A priestess of the olden time
(Ere purer rites had birth)
On Nature's altar offering up
The homage of the earth;
Surrounded by grim Druids, robed
In mantles green and grey—
Go, picture this, and then you have
Dunedin from the Bay.
O never till this breast grows cold
Can I forget that hour,
As standing on the vessel's deck
I watched the golden shower
Of yellow beams, that darted
From the sinking king of day,
And bathéd in a mellow flood
Dunedin from the Bay.
I.—THE QUEEN'S DRIVE.
Although the civic rulers of Dunedin have not, as yet, done much to enhance the beauties of their city, they have earned the thanks of many an inhabitant and visitor, as they will continue to do so long as the city exists, by affording facilities for admiring the natural beauties with which it is so richly endowed by Nature. The wise forethought of the founders of the settlement in reserving a wide belt round the city as a public park has been supplemented by that of the City Council in forming a road throughout its entire length. This road, which was constructed during the mayoralty of Mr. H. J. Walter, and is known as the Queen's Drive, winds along the face of the hills above the town and from this vantage ground many of the finest views of Dunedin are obtained. As the stranger first strolls or drives leisurely along its meandering course new beauties are continually displayed. There is a sameness in the prospect, and yet it is never the same. The town is always seen nestling below, with the lake-like harbour and the sunny slopes of the Peninsula beyond; but each point of view presents these features in some new aspect. The character of the Belt itself is also varied, for while at the north end the road winds through shady groves of
