EARLY WAIRARAPA.

Wairarapa Age, 20 August 1929, Page 3

EARLY WAIRARAPA.

THROUGH THE LOWER VALLEY IN 1853. CARTER’S FIRST JOURNEY. (History culled from original sources by J. H. Fieldhouse.) The story of Carter's first journey to the Wairarapa is partly told in 4 ‘Early Wairarapa” pages 5-7 and 23-25. It was in May, 1853, that Mir Carter made this journey, having business with Mr. Kelly of Turanganui station. The following extracts are from Carter’s “Life and Recollections:— From the lighthouse (now Pencarrow) I proceded on my way, and arrived, to my surprise at a dry stone wall enclosing a plot of cultivated ground, evidently erected by the natives. A short distance from here, I came upon about a dozen huts, but not a soul to be seen. It was in all probability a native fishing village. I was soon passing through that pest of a weed —the dock —which from the out-of-the-way places I have observed it growing in, I believe to be indigenous to New Zealand. Close to the pah at Orongorongo I came in sight of a house and the first sheep station on the coast kept by Mr. D. Riddiford .... Mt. and Mrs Riddiford kindly invited me to dinner with them. They had a nice cottage and garden and appeared veoy comfortably situated. They told me I could easily reach Mr. Matthews’s station before dark. On I went till I found I was in a swamp in a mass of reeds and flax bushes. ... I had lost my way. . /. I slept under a clump of laurels (karakas). At last day dawned and I crossed the dreaded Muku Muku rocks and came to a fine beach of soft sand and eventually ascended by means of a well-beaten pathway which brought me to Mr. 0. Matthews’s Wharepapa station. Mr. Matthews bade me welcome, and after breakfast he took me out into his “run” and from an elevated part of it I had for the first time, a view of the great Wairarapa Valley, from its mouth or lower end. ... In the afternoon I left the station of my con si derat host, and after walking over the length of the sand spit I crossed the outlet of the Lake in the ferryboat. I noticed at the time there were myriads of wild ducks floating on the Lake’s surface.

From the ferry-house I walked over a plain up to my knees in natural grass and soon arrived at Turanganui. . . . For the return journey I hired a horse, and after a night at the ferryhouise, I made my way to the Muku Muku rocks, where the horse appeared so alarmed at the boiling surf, that he would rot move an inch. I gave up further attempts to pass the rocks and made my way to Mr. Matthews’s station, where I was kindly supplied with dry clothes and warm food and there I remained for the night. Next day towards noon Sir Osborne Gibbs arrived, and he agreed to accompany me to Wellington by the inland road. Off we started. We soon passed the ferry-house and* Turanganui and were here overtaken by a butcher, Charlie Luxford, and a jockey of Wellington who were in the valley for the purpose of purchasing fat cattle and were anxious to arrive at Mr. McMaster’s, Tuhitardt-a station, before the latterfl canny and shrewd Scotchman, not easily done' —would be aware of a rise of a penny a pound which had taken place in Wellington. They were therefore in a hurry, and asked us, as we were strangers to the track —no roads in the valley in those days—to accompany them and go on a little faster. We parted company with our two companions and arrived at Mr. A. Gillies’s station, Otaraia, where we were hospitaby entertained for the night. After riding across a beautiful grassy plain we arrived at Mr. Bidwill’s Station, Pihautea, on the opposite banks of the Ruamahanga. We had been told to shout—to cooee. We did, and Mr. Bidwill came in a goodsized canoe. Thanks to Mr. Bidwill’s trouble and kindness we landed I safely and proceeded to his farm house where Sir Osborne Gibbs decided to stay the night, and I continued my journey over some fine fem ridges to the next station, Hakeke, situated in a romantic glen, and owned by the stout, aged but jovial Mr. Morrison. Here (aa at all the stations I had visited) I was well received, fed and lodged. From Mr. Morrison’s I travelled through “Morrison’s Bush” and across the stony Moroa plain—about ten miles—to 44 Burlings” (now Featherston situated at the foot of the Rimutaka mountain range. On the Wairarapa side of the range there was only a “bridle track”—a path about four feet wide and in some parts it was washed away. I rested for the night at Mr. Hodder’s accommodation house at the Pakuratahi and next morning I continued Imy journey on the unmade road which ran over hills and swampy flats. The roads over swampy flats were made passable by means of bush poles, which were laid close together across the middle of the road. These were—as in America—called “corduroy” roads, and at this time formed a very precarious footing for a man on horseback. At last I arrived at the Upper Hutt, and as the road from there to Wellington was good, I soon terminated my first journey into the interior.