EXPEDITION TO FIORDLAND

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 79, 13 January 1949, Page 8

EXPEDITION TO FIORDLAND

FIRST CAMP ESTABLISHED (P.A.) DUNEDIN, Jan. 12. The first camp established by the American-New Zealand natural history and scientific expedition to Fiordland is now functioning, and preparations are already being made to move most, of the equipment and stores to a secondary camp. When more members and stores arrive near the end of this month the base camp at the head of the Stillwater River will be established. Colonel John K. Howard, of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, is well satisfied with the progress made so far. His desire to see wapiti was quickly satisfied, for three of the animals were awaiting the party on Caswell Sound beach, where the stores were landed. On the preliminary survey of the Lake Marchant camp site, the second proposed camp, Colonel Howard filmed a wapiti cow and calf. Bird life was abundant and although no takahe were observed, there were weka, duck, pigeon, rifleman, wren, and others. The Lake Marchant camp is almost two miles from the beachhead, and the ground between rises about 600 ft. It takes about 35 minutes to walk the distance, but that time may be shortened when a track is cleared to enable scientific equipment to be carried through.