238 
CHRISTCHURCH 
CHAP. 
with reflections so clear and distinct that it was only 
the image turned upside down, and farther on again 
the road skirted round Lake Lyndon, with numbers of 
Paradise ducks and a pair of swans swimming about 
with the greatest unconcern ; on the hill-sides giant 
rocks lay tossed about all round us. Once over Porter’s 
Pass we gradually descended again ; every rugged out- 
line looked intensely clear against the vividly blue sky, 
and the wonderful shades of browns, yellows, sepias 
and grays made up a picture more like Arabia or 
Egypt than this southern island. On the level bits of 
grass lands sheep were lazily browsing, and we passed 
two station homesteads close to the road. Then down 
we went on to the great Canterbury Plains, looking 
just like a flat map with its marked-out fields. And 
how tame they looked after the wild scenery that we 
had passed through, with nothing but long belts of 
thick plantations of blue gums to break the monotony — 
and, I suppose, the wind, which must sweep with 
great force here, for every haystack was knocked out 
of shape. 
The coach stopped at Springfield, where we caught 
the very slow train to Christchurch. It was seven 
before we reached the terminus and our journey was 
ended. 
A few days later I took the journey back again 
to see the rest of the Buller Gorge from Inangahua 
on to Westport, and was well repaid. Grand and 
rugged as the Otira Gorge is, the Buller surpasses it in 
actual beauty. The wonderful bush, the arches of rock 
through which the road goes, and the deep winding 
river itself form for 45 miles such a drive as few 
countries in the world could equal. 
Before leaving Westport I went to the Denniston 
coal-mines, where the coal is taken from the top of 
