1853 - Adams, C. W. A Spring in the Canterbury Settlement - CHAPTER III. LYTTELTON AND CHRISTCHURCH.

       
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  1853 - Adams, C. W. A Spring in the Canterbury Settlement - CHAPTER III. LYTTELTON AND CHRISTCHURCH.
 
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CHAPTER III. LYTTELTON AND CHRISTCHURCH.

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CHAPTER III.

LYTTELTON AND CHRISTCHURCH.

FOR some time my attention was fully taken up with preserving my seat in the boat, and avoiding as much as possible the seas, which were continually washing over us; but after rounding Officer's Point, we were in comparatively smooth water, and I had time to examine the bay into which we were entering.

After the dismal accounts of our visitors of the preceding evening, it may well be supposed that we did not expect to be enchanted with our first view of the town of Lyttelton. What then was our astonishment at the panorama that opened before us as we pulled slowly round the little point! Wide streets, neat houses, shops, stores, hotels, coffee rooms, emigration barracks, a neat seawall, and an excellent and convenient jetty, with vessels discharging their cargoes upon it, met our view; whilst a momentary ray of sunshine lit up the shingled roofs and the green

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hills in the background, until the whole place seemed to break into a bright triumphant smile at our surprise. 1

There are few prettier towns than Lyttelton as seen from the sea. Situated in a small but picturesque bay, it is, as it were, framed in the bold and rugged hills, by which it is on three sides surrounded, and whose wild and uncultivated aspect contrasts very effectively with the neat houses and busy streets of the town. The most striking object is the jetty: it is well built and convenient, running into the sea for about a hundred yards, and is, I believe, the best in New Zealand. On landing there, a wide street leads directly up the hill towards the Police Court and the upper part of the town. The Emigration Barracks are neat and commodious buildings, standing in a spacious area immediately on the right of the jetty. One of them is at present used as a church, another is converted into schools; the remaining space is appropriated to the accommodation of immigrants on their first landing. According to the arrangements made by the Association with the land purchasers, one-third part of the purchase money -- that is to say, 1l. per

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acre, was to be set apart for church purposes, and the building and endowment of a church has been authoritatively promised. There seems, however, little expectation that this pledge will be soon redeemed, although upwards of thirty-five thousand acres have been sold. Indeed, we had not been twenty-four hours in the colony when we were requested to add our contributions to a subscription then going forward by the members of the Establishment for the erection of a church independently of the Association; the Dissenters having already provided for their own accommodation.

A little above the barracks, and at the foot of the projected road to the plains, stands Mr. Godley's house. 2 It is a picturesque gable-ended building, with comfortable well furnished rooms and an excellent fruit and flower garden. The "Sumner Road," as it is called, that is to say, the road for which a further payment of 1l. per acre is made by the land purchasers, and which at some unknown period is to lead by way of Sumner to the plains, runs to the right, and London Street lies to the left. Returning to the jetty, you turn to the right, along the esplanade, the most finished

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street in the town, although subject to the annoyance of an ill-conducted public house at the corner, facing the jetty, where intoxicated men constantly congregate, to the annoyance of passers-by and the serious interruption of the services at the temporary church. Proceeding along the esplanade, several of the principal stores and public houses are passed, until we reach the corner of Canterbury Street, on the opposite side of which stands the Mitre Hotel, which has the reputation of being the best in New Zealand.

Two or three hundred yards in advance, is the foot of the "bridlepath," a steep and narrow road leading directly over the range of hills at the back of the town, to the ferry across the Heathcote on the way to Christchurch. It is altogether inaccessible for carts; and, from its excessive steepness, small loads only can be carried over by pack-horses. The ascent is upwards of a mile in length, and the descent on the other side is about the same. The ferry is then two miles distant; and from thence the road to Christchurch, about four miles in length, is good and level. 3

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After a short stroll about the town, we proceeded to the top of the bridlepath, to take a

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look upon the plains below. A short cut, "up a hill perpendicular," as Shakspeare has it, brought us panting into the road; and we began to toil slowly up this much-celebrated path. The road was steep and slippery; and, after our four months' saunter over the level deck of the Canterbury, we were not in the best possible condition for a mountaineering expedition. But we were bent upon the excursion; and, whilst accomplishing our object, were certainly most amply repaid by the exquisite views which broke upon us at every turn of the road.

The southern wind was blowing in all its vehemence. The winding bay, dotted with ships labouring heavily upon the seething water, was spread like a map beneath us. The hills upon the opposite side, richly wooded, and with occasional patches of snow upon their summits, were alternately gleaming in the transient sunshine, or enveloped in driving rain; whilst the fresh sweet air and the firm ground beneath our feet were exhilarating to a degree that could only be appreciated after the weary monotony of a long sea voyage.

At length we reached the summit, and

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were able to gaze upon the plains beyond. The appearance was anything but inviting. The mountains in the distance were completely hidden by the thick rain; and the dreary swampy plain, which formed the foreground beneath our feet, might extend, for aught we could see, over the whole island. The town of Christchurch likewise was, for the most part, concealed by the hill on the left; and the few small woe-begone houses which met our view increased rather than diminished the desolate appearance of the landscape. 4 In a word, the whole view bore a strong resemblance to a wet day in the flats of Essex. Under these circumstances, a very short survey was sufficient to satisfy our curiosity, and we faced about to return home. This, however, was not a very easy task. Enclosed in a sort of funnel, formed by the tops of two hills, and suffering under a heavier squall than usual, it was a matter of considerable difficulty to keep our footing at all. However, it was useless to seek shelter there, and moreover it was getting late, and our dinner was waiting. So, as soon as we were able to make head

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against the wind, we commenced a smart run, and did not slacken our pace until we once more found ourselves at the bottom of the hill.

An excellent dinner awaited us at the Steadfast coffee rooms, of which I subjoin the bill of fare, as a specimen of the style of dinner to be obtained in Lyttelton at a charge of five shillings per head. Our dinner consisted of good pea soup, beef roast and stewed, with puddings, cheese, and dessert. To which good cheer we did ample justice: and when we drew round the flaring wood fire, and began to discuss a bottle of excellent sherry, it was difficult to believe that we were, as an Irish friend expressed it, "on the other side of the world."

Hitherto we had certainly not seen many of the discomforts of a new colony, but our accommodations for the night were amusingly characteristic of colonial life. Our room was a small loft in the roof of the house, barely six feet high in the centre. Eight wooden beds were ranged along the sides of the room, with the feet towards the outer wall, and adorned with gay blankets of red and blue. At the head of each bedstead hung a towel for the

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private use of each occupant, whilst at each end of the room was a ricketty wash-hand stand and cracked looking-glass for public accommodation. The narrow path along the middle of the room was filled with sleepers who had failed in securing the accommodation of beds. At one end of the apartment was a small window which refused to close, and at the other was one which objected to open. The room measured twenty feet by twelve, and contained twelve or thirteen sleepers, but there was no want of ventilation. The roof was merely shingled, and by no means airtight, so that the wind blew in in all directions.

The continuance of the rain confined us on the following day to Lyttelton, but on the next morning the gale began to break, and we accordingly started early on our expedition across the plains to Christchurch. 5 After mistaking our way, and wandering some hours in the swamps, we at length found ourselves at the Golden Fleece, the principal inn in Christchurch, kept by a German, and very well managed. The sleeping accommodations are somewhat better here than at the Steadfast, as the rooms are larger and better ventilated, in

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addition to which they are prettily painted and papered; but notwithstanding these advantages, they are always liable to the evils of overcrowding.

Ohristchurch is by no means so pretty a town as Lyttelton; in fact, it is decidedly ugly. It is larger; but the houses being scattered over a wider space of ground, have a straggling and irregular appearance. The site is also very unfavourable to beauty, as it is situated on the vast plain which forms the principal portion of the Canterbury block. It is, however, a good situation in point of utility, which must always be the main consideration in the establishment of colonial towns; and I believe those only are displeased with it who, to use the expression of a leading colonist, consider the act of emigrating "merely as a protracted picnic, relieved with a little ornamental church architecture."

The town is placed on a dry and slightly elevated spot, situated as near to the ferry on the Lyttelton road as the swampy nature of the intervening ground will permit. The river Heathcote, which runs diagonally through it, ensures a plentiful supply of

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exceedingly good water; and its vicinity to Riccarton and Papinui, the only remaining pieces of bush on that portion of the plains, distant respectively from two to three miles from the town, gives it a great advantage over any other site in the facility of procuring timber for building purposes. Leaving Christchurch we proceeded to Mr. Deans's station at Riccarton, 6 a spot with which the lovers of the picturesque must be pleased. It was the first station established in this part of the island, and dates back about ten years. It is now extremely valuable from the possession of one of the two pieces of bush already mentioned. The house is situated on the bank of a beautiful stream of very pure water. He has a considerable quantity of land in a state of cultivation, and the soil of the greater portion is very rich. Some part of it yielded sixty bushels per acre when first cropped with wheat. The general opinion in the colony is not, however, favourable to tillage as a speculation. The soil, though in some places fertile, is very irregular in its quality, whilst the expenses of working are enormous, and the greater part of the best

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soil requires extensive drainage. Manure also is of course a very expensive article, and so are horses, whilst the hire of labourers is from four to seven shillings a day.

The most serious objection, however, is the want of a sufficient market. The parties favourable to tillage look to Australia to supply this want, but whether they will be able, at least in the present generation, to take advantage of this opening, is a doubtful as well as an important question, and the older settlers, who ought to possess the most experienced judgments, take an unfavourable view.

1   Plate I.
2   Plate II.
3   During the progress of this Chapter through the Press, a Letter, stated to be "written by an experienced colonist, and addressed to another of high standing," was published in the Guardian newspaper. I have no desire to make any comments upon the statements in this Letter, but one of them appears so directly at variance with the above account of the communication by land between Lyttelton and Christchurch, that I am compelled, in defence of my own veracity, to notice it. The writer, speaking of the great advance which the Colony has made, says, "Take, for instance, the road from this Port Town (Lyttelton) to Christ Church, nine miles distant on the plain. Having crossed the ridge overhanging the town (at an elevation of one thousand feet), and reached the base of the hill, you may drive your dog-cart tandem, or any vehicle you please, along a good made road, crossing the Heathcote in a convenient ferry boat, passing a house at least every three hundred yards, till you reach Christchurch." Seemingly contradictory as this account is, to the account given by me of the road, it is in fact identically the same, save that the writer of the Letter omits to tell his readers, in the sentence given in italics, that the ascent and descent of the ridge from the town to the base of the hill embraces upwards of two miles of ground, and that the said ridge cannot be traversed by any vehicle of any description whatsoever, so that coachhouses and stables must be "erected at the base of the hill," before the traveller from Lyttelton can enjoy his drive to Christchurch, whilst it is impossible for the confiding emigrant to convey his goods and merchandize there by land carriage at all. The plains, the dog-cart road, and the impassable ridge, are delineated in Plate IV. Macbeth speaks of "keeping the word of promise to the ear, and breaking it to the hope."
4   Plate III.
5   Plate IV.
6   Plate IV.

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