In the Valley of the Dove

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIII, Issue 15, 13 October 1909, Page 33

In the Valley of the Dove

By

AJOR.

THE vernal season advances and with bursting bud, green leaf and early blossom Wakefield and its valleys are by no means behind. The wealth of daffodils are lavishly painting the gardens with their yellow gold and filling the atmosphere with their aromatic perfume, while all the other early flowers are unfolding their glories to the morning sun. Wakefield is one of the prettiest villages of the great Nelson Valley, which is belted by the Nelson-West Coast Railway, and it is steadily advancing in the way of new business places, amongst which the new Post and Telegraph Offices, rapidly being erected by the Government, will be quite ornamental as well as useful to the village. Up the valleys of Stanley Brook and Dovedale the ploughs are running merrily through the rich loamy soil of the old river beds preparatory to the seeds of the season being put down; the orchardists are busy with spray pumps and pruning knives, and the hills are being rapidly dotted by the snowy wool of the healthy lambs. I am told by many of the farmers with glee that

The new billiard room just opened in High-street by Mr. J. Chalmers, and named the Central Club, is one of the finest and most luxuriously furnished rooms in the Australasian colonies, patrons and enthusiasts of the game can enjoy themselves here to their heart’s eon-, tent. The tables are perfection itself. Five first-class specimens of the cabinetmaker’s art, one in particuar, an exhibi-

they have every promise of a lucrative lambing season. One man informed me that out of a hundred he has so far only lost three lambs. At the dairy farms the milking season has resumed activity, and at many of the butter factories and creameries. For scenic effect a ride down Dovedale Valley could scarcely be surpassed. It was half an hour before sunset, and as the green hills of the winding valley opened out, the river Wairoa spanned by its white bridge on wooden piers, the village of Wakefield, the town hills all putting on their vernal garmenture, and the snowy mountains and still loftier peaks all covered in snow just turning pink under the setting sun which was also chasing shadows from vale to vale—all these would have delighted the eye of any author, poet, or painter.

A CONCERT AND BALL. All day youthful Dovedale was a flutter over curl-papers and ball dresses, against that evening which signalised a concert and ball, the proceeds of which were to help an unfortunate settler who had lost his all by fire. At eight o’clock

tion match table, is decorated with deli-cately-carved festoons of Howers in bold relief, the furniture and shades call for special attention being quite apart from anything ever seen before in Maoriland. Mr. J. W. Read, the professional billiardist, who played two well-known amateurs oii the opening night, declared the tables perfection, and the room easily the premier one of the Dominion. Great

the Dovedale Public Hall was full to overflowing, when the following programme, announced by the chairman (Mr. J. W. Win), was creditably sustained: —Song, "Dai'by and Joan,” Mr. Jordan; “Mona," Mr. Wilkinson: “Genivere,” Mr. Ed. Burnett; solo, Misa M. Price; song, “Good-bye, Little Girl, Good-bye,” Mr. Arthur Kenyon”; "The Blue Bells of Scotland,” Miss Ada Win; "Red Wing,” Mr. Rod Win; "Calleroo,” Mrs. A. Win; "The Six Hundred,” Miss Jordan; piano and cornet, Mr. and Miss Price; recitation, from "King John,” Mr. G. J. Win; instrumental efflect, Messrs. Price (cornet), and Painton (clarionette) ; recitation, “Woman’s Curiosity,” Mr. Ed. Burnett. After the chairman’s appropriate remarks, the hall was cleared, and the "Graphic” representative had a flashlight view of the dancers after the first dance, which was much appreciated. Dancing was kept up till 3 a.m. Last Friday Dovedale held a fancy dress ball, which was well attended.

AN INTERESTING DISTRICT. Dovedale settlement which lies snugly at the end of the valley of that name i- about sixteen miles nearly due west of Wakefield, but to reach it a papa mountain quite 1000 ft above sea level, over which is a yellow clay road knee deep in mire in places, has to be negotiated. four miles up and three miles down. .It took horse and I 150 long and sultry minutes to do it, but the beautiful valley repaid us in more wavs

credit is due to Messrs. Wright, Ranish and Co.. <>f Wellington, the old established and high-class billiard people, for the manner in which every detail of the work was carried out. All the tables, etc., were made in the Dominion by the firm, and are equal, for design and quality, to the manufacturers anywhere in the world. Mr. H. C. Petersen (Messrs. Wright, Ranish and Co.’s Auckland representa-

tlian one. Dovedale is perhaps the most picturesque of all Nelson. The lauds are loamy and well cultivated, the pastures are rich, and the cattle sleek, whilst in scenic effects Dovedale has its river and the snowy peaks of Mt. Arthur glistening down upon it. Amongst other attributes Dovedale has two schools, two churches, a fine public hall, a Post and Telephone Office, a general store, and the indispensable village smiddy. It is also the terminus of four different roads leading from Wakefield, Motueka, Ngatimoti, and Stanley Brook, and from the latter place on to Tapauera Station on the Nelson-West Coast Railway line, which is distant some eleven miles of good road. During summer Dovedale is a favoured resort of sportsmen and tourists, for hare, quail, and trout abound here. A little below the confluence of the Baton and Motueka rivers the latter is spanned by one of the prettiest of suspension bridges, a picture of which I send you. The precipitous fern and native-clad bush cliffs drop down sheer to the clear waters of the river fifty feet below ; the pretty homesteads peep out of the evergreenery growing upon the banks higher up, and further back are the rich loamy flats, the terraces and the loftier mountains, chief of which, Mt. Arthur, snow-capped to-day shines in his glory. A mile and a-half of easy cycling brings you to the junction of the Dovedale Brook and the Motueka. and following this up for three miles eastwards you reach the lovelv

five) erected the tables in the new room. Ten years ago 50 per cent of the billiard tables were imported, whereas to-day, comparing the Customs returns to their it is estimated that Messrs. Wright, Ranish and Co. supply 9!) per cent. Such a statement pre-supposes that they are strong in competition, and most capable in manufacture, and held in high esteem by the discriminating public.

valley of Dovedale, with its Post Office, its churches, its public schools, sawmills, and its numerous farms, all of which lend additional charm to the beautiful valley of Dovedale. The farmers of Dovedale appear to be a happy, contented lot, yet they have a serious grievance against the general Government, or to be quite correct, against some of the obnoxious regulations of the “Noxious Weeds Act,” which compels owners of land not only to keep noxious weeds off their own land, which is right, but to keep them also off all public roads fronting their lands, which they consider is quite wrong. But they have got the lion. Rod McKenzie to work, and he will endeavour to have the section so amended as to effectively meet the difficulty.

NGATIMOTI. Ngatimoti, like all the other pretty valley settlements of the Upper Motueka River, claims additional attractions. Mt. Arthur, in his glory, smiles down at us. The valley which ends where the Oroniko Brook and the Motueka River meet, holds some of the most fertile lands 1 have seen, and it is in the highest state of cultivation —orchard and crop-growing, cow-spanking, and sheepfarming being the order of the day. The grievance of the settlement is that settlers having frequent occasion to go to the large settlements upon the other side of the river, are compelled to trust their lives to an unsafe suspension chain over the Motueka river, negotiate the rolling waters per canoe, or else travel down the stream some six miles to a dray dredge, which cost Government £7OOO, and has no approach nor road along the western bend of the river. In order to alleviate this inconvenience the settlers petitioned the general Government for a bridge to be built at the Beatrom Bluff, near the mouth of the Oroniko river, as the most central place, but so far the prayer of petitioners has only met with the answer, “no funds.” Whilst at Ngatimoti T had the good fortune to fall in with an old pioneer, Mr. J. C. McGaverton, who has borne the burden and heat of the day for 47 years, and carved out a home for himself and family and gained a competency. From him I gleaned much valuable information of this progressive district.