PIONEERING DAYS.

Waikato Times, Volume 103, Issue 17441, 29 June 1928, Page 9

PIONEERING DAYS.

MR COATES'EXPERIENCES

J AN ASTUTE POLICEMAN.

FIRST,GLIMPS.E "OF, AUCKLAND

I In my*'-last letter I referred to my trip from Lyttelton to Wellington on :■the ■Ladybird. 'When the .-Ladybird arrived in Wellington, I went ashore to ; have a -look around .and find out when the next ; steamer was going to Auckland and to secure a berth on,it. ; When I got back to the vessel I.found that my big blanket that 1 had on the voyage was gone from my berth. 1 at once went ashore again and told a 'policeman. He/asked,me who had used the adjoining berth, but I did not know, the man's name, but the policeman by some means found out the person's residence.and before long the man, who the policeman had found, brought, back the blanket, for which I Ihihk the policeman deserved great Credit. I at once - cured a berth on, the Tarauaki and removed my luggage to .that steamer. The ; weather being 'fine, we had a pleasant trip. We called at Napier for a short while, but I did not-see "much (if the town. We arrived in Auckland as the sun was rising and as:,we passed the .North Heads 1 thought 1 had never been so much impressed with .anything I had ever seen. / Since then I have seen Naples, ■■ Sydney, San Francisco, and Rio de-Janeiro, and T still think that the first view of the sun, at. Auckland stands first. As soon as we dropped anchor a man came on board and the steward introduced him/to me as'the representative of' the Daily Southern Gross, and as there was no telegraph conhectici between Auckland and the South: they would be glad to get any outside news they could. He told me his name was .Henry Brett. I gave him all the news I could. We were told by Mr Brett that the sparrows that had befen brought to Auckland had increased very much, but they were still mostly "about Hill's house, the man who had brought them to New Zealand, and he-was still feeding them; so as/soon as I could I went to see the sparrows at Hill's house at Freeman's ; Bay and : found them rather amusing. . , ■■■■,'<■;■■. . , ■