Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2): or Settler and Maori in Northern New ZealandHay, W. Delisle (William Delisle)
History
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2): or Settler and Maori in Northern New Zealand
Hay, W. Delisle (William Delisle)
Ethnology -- New Zealand; Māori (New Zealand people); New Zealand -- Description and travel
A hundred yards up this avenue, and we pass to the right through a gate
in the garden paling. There we find ourselves in enchanted ground, for
there is surely no garden in the North, except, perhaps, that of the
Horticultural Society at Auckland, which is superior to this. It is
beautifully laid out, and to us, fresh from the uncouth barbarism of our
shanty and its surroundings, this place seems to breathe of the "Arabian
Nights." And is there not a certain princess within, into whose
seraphic presence we are now entering? We inhale a new atmosphere, and
tread lightly, almost on tiptoe, speaking unconsciously in whispers, and
with the blood running quicker through our veins.
The Member has money, as I have mentioned, and here, as elsewhere, money
is a magician's rod that will work wonders. To the Member labour and the
cost of it bear other relations than they do to us. He is able to look
on life in a different light, and may expend toil on other matters than
such as are of bare utility. And he has done so, wisely and lavishly,
and so his home is what a home should be in this fair land--an Eden of
natural beauty.
In this garden there are smooth lawns and dainty flower-beds, winding
walks and blossomy banks, trellised arbours and shady groves. Taste and
elegance are manifest all round us, from the scented rosery to the
well-kept melon-patch. The rich and splendid hues of countless flowers
delight our eyes, while their unwonted sweetness sends a mild
intoxication into us with every breath we draw. We pass up to the house
along a straight, broad path, smooth and white with shell-gravel. The
path divides the garden in a part of its length, and has a hedge on
either side. But these hedges are of ornamental rather than useful kind.
One is of geranium and the other of fuchsia. Here those beautiful
plants, which are guarded so carefully in English conservatories, grow
into trees in the open air. These geranium and fuchsia hedges are
composed of many varieties of both. They are about eight or ten feet in
height, and are constantly and carefully pruned to keep down their too
exuberant tendencies. They are loaded with blossom, while the fuchsia
fruit is a palatable addition to the many dainties of garden and
orchard.
The house before us carries about it the same air of comfort and ease as
the garden, not to speak of elegance. It is a large villa, similar to
some of the mansions one may see about colonial cities. Of what style
its architecture may be I cannot say. It appears to partake of the
character, externally, both of a Swiss chalet and a Norwegian country
house.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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