Around the City.

“The city of sunshine, fruit and flowers” is a description that has been written of Nelson. It can be enlarged in its scope of reference to embrace most of the province; it certainly fits well the beautiful country from which the city draws its business and fills the holds of the ships that come in to the haven by the deep channel cut through the ancient bank Tahuna-a-Tamaiea. Much of the city itself certainly seems embowered in trees and gardens. The half-circle of hills that guards the place from the blustering winds of south and west gives it a serene quiet of air, and the hot sunshine it collects is agreeably tempered by the sea-breath from the great bay in front. Gardens and orchards and leafy parks are all about, and the intermingling of urban and sylvan landscape is a feature that particularly appeals to visitors from larger cities. No town, except perhaps Akaroa, has such pretty walks inviting the saunterer to go on and on. There is green everywhere. One page 21 favourite walk is up the valley of the Maitai (a contraction of Mataitahi, “the solitary black-pine tree”), a clear rippling trout stream flowing down through the town under its willows and poplars and oak trees and its flowering trees where the tui's deep echoing music is often heard in the months of blossom.

This is a place of some history. There was an old-time Maori pa on the hill, and when the Wairau massacre of 1843 occurred the pioneers of Nelson were so apprehensive of attack by Te Rauparaha and his Ngati-Toa and their allies that they set to work and built a fort on the hill, which they named Fort Arthur, after Captain Arthur Wakefield, their greatly-liked chief who fell at Wairau. This was an earthwork and stockade, with six guns. Fortunately Nelson's early stronghold was never required, and when the fort was demolished the English Church took its place.