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A Spring Holiday
Blossom Time in Nelson.

(By John Harland-Barber.)

Robert Browning wrote “Oh! to be in England, now that April's there.” Browning never saw spring in New Zealand, though doubtless his friend, Alfred Domett, would describe it to him with a poet's enthusiasm. If Browning had been so fortunate we may well suppose he would have added another spring-song to his works.

Perhaps nowhere in the Dominion does spring arrive with a greater riot of colour than round the shores of Blind Bay. Lovers of the picturesque will find that a trip through the fruitlands of Nelson will reward them generously.

Nelson City has been described so often, and in such glowing detail that we may neglect it here, and seek the morning train for the country. The journey by train is the only way in which the orchards may be seen to advantage. The main South road passes only the front lawns and hedges of the farmlets, while the railway runs actually through many of the orchards. The very names of the stations are opensounding, and give promise of the serene country beauty which the traveller seeks. Bishopdale, home of the bishops of the diocese from the earliest days; Annisbrook, Stoke, Richmond, Hope, Appleby, Brightwater and Spring Grove. Where else in the Dominion can be found such a succession of Arcadian names?

From the City to Bishopdale the line is elevated slightly above the valley proper, and as the train slowly climbs the rather steep gradient, the panorama of the valley unfolds, like a slow motion film to display cottages and bungalows half hidden in trees and shrubs; and the Nelson College buildings, creeper clad and Jacobean gabled, offer a mellow suggestion of ancient scholastic foundations in older lands. On the far side of the valley, behind the College, spread the cultivated lands of the Mental Hospital, with its blocks of buildings fronted by pleasant gardens; and in the foreground are the general Hospital and Nurses’ Home.

The train gathers speed as it leaves Bishopdale, and passes between the first two orchards of the journey, displaying a burst of foamy pink and white. The views change and dissolve rapidly, and glimpses of sparkling water, wide expanses of Blind Bay, placid lagoons, and undulating farm lands on either hand throw into relief the seas of blossom.

Away in the west the great range of misty blue mountains, dominated by the mass of Mount Arthur, forms the noblest of backgrounds. Usually snowclad at this season, these peaks at sunset and sunrise display a range of tints varying from palest pink to crimson and gold, fading away into ethereal blues and greens, challenging with austere remoteness the more intimate beauty of the blossom.

From Richmond, where the tidal lagoon runs almost to the station fence, the line runs south into the wide Waimea Plain, where in a pocket of the hills above Brightwater, year after year, the earliest peas have been grown for the Wellington market, proclaiming a warm forward mould and mild early climate. Here appears occasionally a building with an odd conical roof sheltering a hop kiln, with hop gardens now interspersed with the orchards. It is no exaggeration to say that Nelson hops are as famous within the Empire as Kentish hops.

Wakefield railway station is our present destination, though the line goes on to Glenhope. The township, following village tradition, stands at the junction of four cross roads. The north road parallels the railway back to Nelson. Southward leads to Muchison and the West Coast. To the east lies hill country, with sheep and cattle lands and bush, while westward are Thorpe and Dovedale and the valley of the Motueka River. In every direction is tempting country for hikers, and the mountaineer may combine workmanlike climbing with glimpses of exquisite views on every side.

Much has been written of the scenery, climate, and historic interest of the Nelson Province, and most of it will bear repetition for the benefit of those who may be encouraged thereby to discover for themselves its manifold attractions.