The next day we got to a station known as "Johnson's." It was just
at the head of the lake, and as we arrived tolerably early in the
forenoon we embarked, after the usual station dinner of mutton, tea,
and damper, on Lake Wanaka. Alas for those treacherous blue waters!
We had only a little pair-oared boat, in which I took my place as
coxwain, and after pulling for a mile or two under a blazing sun,
over short chopping waves, with a head-wind, we all became so deadly
sea-sick that we had to turn back! As soon as we had rested and
recovered, a council of war was held as to our movements, and we
decided, in spite of our recent experiences, to turn our horses, who
had done quite enough for the present, out on the run, and so make
our way down the lake by boat. Already F--- was beginning to look
anxious, for he perceived that, even after the head of the lake had
been reached, the wool would cost an enormous sum to cart down to
either Oamaru or Timaru, from whence alone it could be shipped.

The mile or two of the run which lay along the shore of the lake
showed us frightfully rough country. A dense jungle of tussocks and
thorny bushes choked up the feed, and made it impossible to drive
any animals through it, even supposing that good pasturage lay
beyond. Still we hoped that we might be looking at the worst
portion of our purchase, and deter mined to persevere in the attempt
to penetrate to the furthest end of our new property. Accordingly
we hired a safe old tub of a boat which, though too heavy to pull,
was warranted to sail steadily, and with a couple of men, some cold
mutton, bread, tea, and sugar, started valiantly on our cruise. But
the "blue, unclouded weather," in which we had hitherto basked, was
at an end for the present. We had already enjoyed a longer
succession of calm days than usually falls to the lot of the
travellers in that windy middle island, and it was now quite time