Gladstone

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1692, 10 June 1885, Page 3

Gladstone

(By a Traveller.) A ji'Urney to Ae Gladstone district, when attended with line weather, would, to a etranger, be surrounded with many features worthy of notice. After leaving Carterton by Park Read /turning the corner by the Bank of New Zealand), you find what has been made this last few months, a very fair district road. This road takes you through some (SCciient lu.-h land, notably the properties of Mt.-srs Dixon. Cross. Goodin, Allen, Bloruijuist. Ac. For about two miles the lend is particularly good, but some great ftmount’of ditching ia yet uqtured to be done Mr BR.mqvGt has spent some considetable gains to establish a nice nursery about a mile down Park Hoad, and Las succeeded in a most satisfactory manner ; there are very few plants, shrubs, or descriptions of young fruit trees suitable to the climate which a-e not represented in Mr Biomqvis-'s garde after turning the corm-r at the other of Park Road the scene is chang'd, some gum trees you come to Mr V,' Fsi.brotner s farm, and then to the Pars Vale tciii-d. This is a new school not long established ; Mr \V. Fail-brother is the chairmac. and Mr l>;-hl secretary, to the committee. Mrs Hac.-en G the schoolmistress. Notwithstanding that this school is in rath r an out...ing district, there are about fortv children attending, ami the nh.vcrou M is on a veiv urv spot ana has ashed tor tire children to pl.iv in in rad Weatuer. I sard ju.t now the scene had cuamred Gen.) m o t >t remark I auua> t to ih: condition cd trie- land. Li leaving Carte! ton. as I be tore observe i, y-,,.a have the gr..t;th-adjn of raoiw some

g.iu i s.'U. but on arriving at the ?p.>t where stands the Park Vale Bchool, you nti.l, running some miles back to the hills, si-uiv of tne p ove,-t lan 1 it w.-nid bo possible to un igme. It u said that nothing but a üblv: com-1 thrive bore. It is part of Mr Carter's estate. Mr Carte* is in England and is credited by some of the- runhoiders with introducing for their special torment the rabbits that now fo thickly infest this tract of country. Abviit half a mile from the school yen turn the corner to the right, where you encounter the telephone post-, and proceed ly ai. excellent hard metalled road for about two mpf-s i.u an easy declivity nutil you arrive at a tlat terrace, having below, on the ngnt Land, a swamp and lagoon caused by back water fro-a the Ku unahunga. This lagoon is a favorite eel-fishing ['lacs of the Maoris, of whom 1 shall presently speak. The roa-i at this point, which extends to the Maori pah at the corner of the terrace, is, for about one mile, quite uninstalled, and in three places, through the timber wagon t:air;e Irem Cerpe's saw mill, there are some nasty muddy puddles, such as would compel a pedestrian to make a detour by getting through the wire fences which are on either Bia- of the road. After negotiating the stretch of soft road, the Maori pah is next presented to your view, with a church, a relic of the old missionary days. I felt rather curious to take a nearer view of this sacred edifice, and went over from the unfenced road to the spot where stood this sanctuary, which in the distance teemed resplendent with its crosses and porches ; when. Jo 1 what was my surprise, when I found that instill of the pulpit and pews, as the intern d fun.iune and linings there was only a ch .lit anting machine with, tome chati carefudy la.gel. I believe that when the natives foil d that chutengoing only tended to gradu illy relieve tmm

of their pretensions to the laud, tlu-y relinquished the church - going bush jiejs art a pursuit that did not pay, engage on Sundays in the peaceful amusement of splitting posts and rails. Alas, for the frailty of human nature. When leaving the lluninuioraugi Pah you suddenly drop down in full view of the two bridges which spin the Ruumahungs River, with the old pike (now closed about two years/, and the Huruaniurangi Hotel iu the perspective. Alter crossin.: one 'nidge you find away over the riv. r a sawmill conducted by Mr Corpe, janr. Mr tempe pays a royalty to Mr llcuili ot .Ma*t- rtoa I>r some choice toiai-i which will ktt-p his nn 1 employed for some year, to c-uue. lie owi.i.-r of this Itnd has at prcseii - a double advannge ; be gets the land partially chael, with .ut pa;.ing for it, an 1 besides, I,*' L'fc'.t ■ Li'J ills' ■.Lie of lo f.VeoU Ld and L‘‘* an aTe fir the timber t -.l.ea ott. i behove Seine In •!.11 ; S the pro; rie’oi of t..e in'll pays Mr lU-IhII over f.-jit lor t i!:;io which is cut and delivered as trails -.ve., to Me-si. IV tli o’ fiiteU.n, who have contr.,c;e:i to take all tb it Mr U rpo can supply, atri ,-iire the I'.iik Ro-d has been pUce lin good order ui'.-! of this timber is c uried to Carterton by that route. Ou arriving at the hotel and knowing horn long experience that it is always welt w wth while tv p .use before ordering ooioui it ale at a roadside house, I asked the y.itni,; j arson in tit uiuucc, who was the brewer, and was promptly tuf.'lined “Parsons." No; ull-h----lug the reverend name of Parsons in count',tion with b.-,r,l Jo not make the attempt, aito'ia.b not acqua ni-.d with the brewer i f tust mi i-r bis artLci-. = , c msequcuily ask fjr and aiaptomed .vr.i .toe very good KtigikU beer," ne-veo ia Dane tin,” uni while inibibiac the ,-ai .e :.iac {lit opportuurv to tike

a cur-orr survey m tl.a high elm's on th., opp-,-=ite =me ■ f , riw.-r. These elitfs hj iv« ! ht. i ou: iii b 11 u-lie! ill of iii-j since I j if-!: the F'iikv Is [ I ..I an i ua I ruminate ti;e>. their _Tci: heght i speculate upon the great revolutions u.U part o! New Z- aSan I has agts age, wL«-i what is uo-v a large,-nd in in any patts prosperous district, was then tue bed of some veiv formidable river, 1 tiger and even in ne voluminous than the Mii'isipi'i in Ametic: even at iu rno.-t extensive points. Iu askieg the question, I am informal by Mr- Sexton, the landlady of the hotel, that quantities of fossilised shells are to be found embedded in these dills at some considerable height, which alone would prove that my theory is not far from correct. Mr Wilkie, son of 3lr Wilkie of Gieytown, has a blacksmith's shop nearly opposite the hotel, and appears to be doing a good steady country trade ; further on is Mr Rowe's homestead, and some distance further Mr D. MoLachlau's, with the Rost and Telegraph Office, kept by Mr Holmes, on the other side of the road. A chore distance past the post office you ccme to the ciofs roads. Tailing the one to the right will bring you to Epbriam and baiter's line waggoneisj to Grant's and Strang's stations, and to Millar's aud otner small settlers. If the wayfarer chooses to

lake a direction to the left hand, .-.tu-r pass.ng the Post Office, and coming to the cros.-roml, he will soon arrive at Iho Gladstone school, with the schoolmaster's residence, a rather commanding two storey house, nt the opposite side of the road, which formerly wus owned and occupied by Mr fctamhii, who has now receded further into the bush I may he: e remark that the school committee wouhi do a service to their district, aud pay a compliment to themselves, if they represented to the Board of Education, failing not being in a position to do it themselves, the immediate necessity of improving the building by painting, Arc-, as it certainly just now dots not present a very respectable appearance from the road ; some windows in the porch, broken also gives to a casual observer an hit a of untidy management which may or may not be correct. I hear that a very sociable quadrille class meets here weekly ; Mr Potts, who is well known in the Carterton district as a musician of no mean merit, is the violinist, and Mr Logan, also from Mr Buchanan's st ,ti"U, makes a very efficient M.O. These gatherings, when properly conducted, have a most enlivening effect in outlying districts, which otherwise ure so de old of amusement f>r young people. To proceed with my journey, after leaving the school neighborhood I came to a newly made road through much scrub and cottonwood : this track takes you to Mr Hugh McMastsr’s Brooklyn station, and at this point you find some very excellent limestone land which continues from here down to Mr Buchanan M.H.ll's estate, called Tupurnpuru. Mr Buchanan has unmistakably the pick of the land in the Gladstone district; it cost him about tldb.OOO, and 1 believe he would piobabiy now refuse four times that amount if off, red. Mr Buchanan’s land extends down to xire T.uu-ni river and some distance over ’-he Muugaraki range. There are two other Maori pahs in the Gladstone district besides the Huiunuioiaugi, making three in all. One is between Mr 11. Mi-Master’s and Mr Bu chanau’s properties, and the third is near Giant’s station. The natives own a large tract of land in various parts of this district, and of a variable character. That m the liurunuioiangi swamp will some day, if drained, pice of great value.