242 
CHRISTCHURCH 
CHAP. 
of sixpence. After a drive round the outskirts of the 
town, I caught my train again and reached Fairlie at 
eight o’clock. 
At eight next morning we were off again by the 
coach. At Lake Tekapo, fifteen miles long, we changed 
horses, and appeased our keen appetites at a hotel on 
the shores of this turquoise-green sheet of water. Then 
“ all aboard,” and on again through the Mackenzie 
Country, so called from a shepherd of that name, who 
was the first to explore this district, and grew rich on 
the proceeds of his neighbours’ sheep, which he trained 
a dog to drive on to his land. It was a desolate dreary 
country, great rolling turf-covered plains, and boulder- 
strewn hill-sides. Here and there was a small home- 
stead marked by a plantation of pines, the only ones 
to be seen in this treeless country. We amused our- 
selves for some time watching exciting races between 
tumble-weeds, which, caught by vagrant breezes, went 
tumbling along the road, taking jumps and turning 
somersaults over each other as they went bustling 
along at lightning speed to join others in the chase. 
Over Simon’s Pass we came to the homestead of that 
name, more tussocky grass, more huge rocks tumbling 
every way, with Mount Cook always before us. Then 
over a small spur, as the sun was setting, and Lake 
Pukaki lay below us with the most wonderful re- 
flections on its smooth waters, of purple hills, and 
snow mountains all bathed in dying rays of a brilliant 
crimson and yellow sunset. I was the only occupant 
of the small hotel here, which was clean and comfort- 
able. They gave me a good fire, I made my own hot 
buttered toast, and, after reading the published statistics 
of growing vitality in the pastoral industry of the 
colony in 1891 (the only book I could get hold of), 
and the various remarks in the visitors’ book, I felt 
