig for the day, at tho Cass Hotel, where Mr and Mn6«trl» welcomed Fuxzbee ai an old bund.