The Antipodes and Round the World [New Zealand chapters]

Alice M. Frere

First published by Hatchards in 1870

Digitised and made available online by the University of Auckland Libraries and Learning Services.

Epub © 2013 Early New Zealand Books Collection

ISBN 978-1-927288-96-2

[TITLE PAGES]

[Pages i-iii not found]

THE ANTIPODES

AND

ROUND THE WORLD.

JAPANESE BETTOE (Horse Keeper).
From a Sketch taken in Japan by an English Artist.e K

THE ANTIPODES
AND
ROUND THE WORLD;

OR
TRAVELS IN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND-CEYLON, CHINA, JAPAN, AND CALIFORNIA.

BY
ALICE M. FRERE (Mrs. Godfrey Clerk).

SECOND EDITION, CORRECTED.
With numerous Illustrations.

LONDON:
HATCHARDS, 187 PICCADILLY, W.
1870.

LONDON:
STRANGEWAYS AND WALDEN, PRINTERS,
Castle St. Leicester Sq.

[DEDICATION]

TO

THE DEAR FATHER,

WITH WHOM

These Wanderings

WERE UNDERTAKEN AND ACCOMPLISHED,

I OFFER THIS

RECORD OF THOSE HAPPY DAYS.

A. M. C.

[CONTENTS]

CONTENTS.

I. INTRODUCTORY....... 1

II. MELBOURNE........ 14

III. BALLARAT........ 27

IV. SYDNEY........ 45

V. THE BLUE MOUNTAINS...... 57

VI. BRISBANE ....... 71

VII. WESTBROOK........ 85

VIII. NEW ZEALAND....... 101

IX. PICTON HARBOUR – WELLINGTON – LYTTELTON – CHRISTCHURCH – DUNEDIN.....118

X. TASMANIA........ 128

XI. ADELAIDE........ 136

XII. CEYLON........ 144

XIII. CHINA......... 192

XIV. SHANGHAI........ 254

XV. MANCHURIA – MONGOLIA..... 302

XVI. TIENTSING – PEKING...... 323

XVII. JAPAN......... 386

XVIII. YOKOHAMA AND YEDO...... 412

XIX. SAN FRANCISCO....... 499

XX. NEW YORK........ 552

[LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS]

LIST OF PLATES.

JAPANESE BETTOE (HORSE-KEEPER) Frontispiece.

VIEW FROM THE BRITISH CONSUL'S RESIDENCE, CANTON....204

CANAL SCENE NEAR NINGPO......262

SUNRISE ON THE TUNG HOO (TUNG LAKE)....272

THE INN OF GLORY AND FELICITY, MANCHU-TARTARY....315

GREAT WALL OF CHINA, FROM ONE OF THE TOWERS....370

PAVILION IN THE GROUNDS OF THE SUMMER PALACE, PEKING....382

[PREFACE]

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

HAVING been fortunate enough to meet with so much favour at the hands of the public that a Second Edition of this work has been called for, I am glad of the opportunity of correcting some errors and misprints which occurred in the First Edition, and of expressing my thanks to those critics who have – all of them mercifully, most of them kindly – reviewed my work. It is a cause of regret, that not being in England I am unable to avail myself as fully of their hints and criticisms as I might otherwise have done.

With regard to one review, I wish to say a few words in particular. The reviewer criticises severely what I have said respecting missionaries, and missionary labour; and refutes my assertions on the subject by bringing to my notice the labours of one of the most zealous and learned of his class. I am certainly not unacquainted with Dr. Wilson, of 'whose profound learning, and intimate acquaintance with native language, history, and religion,' no one who has, or who has had, any connection with India can be ignorant.

His excellence both as a missionary and man of learning must be universally acknowledged and admired. I also know of some others among the German Lutheran missionaries, whose zeal, self-denial, and devotion cannot be estimated too highly. But I would beg to remark that exceptional cases should not be taken for the purpose either of making or refuting an assertion. And as exceptional cases I take both that of Dr. Wilson, and that of the French Roman Catholic missionaries quoted by the reviewer. If my remarks seem to apply to such a man as Dr. Wilson, I can only regret that they fail to convey my meaning, and acknowledge that they are undoubtedly deserving of the reviewers censure.

ALICE M. CLERK.

SUEZ, EGYPT,
23rd February, 1870.

P.S. A friendly critic in 'The World' (New York) of the 7th of March, points out two mistakes, which I gladly correct: one in page 625, that General Washington's head-quarters were at Cambridge, when he assumed command of the Continental Army, after, not before, the Battle of Bunker's Hill; the other, at page 631, that the ladies I refer to are the nieces, not the daughters, of Washington Irving. – A.M.C.

SUEZ, May 1870.

CHAPTER VIII. NEW ZEALAND.

CHAPTER VIII.

NEW ZEALAND.

WE had a favourable voyage of five days and a half from Sydney to Auckland. From various accounts given us, we had expected this voyage to be the roughest and most disagreeable of any in these seas; but it proved, on the contrary, the least so. We had a fair wind the whole way, and they said the sea was like a mill-pond. It was rough enough to make me good for nothing, as usual; and I was, moreover, nearly drowned one night by a great green sea, which dashed in at the port, and completely drenched everything in the cabin. It was quite dark, and all I could see, when breath and consciousness had a little returned, was, that as the sea, with which the cabin was filled, surged backwards and forwards, my boots and slippers, covered with phosphorescence, were floating up and down, looking like phantom-boots and slipper-ghosts!

'Professor,' or 'Wizard,' Jacobs, the great conjuror, was one of our fellow-passengers. He is a very amusing old man, and often helped to enliven us by showing some of his tricks, which only required sleight of hand, and no machinery.

We were within sight of land twenty-four hours before arriving at Auckland. The coast on this side of the island is fine, but by no means so iron-bound as that of Australia. The 'Bay of Islands' is well named. Some of the islands look like gigantic barnacles standing out of the sea. Nearly all are picturesque, though small, and very barren-looking.

We were too late to land the night we arrived, but at daybreak the next morning my father went on shore to see whether accommodation could be had at any of the hotels, and whether he could learn anything of his old friends, the Bishop and Mrs. Selwyn, and a gentleman of whom we had known something in India. The Bishop was away from home, but my Father found our other friend, who took him to several of the hotels, but there was not a room to be had, as 'it was race-week,' and then to some lodging-houses, one of which we took. Even at that early hour in the morning 'nobblers' were considered desirable, and twice in the course of his search for rooms my father was greeted with – 'Step in and take a drink; won't you, mate?'

The house in which we had apartments was a tiny wooden erection, kept by the widow and daughter of an officer, who many years before had come out with his regiment. They grievously bemoaned their hard fate in having to let lodgings for a livelihood, but did not seem to understand that it would have been much better had they studied to make their lodgers comfortable, and to keep the house clean and neat, than to attempt to keep up 'lady-like' accomplishments. Neither of them ever attempted to help in the house-work, and the daughter

EPSOM RACES.

seemed to devote her time to drumming on a wretched piano, and teaching small children to do the same. There was one miserable little 'scrub,' whose face peered out of a penthouse of ragged hair, and wore a curious suit of grey, of every variety of shade, who had to do all the work for her mistresses and the lodgers. As to real servants there are none here; New Zealand is far worse off in that respect even than Australia. Lucien did everything, from cooking our dinner to making our beds; not excepting cleaning the knives and blacking the boots; for, as he said, with an indignant snort one day, 'dat gal – she nuttink know!'

In the afternoon the friend whom we had found, having procured a horse for me, took me to 'Epsom,' about three miles off, where the races were going on. There was nothing remarkable in the racing, but the assembled crowd was a curious sight. Nearly every one was on horseback; and as soon as a race was over dozens of 'country bumpkins' would set off in the most reckless way, tearing across the field and trying to emulate what they had just witnessed, quite indifferent as to whether their course was clear or not. As a good many of them seemed to be 'a wee fou,' concussions and falls were numerous. During the actual races it was still worse, each one trying to get the best place, and to see everything.

We made a long circuit in riding home, so as to gain a good general view of the town and harbour. The latter is beautiful, running very far inland, and having on the opposite side 'Rangitoto,' 1 an extinct volcano, of very

perfect conical form, and beautiful colour, but quite barren, consisting entirely of scoria. The town is extremely hilly. The streets are laid out without any order or regularity, and the houses are mostly built of wood. The roads are worse than in Brisbane, which is saying much. There are great holes in the middle of the principal streets, filled with mud and slush, and into these are thrown (whether by way of mending, I do not know) glass bottles, broken china, bits of hoop-iron, and everything that can add to the danger of any luckless rider or driver whose horse should be obliged to go through one.

When the Bishop returned, he and Mrs. Selwyn kindly asked us to stay with them; and a most enjoyable visit we had. In the meanwhile Mr. – – - had been our cicerone, and, in the course of various rides, had shown us a great deal of the country round. One day he took us to St. John's College, about six miles from Auckland, whence there is a most lovely view of the harbour, with its islands, peninsulas, and bays. From thence we proceeded, nine miles farther, to Howick, where also the view of land and water combined is beautiful. The country roads were enchanting, with their hedges of gorse, sweet-briar, and double-briar roses, and climbing luxuriantly over all was a large and beautiful white clematis. Nearly all the hedges dividing the fields are of gorse, cut very evenly and kept rather low: they were then in full bloom, and looked like gold-coloured ribbons. In shady nooks, and near to running water, the tree-fern spread its graceful fronds; and other ferns of the most beautiful kinds grew abundantly on the ground and in the hedgerows, while the air was filled with delicious perfume.

THE KAURI PINE FOREST.

One day we visited the Kauri Pine Forest. The ride to it is flat, dull, and uninteresting, but the forest itself is grand. Kauri wood is used here for the same purposes as deal in other countries; but it is of much finer grain, and when varnished is almost equal to maple. Many of the houses are panelled with it, and nearly all the doors, mantelpieces, as well as much of the furniture, are made of it. The trees are large, and not only very valuable as timber, but produce a fine gum, much like the copal, which is now sold for 40l. per ton, though when first discovered no one would take it at a gift.

I do not know whether scientific people have ever compared the islands of Zanzibar and New Zealand, or considered that the same kind of trees have probably in past ages grown in both of them. Most of the copal gum is, I believe, brought from Zanzibar; but there the gum is found in the ground, and is dug out in lumps. Here it is chiefly collected from the trunks of the trees, out of which it oozes like turpentine; though where the trees have been burnt, or cut down, large lumps are lug out from among the roots.

The tree-fern and other ferns, parasitical plants, and creepers, were lovely here; but the path through the forest was very bad, and the mud up to, and in some places above, our horses' knees.

We made another excursion to the other side of the bay, which we found very pretty, but we were a long time in reaching it, on account of the numerous shallows, on which we constantly stuck fast, having to wait until floated off by the rising tide. After landing, we walked about a mile and a half through cultivated ground to the

top of a hill, from which we looked down upon a pretty little lake, with the bay in the distance on one side, and the open sea on the other. The wind, as is usually the case here, was high and disagreeable, and the showers sharp and sudden; on recrossing the bay our tiny little boat bobbed about among the big waves, and shipped so much water, that it was far from being pleasant.

The Bishop had just moved into a new house, planned by himself, and built under his own direction. It stands in the middle of a large garden, on the brow of a steep hill, a little out of the town, and from some of the rooms there is a most beautiful view of the bay and Rangitoto. The house contains, besides the ordinary rooms, a very good library, and a neat little chapel, in which service was performed morning and evening. It was just then a point under consideration by what name it should be called; 'Bishop's Palace' seemed natural enough for the Bishop's residence, but then, as the Bishop said, 'that leads one to expect plate, and plush, and powder; and here are we with a maid-of-all-work, and "old nurse!"' Truly, New Zealand is the roughest place imaginable as to the manner of living. There is plenty of food, but no one to cook it, and the scarcity of servants, or those who will do any work, is only equalled by their independence when they do condescend to undertake any service.

There is a very good peal of bells in the Bishop's chapel, but, unfortunately, no one understood how to hang them. The belfry being of wood, they could not be hung there for fear of bringing it down; so a few feet of wall had to be built, and the usual method of hanging

THE MELANESIAN MISSION.

bells reversed – the bells being put below, and the wheel and other apparatus for pulling them above. Some of the island boys from the Melanesian Mission came in with their butter for market while we were in the belfry, and great was their delight when the Bishop told them that they might ring the bells. They set to work with a will, and soon produced a deafening din, which seemed to afford them the greatest satisfaction. The more noise they made, the more did their white teeth show, till at last each face became one long grin from ear to ear.

Among other things, the Bishop showed us the 'episcopal kit' carried by him when visiting different parts of his diocese. It consisted of a tiny tent made by Mrs. Selwyn, just long enough for him to lie down in, and intended to tie up between a couple of trees or posts; a tin pannikin, in which to boil water for tea or cocoa; a tin pot to drink it out of; and a canvas bag in which to carry hard biscuits. Voila tout! No wonder that a man, so independent both of creature comforts and of all the accessories generally regarded as the sine qua non of a Bishop, when travelling or visiting his diocese, should be successful in his work.

The Bishop took us one day to Cuhi Marima, the Melanesian Mission, about eight miles off, through lanes, where the mud was nearly up to the horses' girths, but lined with flowers and abounding in lovely views. Bishop Patteson was absent, visiting his diocese (Melanesia), but we saw his 'Palace,' which consisted of two wee rooms, about the size of cabins on board ship, filled with curiosities of all kinds, collected during different voyages among the islands. A missionary and his

wife live here. When we arrived Mr. – – - was in his skirt-sleeves, digging in the garden, and his wife was 'making up' the butter, which the island boys churn. They told us, that unless they worked with the boys it was impossible to get them to do anything. They, however, work hard, and willingly, when they see such an example of energy and earnestness as Mr. and Mrs. – – - set them.

They keep several cows, and by the produce of their dairy realise a considerable sum annually in support of the Mission. The boys attend to the cows and churn the butter, and when ready for market take it into Auckland to the Bishop's, where it is sold on their behalf.

We were told that the expense of the erection of this very pretty, little grey-stone Mission-house, was in great part defrayed from the proceeds of one of Miss Yonge's novels. The house is panelled with Kauri pine, simply varnished, making the interior extremely pretty at small expense. Miss Yonge would be well satisfied, I am sure, with the appearance of such a snug, comfortable, homelike nest of buildings, in as fair a spot and as bright a climate as can be found in the world.

This was the first winter during which any of the island boys had been kept away from their homes: for, though perfectly hardy while without clothes, they require great care when once brought from their warmer climate and made to wear shoes, stockings, and other garments of civilised nations. They are soon chilled and made ill if they remain in damp clothes, but were always very reluctant to take the trouble to change them. This dozen of Banks' Islanders seemed, however, to have stood the colder climate well, and to be very happy in their

HOSPITALITY.

new home. When we were coming away we found several of them cooking shell-fish, in an iron pot, on the beach. The Bishop stood talking to them for some time, they meanwhile pressing upon us their boiled mussels.

We had many other pleasant rides in the neighbourhood. One to the summit of Mount Eden, which, like all the other hills round, is an extinct volcano, showing an exceptionally perfect crater. It was like climbing the side of a house, but the view from the top amply repaid the trouble of ascending.

During one or two days of our stay at Auckland the weather and climate were simply perfect: they were 'regular New Zealand days,' as we were told – calm, soft, balmy, and very bright. But at other times the wind was intensely disagreeable, and the rain no less so; the latter pattering down on the shingle roofs in one ceaseless pour, forcibly recalling to our minds that dreariest of seasons, 'the monsoon' in India.

We met many pleasant people residing in Auckland. while staying with the Bishop. It would seem to be very generally the case, that the less extraneous aid there is to be had in a country, the more unbounded is the hospitality of its inhabitants. At the Bishop's there was always a welcome reception, and plates and chairs for any number of guests at breakfast and dinner, in spite of the limited assistance afforded by the 'maid-of-all-work' and 'old nurse;' and nearly everywhere we stayed in New Zealand we found the same to be the case.

We should have much liked to have accepted the Bishop's invitation to go with him to Waikato (the principal seat of the war), where the scenery is described

as magnificent; but the steamers run very inconveniently for travellers, obliging them either to remain a whole month, or only spend a day or two at each place. After about a fortnight's stay at Auckland, we chose the latter course, and took our passages by the steamer which runs to Dunedin, and calls at various ports on the way.

On Sunday, the 8th of October, we left our kind host and hostess, and drove eight miles to Manakau, where we found the steamer waiting. This is a fine harbour, surrounded by well-wooded hills sloping down to the water's edge. A dangerous bar crosses the entrance. When we went out the sea was elsewhere calm as a mill-pond, but on the bar the surf was so tremendous, that one would rather not imagine what it must be in a storm.

Our small steamer was crowded with the 'Christy's Minstrel Troupe' going to Nelson. Such a set of beings! The amount of champagne, hock, sherry, beer, porter, and brandy, they consumed was perfectly astounding. Knives and forks they seemed to consider as among the superfluities of life; and disagreeable as the men themselves were, the presence of their 'pets' was still more so. Each man had a wife, and each wife a lap-dog, a monkey, or a cage of birds, which, in a small, stuffy steamer, were anything but agreeable companions.

The weather was tolerably calm, though rainy, and next morning by daylight we arrived at Taranaki, where, by a beautiful euphuism, the open roadstead, on the shore of which we counted fourteen wrecks, is called a 'harbour.' Here we received a note from an old friend,

TARANAKI.

Colonel W – – -, begging us to land as soon as possible, which we hastened to do. The boats for landing are very large and strong. They are built and manned upon the life-boat principle; and when within a few hundred yards of the shore are run upon a hawser, attached to a buoy outside the heavy surf, to prevent the possibility of their being turned broadside to the waves, which here dash in with immense violence.

The principal object of interest at Taranaki is Mount Egmont, a magnificent cone, never entirely free from snow. Unhappily, on this morning it was hidden under a cloud-mantle, so thick that we could only obtain occasional glimpses. Soon after breakfast Colonel W – – – ordered horses, and we set off 'to see the lions;' but we had hardly been out a quarter of an hour before the rain came down in torrents, and obliged us to gallop back as fast as possible, hoping that the day might clear before 5 P.M., at which time we had been warned to be again on board. In the interval we solaced ourselves by looking over portfolios and books of clever sketches taken by our host. We were, however, disappointed, for hardly had we returned to the house when Colonel W – – -'s aide-de-camp, looking out of the window, saw the signal 'Ready for Sea' put up from the steamer. At the same moment an orderly came up from the beach, saying the last boat was being made ready, and we also saw the steamer weigh anchor and steam out to sea, a sure sign that she would be off as soon as possible; for there is nothing the captains of vessels on this coast dislike so much as being near the shore when the wind and sea are high or rising. In stormy weather they do

not anchor, but lie off and on until the mails have been landed, and others shipped.

All this time the wind and sea were rising higher and higher, and the rain was pouring down with ever-increasing fury, but there was no help for it; go we must.

Colonel W – – - and his aide-de-camp, wrapping us up in macintoshes, accompanied us to the beach. Before we could reach the boat we were almost washed out of the cart, which was taking us through the surf, by the violence of the waves. The poor horse refused to face them, and in turning away, caused us to be completely drenched. I was in my habit, certainly not the dress one would choose when desiring the full use of one's limbs, and most inconvenient under existing circumstances. What with the pouring rain, and the seas constantly breaking over the boat, we were all soaked through and through before arriving at the steamer. Most of the others in the boat (there were forty persons in her, including the crew of sixteen men) were people going to some new gold-diggings at Hokatika, with their one blanket and small carpet-bag or bundle. These being placed in the bottom of the boat, where there was a considerable amount of water, must soon have been wet through; but, nevertheless, the poor owners did not lose their good temper. They seemed to regard it as 'all in the day's work,' and, buoyed up with the expectation of untold wealth to be accumulated as the reward of their enterprise, maintained their cheerfulness throughout. The steamer being so much farther out than in the morning we were long in reaching her, and getting on board was a matter of difficulty, not to say danger. We

TARANAKI SAND.

could not come near her, as the force of the waves would have dashed us to pieces against her sides. The port where coals are shipped had been opened to receive us; but it was not easy, as the boat rose and fell, for those who could not swarm up a rope to seize the right moment for making the spring on board. The combined rolling of the steamer and boat caused the latter to appear one moment at the yard-arm, and the next almost under the keel of the steamer. But at last we all got safely on board; I to take to my berth till we arrived at Nelson, about 1 P.M. next day.

The sand of the beach at Taranaki is nearly pure steel; but it is so extremely hard, and so difficult to work, that though acknowledged to be of the most excellent quality, it hardly repays the expense of transport to England. The navigation in these seas is rendered doubly difficult and dangerous by the presence of this mineral. It so affects the ships' compasses, that no true knowledge of their bearings can be obtained; and at night, when the leading features of the coast-line are not discernible, the approximation arrived at is often far from correct. In addition to this, the wind and sea are generally terrific; and we were assured that ours was by no means a rude experience of the shelter offered by Taranaki 'Harbour.' It not unfrequently happens, we were told, that people bent upon landing have to throw themselves into the sea by a rope, to be picked up by the boats; it being utterly impossible for the latter to come at all within range of the steamers. On the last voyage made by our vessel, all the passengers had to be taken to the next port, as it was hopeless to attempt a

landing in such a sea as was then dashing upon the coast.

Nelson is a pretty little town, situated at the foot of fine bold hills, and surrounded by them. It is some distance from the anchorage, but there is a tramway from the pier to the town, omnibuses, and various other vehicles. The first afternoon we were there, and the morning of the next day, were showery and hazy enough to prevent our seeing the outlines of the distant Alpine range very distinctly, but the third day it was gloriously clear and bright, and we saw the snowy peaks to perfection.

There was not a room to be had at any of the hotels in Nelson, either large or small. We drove all over the town, but without success. We had brought with us a letter of introduction to a family here, who were most hospitable; but as they lived in a house only just large enough to hold themselves and four children, we were obliged to return each night and sleep on board the steamer.

We drove out to Richmond, a distance of about nine miles, the first afternoon after our arrival. The soil seems rich and fertile in the immediate vicinity of the town, though but little cultivated. The next day we set off, early in the afternoon, to ride up the valleys 'Maiti' and 'Dunn Mountain.' The Maiti valley is beautiful. Not wide at the mouth, it gradually grows narrower and narrower, till it becomes a mere gorge, winding with the river, at the foot of wild, bold hills, which, as we proceeded, became more and more densely wooded, and enriched with a luxuriant undergrowth of ferns and creepers.

THE MAITI VALLEY.

As long as the valley continued sufficiently wide we crossed and recrossed the river incessantly, and then followed its course, by a woodcutter's track, for a long distance; till, instead of a calm, beautifully clear stream, rippling along, and occasionally resting in deep transparent pools, wherein, as in a mirror, every leaf of the lovely fern-covered bank was reflected, it came brawling over rocks and stones, forming miniature whirlpools and rapids, as it hurried from a small fall, on its way from the mountain where it had its source. Further than this we could not penetrate, as our progress along the wood-cutter's path, which had been so friendly, was here barred by a stout barricade of felled trees, piled up in preparation for removal. The mountains frowned down upon us from under heavy purple clouds, which but added to their grandeur, and gave to those scantily wooded the same effect as heather-covered hills, when autumn has changed their brilliant hues into a soberer purple or dun colour. We did not meet a soul the whole of the way, and in the solitude and silence, with such magnificent, though savage scenery around, it was impossible not to conjure up wild fancies of old legends, and weird German traditions, in which the road to the magician's castle, or strong tower, wherein languishes the lovely, long-lost princess, is described as much resembling, both in appearance and impracticability, that which we were pursuing, with silence all around, and mystery in the impenetrable wood on either side.

We were unable to go far up the valley of the Dunn Mountain, for, after a few miles, the only path is a tramway to some chrome-mines high up in the mountains,

whence the trucks run at intervals during the day, rendering it dangerous to ride or walk far. The scenery as far as we penetrated was very fine, and, judging from photographs taken higher up the mountain, it must there be grand in the extreme.

Rain seems to be very prevalent all over New Zealand, and on the last day of our stay at Nelson it poured incessantly. Wherever we went we were invariably told, with pardonable local partiality, 'It rains a great deal everywhere else, but here you are really unfortunate, for we very seldom have any!' In the town, however, we found a Museum, and in it some curiosities, which we were particularly desirous of seeing. Among others, the bones of the Moa 2 – the elephant of birds. It is said to be extinct, though the natives occasionally bring in reports of having recently seen one in some of the forests very far inland. The bones have been generally found in caves, and are not fossilized; and this fact is in favour of the existence of the bird at no very remote period, even if now extinct. They are of an enormous size, the leg-bone being considerably larger than that of an ox. The egg is about four times the size of an ostrich's; i. e. as large as a man's head. The bones in the Museum are very perfect, and so arranged as to show as much as possible what the skeleton of the bird would be.

AN UNNATURAL CATERPILLAR.

It would stand, according to calculations made from the measurement of these bones, at least 25 feet in height. Amongst other curiosities were some specimens of a most unnatural caterpillar. I could not learn the scientific name for it, nor see any living specimens, though the lady from whom I first heard of its existence said she had seen several alive: she called it the 'tree, or stick caterpillar.' It seems, from her description, that it first appears out of the larva, like any other caterpillar, but before long becomes stationary, and gradually turns into a stick, standing upright out of the earth. The preserved specimens which we saw were in all stages: some quite caterpillar, of a dirty earth colour (this might not, perhaps, be the case when they were in life, but there was no one in or about the Museum who could give us any information); others were like a stick at the lower end, but with a caterpillar's head and a few joints of its body; others were entirely stick, though, by close examination, the original insect form could still be traced. The flora and fauna of this southern hemisphere are very curious, and one cannot wonder at the disbelief of those who first saw such creatures as the Ornithorhyncus paradoxicus, the kangaroo, or this caterpillar, when brought to the antipodes, and declared to be, if not as common as barn-door fowls in England, still to be met with any day by those who chose to go into the bush and seek for them.

1 'Rangitoto,' red sky.

2 Just after writing the above an 'Illustrated London News' was brought to me, with a print, and an account of specimens of skeletons of this bird, which have lately been discovered in a cave in Canterbury, New Zealand. The largest there mentioned (Dinornis gigantea) is said to be 10 feet high. The account I heard of their being 25 feet in height may perhaps have been inaccurate.

CHAPTER IX. PICTON HARBOUR – WELLINGTON – LYTTELTON – CHRISTCHURCH – DUNEDIN.

CHAPTER IX.

PICTON HARBOUR – WELLINGTON – LYTTELTON – CHRISTCHURCH – DUNEDIN.

WE left Nelson in the afternoon, and passing through 'French Straits' and 'Queen Charlotte's Sound,' we anchored in 'Guard's Bay,' the captain being afraid to go on, as, after passing that anchorage, there is no other till Picton Harbour, the entrance to which is so narrow and unmarked, that on dark, misty nights it is very difficult to find. The scenery was extremely grand the whole length of the coast. High mountains rise precipitously out of the sea on either side, and the water is to all appearance so completely land-locked, that on seeing it for the first time it is difficult to conceive where any passage large enough to admit a steamer could be found. The lights cast on the mountains by the setting sun, and the deep, broad shadows thrown by the heavy clouds which hung round, were magnificent.

The next morning at daybreak we found ourselves in Picton Harbour – a most lovely spot, which, although really an arm of the sea, more resembles an inland lake surrounded by well-wooded mountains, and with the same lovely colouring as prevails all over New Zealand.

ENORMOUS MUSSELS.

The town here consists only of a few wooden houses and log-huts. The principal trade is in small, and, to our taste, very poor herrings; which, however, are better appreciated by others, and are salted by thousands for exportation. When the first settlers came here, their only food was an enormous mussel, high heaps of the shells of which lay in front of many of the houses. We measured some of these shells, and found them to be ten, twelve, and even fourteen inches in length.

A short piece of road is made from the Wharf, through the few houses forming the settlement; after which bye-paths and woodcutters' tracks are the substitutes for roads and streets. A river runs down to the harbour, beside which we walked as far as we could up a narrow gorge, with high hills on either side. But the path was difficult, steep, and slippery, and as in the Maiti valley, we were soon brought to a halt, by a pile of felled trunks lying across the track.

A good many passengers from this fishy little port were added to our numbers, some of whom were very rough and noisy; in short, regular 'diggers.' We passed through 'Tory Straits,' where the scenery is much the same as in the 'French Pass' – hills, rising abruptly out of the deep green sea on either side of the narrow channel. In one or two of the gorges between the mountains were settlements of two or three houses, looking lonely and deserted. From all we could learn of the inhabitants, they had come there with the hope of establishing fisheries, and doing a little farming besides; but their condition was not thriving, nor had the land proved as fertile as they had anticipated.

WELLINGTON.

In these Straits is a curious little island, close to which we passed, kept by the Maoris as a burial-place, and by them held most sacred. Until lately, no stranger had been permitted to set his foot thereon; but here, as elsewhere, determined exclusion of foreigners is gradually giving way before the onward march of civilization; and we heard that a short time before, some of the neighbouring fishermen-settlers had landed and explored the island. They described it as being so full of graves, that not a foot of ground was to be found free from bones and skulls. The Maoris will bring the bodies of their relations and friends from long distances, and by tedious journeyings, in order to bury them in this sacred spot.

Leaving 'Tory Straits' we crossed 'Cook's Straits,' where it became exceedingly rough and stormy, so that remaining on deck was impossible. Happily, this did not last long, and about 5. 30 P.M. we arrived at Wellington, where we remained for a few days, being most kindly entertained by Mrs. Abraham, though the Bishop was away on a visitation.

Wellington is considerably larger than Nelson, and far more finished in appearance than Auckland, although the latter is considered as the metropolis. The Government House and Military Stores are there, but the Houses of Parliament are at Wellington. A great movement was being made while we were in the country to have the seat of Government permanently established at the latter place, as being the more central. Auckland, however, is a few days nearer to England by post; besides which, the expense of moving stores to Wellington would, we were told, be a serious obstacle. The Bishop's is a

WELLINGTON.

very comfortable house, built of wood, as are almost all the houses in New Zealand. It has a pretty view of the harbour and of the fine surrounding hills. The Houses of Parliament are buildings of considerable pretension. Wellington was very full; members of Parliament having come for the session from all parts of the country. Their work, however, was just over, and some of them, whose homes were in Canterbury, were our fellow-passengers when we left.

We took one beautiful ride up the Nowrunga Valley: a mountain-pass, with a magnificent and very extensive view from the top. This gorge is rich in ferns of all kinds, including the beautiful tree-fern, and other plants, shrubs, and creepers, of great loveliness. One creeper called the Rata is very remarkable. It springs up, a tiny creeper, much like the 'supplejack' in appearance, and climbs up the large tree which it chooses for its support, in much the same manner. But as it climbs it grafts itself upon the tree, or rather incorporates the tree into itself; so that in a short time, instead of a large forest-tree, with a slender rata twining among its branches, a large rata tree stands, bearing beautiful crimson blossoms. It is most curious to see it in the middle stage, when part of the tree has already become a rata, while the remainder still shows its original leaves.

The high wind usually prevailing at Wellington is very disagreeable. In other parts of the country it is sarcastically declared that vegetables are blown out of the ground there; but by its inhabitants this is regarded as a libel.

On leaving Wellington we repassed through 'Cook's

LYTTELTON.

Straits,' and then followed the east coast of the Middle Island. In the Straits it was again very rough and stormy, and the captain said he had never known it otherwise there; but after passing them it was calm enough. The whole way to Lyttelton we kept close under the magnificent snow-capped range, some of the mountains of which are 10,000 feet high. It is so difficult to judge of height in the absence of any intermediate object to measure by, that while passing close under, it was hard to believe them higher than 4000 or 5000 feet; nor could one realise the fact of their being double that altitude until looking at them from miles and miles away, when they appeared scarcely less lofty than when seen from their very base.

While steaming along this coast one evening we saw a most wonderful cloud-effect, which, had it been painted by Turner (no one else would have attempted it), would have been deemed 'Turneresque,' mad, and impossible. Just as the sun was setting a ray shot through one cloud, which must have been charged with vapour, on to another above it, forming a rainbow-border to the very jagged outline, and throwing at the same time a beautiful yellow light on the rest of the cloud, through which it still passed in a long, bright ray, far across the sky overhead. We had never before seen prismatic colours following the edge of a cloud.

Lyttelton, where we next stopped, is the seaport of Christchurch, the capital of Canterbury. It is a little 'Sleepy-Hollow' kind of place, with high mountains rising immediately behind, and is built in terraces running along the mountain-side. A tunnel is being made

CHRISTCHURCH.

through the mountain for a tramway or railway to Christchurch, but it seems to make slow progress. The rock is said to be very hard, rendering the blasting of it both difficult and dangerous.

We arrived here very early in the morning, landed, and went to the hotel to breakfast off excellent whitebait. Several of our fellow-passengers were to start from hence for their houses, far inland amongst the mountains.

Though at first we were assured that such a thing as a horse capable of mounting the hill and getting to Christchurch was not to be found in Lyttelton, two were at last procured through the assistance of one of our fellow-passengers, and we set off over the mountain, hoping to have time to reach the town. Neither of our miserable animals was very steady on its legs, and mine was broken-winded, so that humanity forbade our urging them to any greater speed than their own feelings dictated; and as the captain had named an hour, beyond which he could not by any possibility remain, we found, when within three or four miles of Christchurch, that we should risk being left behind if we went on. We, therefore, branched off into the coast road, which led back to the port, and on arrival found to our disappointment that a two hours' delay had occurred in the departure of the steamer.

The ride, however, amply repaid us. The view from the bridle-path half-way down the other side of the mountain is most lovely. A vast plain, in the midst of which stands the town of Christchurch, looking like a white spot on the brown and green, surface, stretches far away to intensely blue hills, with here and there a peep

PORT CHALMERS.

of the sea, where the water has run inland, forming a kind of lagoon. In the far distance behind the hills rise glorious snowy peaks, the outline of which, in this pure, transparent atmosphere, stands out clear and distinct as possible against the deep background of an azure sky. Although morning, and not evening, the lines –

'How sharp the silver spear-heads charge
When Alp meets Heaven in snow,'

were truly descriptive of these distant ranges.

When we had descended to the foot of the mountain we came into the highroad, which, on the other side of Lyttelton, winds in zigzags to the top of the mountain, and is the coach-road to Christchurch. By this we returned, obtaining beautiful and various views over the sea and harbour. It struck us forcibly, that the drivers of the coaches who take their charges in safety round the numerous abrupt turnings must be first-rate whips; for, even on horseback, some of them, overhanging the precipice, were not very agreeable to pass. It was far from pleasant to watch a coach which had passed us at the top of the mountain being driven round them at a very fair trot, for it seemed as if the slightest swerve on the part of either of the horses would result in all being dashed into the sea, which appeared so far below, that the smaller fishing-boats, with their white sails, looked hardly larger than sea-gulls.

Twenty-four hours after leaving Lyttelton we arrived at Port Chalmers, eight miles from Dunedin, to which place a small steamer takes passengers. The harbour is extremely pretty, much resembling that at Sydney, with

DUNEDIN.

deep bays, and numerous islands covered with trees and vegetation. But the houses and gardens, which form so striking an addition to the beauty of Port Jackson, are here wanting. Thanks to the kindness of a fellow-passenger, who landed before us, we found rooms ready at a very comfortable hotel. Dunedin is the finest town in New Zealand. The streets are good, as are also the houses and shops; and it presents altogether a far more settled and thriving appearance than any of the other large towns. If prices are generally realised in proportion to that which I had to pay for a new watch-glass, tradesmen certainly ought to thrive: it was only 12s. 6d!

It was bitterly cold, and windy, and on the day we arrived was raining, with sleet and hail varying the monotony of the drizzle; nevertheless, finding that we were to leave the next evening, we ordered a carriage for 6 A.M. on the morrow, and drove out several miles to see the Taieri plain. This is a tract of very rich country, extending in an unbroken plain for miles and miles, and divided into numerous small farms, instead of being held in one large run, as is generally the case. The soil all about here is exceedingly rich and productive, requiring nothing but turning with the plough to produce any crop. Our road lay principally across fine wild-looking moorland, which our driver assured us was equally rich, either for cultivation or pasturage.

In the afternoon we drove to the port, instead of going there in the small steamer; and a very pretty drive it is, between hills covered with trees. In all the little nooks and creeks groups of the lovely tree-fern appeared, while

NEW ZEALAND STEAMERS.

everything was veiled beneath a net-work of the same large white clematis, which grows so luxuriantly amongst the trees and shrubs around Auckland.

On arriving at the Port we found, to our dismay, that, owing to some accident which had befallen the steamer of the previous month, we were doomed to have a double supply of passengers in ours – a very small one, and, consequently, very crowded. Each steamer in which we voyaged in these seas was smaller and dirtier than the last, and our fellow-passengers rougher. In this case I do not know what we should have done, had not one or two of those who had come with us from Auckland continued to be our companions, for the new set were unbearably rough.

When we came on board, there seemed to be great difficulty in assigning places in the cabins, the list not having come from the shore. My father had taken a cabin for me, for which, although it contained but two berths, they had made him pay three times the single fare; charging him for the place on the saloon table where he was to sleep, as if it had been half a cabin. This cabin we found occupied by two men, who steadily refused to listen to anything said in our favour by any one, and could not be persuaded to move out. At last, however, through the exertions of our late captain, who represented the case to our present ruler, a cabin was given to me. But my father could not get even a berth, and was one of fourteen who had to sleep every night in the stern-ports: fortunately, however, he made friends with the chief officer, who allowed him the use of his cabin as a dressing-room.

AN UNCOMFORTABLE VOYAGE.

This, as might have been expected, was a most disagreeable, uncomfortable seven-days' voyage. The steamer looked as if no attempt had ever been made to clean it from the time it first began to run. The stewards were dirty and uncivil. The immense number of howling children, and questionably sober fathers, was anything but agreeable. They burnt kerosene oil in the lamps, which at night rendered the air in the cabins quite poisonous. We had atrocious weather – very rough and windy, and accompanied by almost incessant rain.

On arriving at Melbourne, however, we found ourselves in very warm weather; the gardens looking lovely, with a great variety of bright flowers, and full of fresh strawberries, in the enjoyment of which we soon forgot our late troubles.

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