WHERE TO SPEND A HOLIDAY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7332, 19 February 1902, Page 4

WHERE TO SPEND A HOLIDAY.

A VISIT TO HANMER SPRINGS. (By D.A.C.). It was a grey showery morning when the train steamed out of the Christchurch railway station at 7.35 o'clock, bound for Culverden, and thence for Hanmer Springs. Of ail slow trains, that one was surely the very slowest, and the deliberate and careful way in which those sixty-nine miles were spun out over five hours, so as to reach the railway terminus just in time for luncheon, was nothing short of masterly. No vulgar burry is here. You may view the landscape thoroughly, and allow its contours to sink deep into your memory. The gardens and orchards on, either side of the line CTva'de it plain that apple-land extends tfrbtti Fendalton and Papanui to the Styx. From here onwa rd sh eep : ha ye things much •their own way. At Belfast the well-known freezing works, with its stacks of tall chimneys and the various manufactories of by-products, such as soap and fertilisers,! is the raison d'etre of a rising and prosperou^township. Further on.Kaiapoi, with its far-famed woollen mills, lies snugly ensconced in the valley of the Waimakariri. Rangiora, with its refreshment stall and cups of tea temptingly displayed on the platform, came next, and thence through green fields and past cosy homesteads to Amberley. Glasnevin ami Waipara.. At the Weka Pass the landscape changes, 'and a limestone formation reveals itself, in fantastic simulations of houses perched on the hill sides, somewhat resembling those at Castle Hill on the W*sb Coast Road. Sheep farms lie on either hand, and one began to realise whait a great sheep country one was passing through, when — a glad sight — Culverden station was reached. - And what an appetite one ihatl! Since leavin? town the train ascended several hundred feet above sea-level, and that pro- ; bably accounted for th>. interest with which the passengers looked forward to luncheon. This, well- cooked ?rod served- awaited, their ■Dleasure at the Cujverden Hotel, and an hour later they we r e. merrily bowline away over the Amuri Plains in the Hanmer coach, which meets the train, on its arrival. By this time the. weather had repented somewhat of its ill-humour, and began to reveal the couhtrv.. To the ; eapt nvd west were hills, and Cheviot; lay behind to the eastwards. At last Leslie Hills station was made out, en the other side of the Waiau, a broad and tfoi«y river rushing ; angrily over the rocky bed it has torn for itself out of the hills. The coach road follows its bank for some distance, and there, smiling in the afternoon sunshine, one saw the pretty plantation nnd green fields: that surround •" Montrose. the station belonging tn Mr William Rutherford. Here the Waiau gets more interesting. Overhanging its rocky bed are native trees and shrubs, amd , in one spot a huge rock, overgrown with native trees, forms an island in the river. Soon the road is closed in on either side by towering hills covered with tussock graS3, and dotted with thousands of cabbage palms, for no .bush js visible here. At last, and . with startling suddenness, the coach takes a dip, and pulls up atj The Ferry Accommodation Hous<v about five rttilfc? from the Springs. Here * another, surprise was awaiting in. the miaintlv" pretty broad verandah, giving on the garden, where presently a tray with nectar and ambrosia was set on a dainty afternoon tea table. Tbs nectar was delicious tea, brewed, by a master-hand, "*th© ambrosia took the fpriji of buttered, scones. Cake was there tod, but •who could look at cake beside scones like these? ,The Ferry was a; charming spot. Just beyond the garden, with its row of sheltering pines, -the bank fell sheer down to the bed of the Waiau, many feet below, and presently a visit was paid to $he river-bed by a marrow; path to see the great iron bridge which spans the gorge. It is weir worth seeing, too, this delicate bit of lace-work, hung so daintily, yet bo firmly, high up above the \ blue shining river. . ' .)■ . By the time the party had returned, the horses had been changed and the journey was resumed. A few micutes driving, and the bridge was reached, and it was with a thrill of pleasure that one looked at the water so far below, and the mountain side along which the road tad been cut. And then one seemed to be on the border of the promised land — a ' valley of glittering streams shut in' by lofty hills. First came the Hanmer, an affluent of the Waiau ; next the Perceval was forded, and last of all the Rodgerson, merely brawling streams just then, but capable of much mischief when swollen by rain or melted snow. And then, almost before one x realised that the journey was over, the coach swept up the drive to the door of the Sanatorium, to make, as was discovered later, the second of the two chief events of the day — the arrival of the coach and mails. In honour of the importance of trie occasion, all the visitors, and many of the residents, gathered c.n\the spacious verandah and in the Sanatorium grounds. From the first moment Hanmer appeals to one. To tba busy brain-worker from , the city, it is a veritable haven of peace, where trains and trams worry not, and even the telephone is at rest. Do you wish to walk? There are hundreds of hills beckoning you up their slopes. Do you wish to do nothing? There is the spacious piazza of the Sanatorium, with its wicker lounge chairs from whose cosy depths you may look for. ifa ours at the eternal hills without ever getting tired of them. For they are not obtrusive, these silent sentinels keeping guard over the plateau on which Haomer Springs lie, and their serrated peaks and graceful slopes put on a new beauty with every hour of the day. The atmosphere, •moreover, is of the mountains, for the Sjainatorium lies at least twelve hundred' feet above the level of the sea, and, needless to say, there is no dust. , The Government Sanatorium, iis without doubt the handsomest building in Hanmer, and, with, its broad: red roof, is the first object that catches the eye as onej approaches the Springs. It is a large onetoried: building, with, a fine 'broad verandah about twelve feet wide extending along the whole front of the house, which faces the east. . It stands in about seven acres of grounds, which are prettily laid out with trim lawns and gay flowerbeds, through which run the dirive and a number of walks. 'Beyond all is a. ■ plantation of English trees that are making good progress, and will, in a few years, afford sheltered promenades. The Sanatorium contains about thirty rooms, and of these the readin-g-room, drawing-room and smok-ing-TOom ar« situated in front, while bedrocais and the bathroom take up one wing, the other 'being occupied by the dining-

room, doctor's room, office, several bedrooms, a.nd the kitchen, behind which again is that portion of the .building reserved for those' who cannot afford the charge for board in the first-class portion. A feature of the building is the lighting, which is done -by means of natural gas. The cooking, which, by the way, is exceptionally good, is done by gas, also, with an enormous gas stove, the largest, it is said, in New Zealand. It was indeed a sight to see this great stove covered with saucepans and boilers all merrily bubbling away, while the- large ovens were filled with puddings and cakes. But while one admired the cooking, one felt sorry for the cook, for the kitchen is so arranged as to make it impossible to ventilate and cool the small room by opening the outside door. The result is that on a cold day the kitchen was too warm to be pleasant, but on a hot day it approximated to a Turkish bath in temperature. The bedrooms are airy and mosi comfortably furnished, but one might perhaps be permitted to remark that daily dusting and spotless toilet covers are all that is ineeded to make, them perfect. One anomaly that could not, fail to arrest attention was the absence of hot water in. the bathroom; It is true that the hot mineral baths are only a stone's throw away, but invalids, and oven, those who are perfeotlj well, require hot water occasionally, aaic this should certainly foe obtainable in-.tht bathroom. With such a. splendid supply oJ natural gas it would surely , be a simplt matter to remedy this deficiency 'by means of a geyser or two. The trim flower-beds provide an abundance of blossoms during the summer months, andthese, if artistically used on the diningtable, and in the reading and drawingroom, would add immea^uraibly to the refined and home-like appearance of those spacious rooms. The more solid creature comforts are, however, well looked after by Mr and Mrs Macdonald, the managers oi this establishment, who aie capably assisted by the. various members of their family. There are, of course, other places where visitors may put up, but the roomy Sanatorium, with its splendid verandah and charming grounds, should certainly take precedence of them all. . The bath grounds, with the bath-houses and swimming pools, are as pretty as verdant lawns, gay flower-beds and tall sheltering trees can make them. The warm baths themselves are most delightful, and the white porcelain baths, with which th« new bath-house and a portion of the old one are fitted, answer capitally to the purposes of hygiene. There are, however, several of the old wooden ones, already condemned by DrMaeon, which axe still used, and 1 even preferred by a few people, who aipparently fail to realise the risk they run by usiag them. In the interests pf health they should be closed or replaced by porcelain ones without delay.' Mr and Mrs Rogers, the obliging bath superintendents, , are indefatigable in theit attention to visitors ; but one cannot help thinking that their hoiirs — from six in the morning till six at night — are much too long without extra assistance. On Wednesdays, too, the bath-houses are available till nine o'clock. Skilled massage is to be had, also, in connection- with the baths. This department is in charge of Miss Edith Cooke, whose London experience places her in the forefront of massage nurses. At) present there is no resident medical man at Haniner." Dr Little, of Culverden, however, makes, a regular weekly visit to the Sanatorium, where he has a" consulting-room, and may be seen by those desiring his advice. ■ •."■■» A well-kept' bowling green, a croquet lawn and a tennis, court provide plenty ai exercisfe. within the bath grounds, and^here iiiost of the visitors spend the time wheD tliey are not occupied in .taking the baths. On hot days — and these are not unknown at Hanmer in summer-time — garden-seats, placed in shady 'corners, invite less energetic people to read or dream the hours away, listening to nothing more exciting than the hum of the honey-bees among the clover. . The chief feature of the grounds, from a pictorial point of view, is one that no visitor should! foil to admire. It is the brilliant mass of colour that just now fills the verandah of Mr Rogers's cottage. Vivid scarlet geraniums, splendid begonias, such ias Nairn and Son might be proud of, togeUiher with gay fuchsias, make the house a brilliant spot that cannot fail' to charm the eye. Mr amd Mrs Rogers are flower enthusiasts, and adm at nothing less than perfection in their favourite plants. Outside the grounds lies Hanmer township, with the post office, store, afternoon tearoom and a. small, but well selected library of up-to-date fiction. Not far away too is the school, a Presbyterian Church, and the Church of England, which was consecrated by; Bishop Mules, only a few weeks ago. It would not do to omit any mention of the pretty walk up Jack's Pass, perhaps the most picturesque bit of hill and nartive bush within easy access of the' Sanatorium. The road leaob to the former site of Mrs Lahmert's boanding-house, and then becomes a track along the Rodgerson, which tumbles over its shingle bed, fringed by manuka scrub, and maikes an ideal spot for a picnic. Time flies very quickly at Hanmer ; there aire such splendid facilities for losing all count of it. One is amazed at the rapidity wit>h which one learns how to be busy doing nothing. Yet the days are apparently full. After breakfast nobody thinks of attempting to do anything till the coach has left.. 1 This important event over, one takes a bartih, drinks the water, and dreams with one eye shut and the other not open, till the luncheon gong sounds. That meal discussed 1 , one may walk", read, or dream again, till half past three, which invariably brings the tea-titiy. A stroll round the grounds occupies the time till five o'clock, when the new arrivals and the mails give plenty to think about till the six o'clock dinner. A short walk to watch the sunset which paints itself in glorious colours aanong these highlands, a chat on the verandah • -fill suppertime, and then — quite early— everyone disperses to restz. It is not surprisinc that a few weeks of this resSul mountain atmosphere should make the visitor feel quit* rejuvenated and ready to descend ta the bustling work-a-day life that lies in the cities beyond the hills. Andl yet, it wae with no small reluctance that our party turned their backs on the Happy Valley and its dolce far niente existence, to take up once more the threads of their dlaily vocations.