A REFRESHING TRIP

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 9, 11 March 1925, Page 17

A REFRESHING TRIP

One cannot be said to have seen New Zealand if one has not been to the glorious Otago Lakes. It is not possible, of course, for everyone who takes a holiday to linger for weeks about the Lakes, enjoying the natural beauties and attractions of this superb holiday resort, but if one only went there in order : to return through Central Otago by motor one would feel that life held many things worth while. Just imagine we are running along the western shore of Lake Wanaka, past the incomparable Grlendu Bay, fording the Matatap and Matukituki Rivers right to the foot of Mount Aspiring, It is a district to linger in, but the car speeds across the grain-growing flats of Hawea, and we snatch a glimpse of the blue waters of the lake of that name as the road slips behind us on the way to Luggate, Queensbury, and Lowburn. Now we follow the mighty Clutha River on to Cromwell where meet the waters of the Clutha and the Kawarau. Cromwell is a quiet little town now, but there was a day when Cromwell and its Otago neighbors lured thousands of seekers for El Dorado, possessed with the waking dream of giant fortunes easily made. But we must reflect as we go, for Central Otago claims us now. Spring, summer, and autumn the trip from here is one of surpassing beauty, for this is one of the principal fruit-growing districts of the Dominion. Mile after mile of orchards change their brilliant garb with the seasons from a maze of gorgeous colored blossoms to rich, rosy, luscious fruit and the tender, exquisite tint of autumn leaves. Clyde and Alexandra pass in quick review, and as we cross the river the discarded machinery and heaps of tailings which we see recall the great dredging boom and remind us of the things that were. We are still thinking of the golden buckets, and golden falls, and innumerable other golden things which are now but a memory as we slip through Fruitlands and into Roxburgh. Here, in this pleasant little orchard town nestling among the hills, we halt for lunch. Then on again in the early afternoon winding in and out among green, undulating hills, through Miller’s Flat, and then a delightful run alongside the pretty reaches of the Clutha River. Soon we are in Lawrence, another busy little town, interesting too for its wealth of mining reminiscences; then on to Waitahuna, where the river again recalls those strenuous and adventurous gold-mining days. Manuka Gorge is a beautiful spot, rugged and unspoilt by the .fortune seeker. The road now opens on to the Tokomairiro Plain, across which lies Milton and the rich Taieri Plain, dotted with well-cultivated farms. In a trice we are ,in Dunedin, and as we listen to the familiar# sounds of- city streets we ask ourselves if Fairyland is not a real place after all. If any our our readers wish to make this delightful trip we advise them to make enquiries from the White Star Motor Services, whose announcement appears in the front page of this issue of the Tablet. Advt. ..... ‘ * |