Page:Picturesque Dunedin.djvu/290

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PICTURESQUE DUNEDIN.

the northward the prospect is limited by Swampy Hill and Mount Cargill, but turning to the eastward an extensive view is obtained of the lower lying hills about Dunedin and over the Otago Peninsula, with the wide Pacific stretching away beyond. Turning further round, the Green Island uplands, the Chain Hills, and those of Otakia district meet the eye, with glimpses of the lowlands between, while the dark wood-crowned summit of Saddle Hill stands out conspicuously against the sea and sky beyond. Away in the south may be seen the distant coast-line and the hazy forms of the South Molyneux ranges. Looking over the Taieri the bulky form of Maungatua looms large, beyond which lies the rounded top of the Lammerlaw. Further round again to the westward the long range of the Rock and Pillar mountain appears, with possibly patches of snow in its hollows, and if the day be clear the summit of distant Mount St Bathans and the Old Man or Umbrella Ranges, may be descried, whilst some long-sighted mortals say they have even seen the far-off peaks of the rugged Remarkables. Leaving these distant mountains the eye completes the circuit by resting on the grey rocky pinnacles of the Silver Peaks, and the bush-clad gullies of the Silverstream and its tributaries. By proceeding a little way down the mountain a more extensive view of the Taieri Plain is obtained, which lies at the feet of the observer like a gigantic irregularly marked chess board with its squares of varied colours, and the gleam of the sunbeams on the Waihola and Waipori lakes may be seen in the distance. The lover of such fair scenes will linger long revelling in the grand panorama by which he is encircled. But the descent must be made, so choosing that by way of the Halfway Bush and keeping well to the right along the leading spur, he rapidly descends the grassy slopes till he joins the North Taieri road near Ashburn Hall, whence by the Halfway Bush and Roslyn he makes his way back to town, tired probably, but certainly pleased with his excursion.


IV.—MOUNT CARGILL.

Another pleasant mountain expedition, though not such a favourite with the people of Dunedin as the ascent of Flagstaff, is the climb to the top of Mount Cargill, which lies to the north of the town and rises to a slightly greater elevation than its