THE REST HOUSE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12029, 9 June 1917, Page 10

THE REST HOUSE.

• A SUMMIT ROAD LINK. CEREMONY AT DYER'S TASS. Trudging over to Governor's Bay twenty years ago, a. not uncommon topic was the possibility of building a tramway to the top of Dyer's Pass. Tin.- wish was usually the father to an idle tli ought. Nobody ever spoke seriously of a. tramway on the hills. Five years ago the trip to "Govs" was still as tedious, with its steep first mile of climbing to the Convalescent Homo, where waistcoats were unbuttoned, and caps rolled up and pocketed. Rut now the tramway poles have crept nearly hail' way up to tho Pass. Victoria Park, always a. hopeless, uselss kind of reserve as far as the city was concerned, becomes less and less attractive. It is practically at the tram; terminus. It has lost its value as an '•objective. - ' The climber leaves it behind .in n few strides. The elui.-nn of thr hills has never been an isolated picnic pitch, but the healthy, invigorating lure of the summits. And the -work ol the Summit Road Association is the only truly national work that luas been tackled seriously in or near Christchurch. The Summit Track has grown from the merest sheep track to a broadening highway that will link knob to knob along the range of sum-

mils from Gofliey TFoad 'to Akaroa Light. And cunningly along the route have been planted tic- road houses that beguile the time for the. foot traveller. The new house at Dyer's Pass, now half an hour's walk from the Irani terminus. appears destined to be known just as the Pest House, although iu some quarters it is called the Toll House. Ir is a tea house unique in New Zealand. fi is a motrument to the masterly optimism ol Mr Kll. Hie father of the Summit ILiad movement, and its value will increase as each summer passes over its head. It required some foresight to plan and build the Rest House, but it requires none to predict that it will be the most popular piVnie rendezvous within hail of Chrirdchurch. If is a. half-way link between the already popular rest houses at .Mf. Pleasant' and Kennedy's Bush. Unlike them, however, it is merely a tea house, and has no stoivoyor accommodation. The Rest T-louse is visible as the tram, climbs Ha'-klhorne "Road, but it does not come into sight again until one is comparatively close to it. Built ol red stone from the hills, if presents a pleasant exterior, sitting snugly on the saddle, with a view down the harbour in one dmeolion and across the plains to the Alps in the other. A stone column, mrmnuntod by a lamp, carries an old Knglish swinging roadbousp .sign, with the pleasant inscription :

C'limbbijr don?, Tbst is '.von An inviting flight nf red stone steps leads to the entrance, an open porch, vith big p!ato-g!a.\s windows at each end. Acres.; the porch i.s a deep jarrah beam, hearing the quaint carved inscription :

Joe on, jo" on, tlio foolpndi -.vay, And merrily hc-nt <=!:lr-n; A nifrrv lier.'rt c'.f" a:I tl ,p ''by, Your PJ'.l liros in a mi;e-a-. Entering the porch another old carved in script iciri meets the eye:--I'll tli' 1 bill, hovoiwl the «li!o, Hoiv fll>yd« and rcr-t a vhylo. And as one turns to le;ire t.lio ten room for the next, staeo of ihe Summit road the parting inscription leads: Morrv to m«"i, M»itv 1o pnrt, Morr" to roost. again. One is strongly tempted to linger at the Rest House instead of going on for the exhilarating pr.no ram a from the, trad; nonr Kennedy's Bush. It is proposed. in fact, to make a track round Mount Sugar'.oaf, coming right round the edg" of the cliff with an ironrailed track, cut out of the rock. This will be a beautiful short trip from the Pass, but it will not be completed jor some t.im<\ unless an enthusiast makes a big donation for the purpose. Some apprehen'-ior. has been expressed that, the Rest House may prove so attractive a spot that walking )JgJ'tics will not exert themselves to go furtjie- afield. Hut. Mr EH believes, ;ind many regular walkers ft-Toe with him. flint, it will be the incentive to walk - on one way or another. Kennedy's Rush was a long I ramp without a break, but now it will seem a very sim-ple journey. A toll gate bar.s the way. and the pedestrian "'ill be asked to give a penny for his passport. The money 's badly needed by the Summit Road Association. It depends on private donations, and ihe subscriptions rf an all-too-small membership list. DVEIVS PASS TEA ROOM. THE OFFICIAL OPENING. The new tea house which has been ejected at the summit of Dyer's .Pass, on the roiul from Chrislchurcli to Governor's .Hay, was officially opened this afternoon, in the presence of a large number of persons, most- of whom eoveierl the distance between the tramway terminus ami the pass on loot a goi/.l three-quarters oi ail hour's climb. The tea house, a full description of which has been already published, is now nearly completed, and in fact was ready for businessfor all practical pmposes this afternoon. Its hospitable doorway bears the legend, "Ij> the hylic beyond the stile, here abide and lest awhy|e,' ! .and the pedestrians among this afternoon's assemblage were very ;;lad lo accept the silent invitation. • Anion'l'-f those present were Mr M 'firoLioi- \Yi iu'h I, M a vor of Woolst.on. Mr 11. G. Ell M.P., who presided, asked Mr George Gould, senior trustee of the tea rooms, to formally declare, the tea room open for the public. Mr Gould said that speech-making was not in his line, and this was the first open-air gathering he had ever addressed. However, he was very pleased to he present at the christeni'ig oi this :iew institution. Me fell: sure it would prove both welcome and useful. There wns nothing more inspiriting to tb" dwellers on the plains, and nothing more southing to the trouble! soul, than to ascend among the hills, He felt sure that now tlte tea house was erected the public would no/, let it lack for the means of mainifnanco. He had to thank Mr H. G. Ell and many business men who had given financial assistant*'., aoid he tendered cs-

pedal thanks to those sictualJ.v courcriipd in the erection ol tho building. Mr KII thanked -Mr UouJd for li:s presence ;it the ceremony and tor tho. utv material support he Intel given tit' uiiriortnkinK. Tunnies 'worn also duo to Messrs J. S. Barrett, W. 0 CampStrange rnv.t Co. Ballamyne and ( o A. .1 White ami C«»., I'-radloy Bros, and to Mr 0. CalVort. without whoso assistance the' proioet. would never have boon •uxs'ihle; 'I "he buildiim would last for trr.ilion* to come. 'l'he speaker also rested his gratitude to Mr ,S. J hirst Summit Road Association, who had designed tlio buildin<i ami liad taken a .■•rent, interest, in its'eroetion. _ -Mr I'., added that tho hill in the vicinity had Icon o-rantod as a public reserve .Messrs Uohcvt Malcolm, Edpir Stead and M'C'rostie bein</ appointed honojsiry trustees. Thanks were due to Mr 0. \V.. 'Bnvclley lor the sigmvritinK on the house, and'to Mr Sydney Cooper, of the School of Art, in connection '.vith tli" erection of tho stone signpost at the summit of the- pass, in front of the tea house In conewHon the speaker^expressed the 'mpe that the'surroundings of tho tea house would always ho maintained of .'.n appropriate character. Throe? cheers for Mj- Ell were heartily sjiven on the can o/ .Vic A. '•'•/. Beaveu. and the proceedings ioniK/iato<i. after which tliose present partook ol tea io. the tea housf- •