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Chapter XIV.
Tekapo Station.

There are no letters after the date of the last quoted (March, 1856) for two years, during which time Mr. Hay and his two Scotch ploughmen, Messrs. McMillan and McGregor and Mr. John Hay were all busy ploughing, fencing, sowing and reaping. In the next letter we have, of date 27th April, 1858, Mr. Hay tells his brother of the departure for Home just then of Miss Catherine Milne—"a very intimate friend"—who had come out with Mr. and Mrs. J. Anderson, Mrs. Williams, and family, &e, in one of the first four ships to Canterbury. Miss Milne was returning to be married to Rev. James Ronaldson, a minister of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland, residing in Longridge, near Bathgate. She had, in the seven Years of her stay in New Zealand, made enough money to buy a farm in Hororata district, which she let when she went Home. She had become a very familiar friend of the Annandale home, as in many others, where her services as a seamstress were much appreciated; and was called by her intimate friends, "Scotch Kate." She had as much as she could do going the rounds of her many friends, a few weeks in each home, and her visits to Annandale were welcome, as much for her hearty jovial page 174company as for her practical assistance in the family sewing. She was quite a character, far-famed for her high spirits and ready wit, her love of children, and genuinely kind disposition. Many a wild romp she had with the Annandale boys and girls, and many a merry evening she was the life of the party, the centre of attraction with young and old. She settled down in her quiet country home in Scotland, and made an excellent minister's wife. She fulfilled all her promises first, however, by going to see all the relatives of Mr. and Mrs. Hay in Scotland; and her return from the far-off land was hailed as an event of unusual interest among those Home relations, coming as she did direct from the home of their loved ones. Her's was not a personality to be easily forgotten, so that, even at this distance of time, we (then among the "Home relatives") can faintly recall her graphic descriptions and bright word pictures of the unknown cousins and their lovely home on the other side of the world; a subject ever associated in our minds, city bred children as we were, with all that was delightful and romantic'.

Miss Milne took the first photographs of Mr. Hay taken in New Zealand to the friends at Home. In his letter he says: —"I have sent you a photographic likeness of myself, and intend to get the same man to come to Pigeon Bay and take all the family. Then I will send you a copy of them all, to let you see the line arts of New Zealand." This he did, and curious works of art they were Some of them are still extant, and perfectly preserved, done as they are on glass. They are interesting relics of long ago, all the more so as they are the only likenesses we have of the family at that stage of their existence.

While on the subject of Miss Milne—or, rather, Mrs. Ronaldson—we may add that she remained at Home page 175for upwards of twenty-five years, after which time she, Mr. Ronaldson, and all their family came out again to New Zealand, and settled on her own property at Hororata. During her sojourn in the Old Country she kept always in touch with her New Zealand friends, and with her own large-hearted hospitality was ever ready to welcome to her home in Scotland all New Zealand visitors, whether personally known to her or not. The various members of our own family who within the last twenty-five years have gone Home, all met with the warmest welcome from this sincere old friend. She died about the year 1892, after a long severe illness, leaving husband and family to mourn her loss.

Early in July, 1858, Mr. John Hay and Miss Barbara McCreath were married, and went off to their home on Lake Tekapo in the McKenzie Country. Mr. J. Hay had previously, viz., in 1856, prospected in that far inland region so near the snowy ranges, and though he had to pass through very bleak country to reach it, and passed many a night with only his horse for company on the wilderness of stone and tussock that had first to be traversed, he was pleased with the place itself for his purpose, viz., a sheep-run. As far as natural scenery went it left little to be desired. Mr. J. Hay and Mr. Hay together leased 35,000 acres of land there, and although poor land, the sheep did remarkably well on it. The experiences of the young couple during their wedding journey to their new home are worth recording so far as can be recalled, as showing the ordinary incidents of travel in those days, James Hay—then about 17—accompanied them to render what help he could in the long rough journey to their destination. They had to traverse 170 miles (more or less) of rough country, intersected by treacherous rivers, where no roads were yet thought of. Their conveyance was a good page 176strong bullock dray, that being the only thing there was any safety in for themselves or goods. They took with them 20 head of cattle, three horses, and the six bullocks that were yoked to the dray. When they could not reach the shelter of a friendly station house at night, they had to cover the dray with a tarpaulin, and make their beds under and on it. There was some roughing connected with this bridal journey which occupied quite four weeks from Christchurch. They were storm-stayed at Mr. Boag's, of Fendalton, to begin with, and forced to remain there a fortnight before the weather was fit for them to make their start, during which time Mr. J. Hay and James helped Mr. Boag to drag his wheat to the flour-mills.

Sometimes, owing to livers being "up," they encountered difficulty or delay, but on the whole were fortunate in meeting with no serious misadventures. They cooked their food in the evenings when camping, and managed sometimes to relieve the tedium of the journey by indulging in sport. They shot wild ducks, which helped their in sport and they captured wild pigs in plenty. The latter they chased on horseback till they were run down; then they despatched them. Mr. Hay cured the pigs, and made excellent hams and bacon, which were duly relished in Tekapo. They paid a few visits to friends about Temuka district as they passed their homes, and stayed now and then at hotels on their way, where there were any. So this al fresco honeymoon trip was on the whole enjoyable, barring a few discomforts.

When at length they reached Lake Tekapo, they found there only a cot or mud but occupied by a shepherd, and not very much comfort or good cheer obtainable. Mrs. J. Hay, however, was brave-hearted and resourceful, and very soon transformed the hut into a cosy, bright little home, where they were comfortable till their house was page 177built. Arriving, as they did, in mid-winter, into the region of the Southern Alps, their first experience of the regions of the climate was that they were snowed up for three months, and of course all building or out-door work of any kind was quite impossible during that time.

Mr. and Mrs. J. Hay spent the first five or six years of their married life on this station, and lonely as the life must have been, Mrs. Hay frequently spoke of the happy times spent in their lovely Alpine home. The place, to those of us who have seen it en route to Mount Cook, is full of associations and memories of the dear old friends who began their united lives in that romantic spot. The house was built on a small peninsula jutting out into the lake, and is beautiful for situation, surrounded by the magnificent Southern Alps. They soon had a useful garden and trees planted. The old homestead still remains in its picturesque setting of greenery on the bosom of the placid lake.

Our old friend, Mr. John Hutcheson, after a trip Home, returned to the colony, got married, and took up a cattle run at Lake Pukaki, sister lake to Tekapo, and about twenty miles distant from it. He remained there a year and a half, and afterwards sold the station to Messrs. Gladstoneand Brown—the former a nephew of the late famous English statesman. Mr. John Hay, Mr. Hutcheson, and Mr. F. Sinclair were the first colonists who opened up that far inland region, except the man after whom it was named, McKenzie, the notorious sheep-stealer—a most determined, intrepid Scotchman, about whose strength, pluck, and endurance many tales are told. He was a shepherd with Messrs. Rhodes Brothers, at Levels Station, and thus got to know the country far inland. He stole 1000 sheep from Messrs. Rhodes, and succeeded in getting them across the Tekapo into the interior. He left them there and returned for more, with which to stock a tract of country he had page 178taken up in conjunction with others, whose names were never found out. He had his dogs so well trained that they could drive the sheep alone in the directions he indicated. Thus he was able to go on ahead of the stolen sheep and elude suspicion,

When going into McKenzie country with the second lot some shepherds crossed the trail of the sheep. Their suspicions being aroused they followed it up, and succeeded in capturing McKenzie, who was tried and committed to Lyttelton gaol. He escaped from prison, fled bare-footed from the mounted policemen, and would have eluded them all, had he been given fair play, but a civilian shot him in the back—a cowardly action unauthorised by the law. When taken the poor man's feet were found to be cruelly lacerated with splinters, thorns, and cuts. Nothing daunted, he made fresh attempts to escape on every possible opportunity, until at length, tired of their mercurial prisoner, the authorities pardoned him on condition that he left the country.

After his capture his dogs had to be shot, because they could not be induced to leave the sheep they had in charge.