The prospect of tunnelling from Dunedin to Waitati was rightly looked upon as a huge undertaking.
The difficulty was soon overcome, however, by taking the line round the hills from Port Chalmers.
One of the first sections built was that between Oamaru and Moeraki, and this was done with the intention of making Moeraki the port of Oamaru, as the latter place was then but an open bay.
The line from Dunedin also turned down from Hillgrove and ran into Moeraki, but was subsequently straightened out to the present route.
The banking of this old line can still be seen.
Moeraki was a busy place when gold dust was being gathered off the beach at the rate of 100 ounces to the ton of sand treated.
Mr Nicolson, of Hampden, and other old settlers remember seeing the beach literally yellow with dust like fine flour.
This El Dorado was soon exhausted, and with the straightening of the line Moeraki's hope of growth largely diminished.
It may also be mentioned that it was a shipment of Moeraki potatoes to Wellington in the 40s that was the commencement of the Oamaru potato trade. - by A. J. Heighway.
• The Taieri and Peninsula Milk Supply Company is steadily becoming, in this little country, a gigantic business undertaking.
A report recently issued shows that the company, during the year ended August 31 last, purchased 99,197,728lb of milk, and manufactured 1711 tons of butter and 382 tons of cheese.
Butter-making factories are scattered all over the countryside, and seven cheese-making factories are under the control of the company.
• Two small boys named Cecil Johnson and Willie Moffat, living at Kaihiku, have in a practical manner been assisting the Acclimatisation Society by destroying eels.
They went eeling on five occasions for an hour each evening, between 8 and 9 o'clock, with the following result: First evening - six eels, largest (17½lb) having a trout 9in long inside; second - 10 eels; third - 20 eels; fourth - eight eels; largest 14lb, which had swallowed a trout 11in long; fifth - 22 eels - or a grand total of 66 eels.
The Acclimatisation Society might do worse than encourage these boys. - ODT, 30.10.1909.
