NEW ZEALAND

GOVERNMENT GAZETTE,

(PROVINCE OF NELSON).

PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY.

All Public Notifications which appear in this Gazette, with any Official
Signature thereunto annexed, are to be considered as Official Communications made
to those Persons to whom they may relate.

By his Honor's command,
S. L. MULLER, Provincial Secretary.

VOL. III. NELSON, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1855. No. 8.

Provincial Secretary's Office,
Nelson, May 25, 1855.

HIS Honor the Superintendent directs the
following Report of an Expedition,
with a view to the discovery of a direct line
of road between Nelson and Christchurch, to
be published for general information.

By His Honor's command,
S. L. MULLER,
Provincial Secretary.

REPORT OF AN EXPEDITION WITH A
VIEW TO THE DISCOVERY OF A DIRECT
LINE OF ROUTE BETWEEN NELSON AND
CANTERBURY.

TO THE PROVINCIAL SECRETARY, PROVINCE OF
NELSON.

SIR—I have the honour to forward, for the in-
formation of his Honor the Superintendent, the
following report of an expedition into the interior of
this island, projected by the Provincial Government
of Nelson, with a view to the discovery of a direct line
of route between Nelson and Canterbury.

I am fortunately in a position to report that I have
succeeded in attaining that object by the discovery of
a route (or, I might more correctly say, of two routes),
presenting few and inconsiderable natural impedi-
ments, avoiding the Fairfield Downs and Barefell
Pass, diminishing tho distance to be travelled by about
130 miles, and which, in fact, would, after a slight
outlay on the part of government, place the fine grass
country of the Acheron and Clarence at a distance of
from two to three days, that of the Waiau-ua and
Hurunui at from four to five, and Christchurch itself
at about six days from Nelson.

The whole route, either by the Acheron or the
Clarence, affords abundance of excellent feed for cattle,
sheep, or horses; is, generally speaking, level, and
crosses the Wairau, the Acheron, and the Clarence so
near their sources as to render the fording of those
rivers a matter of comparatively little moment, under
ordinary circumstances and with ordinary precautions.

I may, moreover, be permitted to state, that
although unquestionably a work of expense and mag-
nitude, no insurmountable barrier exists to the ulti-
mate formation of a dray road from Nelson to Canter-
bury, which would be practicable in most seasons of
the year. The greatest difficulties would be found in
the hills about the upper Motueka Valley, at the head
of Blind Bay, in the descent from "Jollie's Pass,"
and in the Leslie hills on the Waiau-ua (the latter
might possibly be avoided). No doubt travelling
would be occasionally interrupted by snow and (espe-
cially in the southern part of the route) by floods.
Judging from the nature of the vegetation and from
the fall of the rivers, I imagine that the level of the
most elevated valleys cannot be less than from 2,000
to 2,500 feet above the sea; but it must be borne in
mind that the route between Nelson and "Jollie's
Pass" surmounts no mountain ranges of any con-
sequence, as will appear when I enter into details.

I will now proceed to lay before you a somewhat
more detailed account of my expedition, and of the
country which I have traversed.

In undertaking the expedition I was aware that the
late season of the year might possibly endanger its
success. I consequently lost no time in proceeding to
Flaxbourne, and after making the necessary prepara-
tions I commenced my journey without delay. Know-
ing that between the "Top House" on the Wairau
Valley and the Clarence and Acheron country there
was some forest to be traversed, and a formidable
mountain barrier to be penetrated or surmounted, I