AORANGI.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18571, 22 December 1925, Page 4

AORANGI.

GLORIES OF MOUNT COOK. A HOLIDAY IN THE SNOWS. "The sunset fades from the valleys soon; The lakes that are jewels splendid, With singing Tiver and long lagoon, In w»rm soft mists are blended. But the snow-peaks shimmer liko spires of gold In a city far and holy, Till every star of the Night's unrolled And the moon wheels -westward slowly. • Mr Will Lawson's sentiments find an echo in the heart of every traveller who has visited Mount Cook; for who, having once seen tho glories of a sunset in the high Alps, could ever forget the spectacle? 'As tho afternoon draws to a close, and dusk begins to fall in tho deep valleys that wind amongst the peaks, as the haze of evening softens the bold outline of huge buttresses and rocky scarps, mighty Aorangi and his fellows gather about their snowy heads a golden glory. Slowly the sun sinks, and the shadows creep up and up the mountain sides; the gleaming white of the snows changes to palest rose and gold, combining with the delicate green of tho ice-cliffs in exquisite harmony. A sky of yellow and amber and saffron, fading to north and south into pale green and blue, flecked with high, thin clouds of burnished copper, makes a background of transcendent beauty. Still the shadows climb the glowing slopes, until tho last rays of the sun, pouring through the passes in level bars, linger a moment on the highost peaks, and arc gone. The saffron sky turns to dull rose, to mauve, to noutral; the soft grey mists creep across cliff and scarp; and one by one bright stars glimmer through tho growing dusk. But'the beauty of an Alpine sunset is only one of a hundred inspiring sights that may bo seen in the Southern Alps. Mount Cook itself, well named by the Maoris "Aorangi, t.he cloud piercer," towering 12,349 feet above sea level, covered with eternal snows, mighty glaciers, and stupendous ice-cliffs, alone brings many tourists across the world every year; Mount Hector, Haidinger, De la Beche, Elie de Beaumont, La Perouse, Lendenfelt, Malte Brun, Sefton, Silberhorn, Tasman, all over 10,000 feet, are famed amongst climbers far and wide; the Tasman glacier, the largest of its kind in the world outside the Polar regions, gives access to a multitude of wonderful sights and daring climbs; the Hooker and Mueller glaciers, both easily accessible even for ladies, provide walks of absorbing interest. The air is dry and invigorating, warmed by clear, bright sunshine, so that the region is a bracing health resort. The Hermitage. Headquarters for visitors to Mount Cook is the Hermitage, snugly situated on a small plateau overlooking the Hooker Yalley, and commanding magnificent views of Mount Sefton, Mount Cook, and the adjacent ranges. It is a luxurious modern hotel, fitted with every conceivable convenience for the comfort of its guests, and supplied with electric power for lighting, heating, and cooking from a hydro-clcetric plant specially installed for the purpose. Every moment of life at the Hermitage is brimful of interest; each day brings now adventures —riding, climbing, walking, picnics, tennis, and in winter skiing and skating; in the evenings there is music and dancing in the lounge, Lilliards upon a perfect table, or inviting armchairs before crackling log fires, where one may exchange experiences with travellers from all parts of the world, and live over again the events of the day.

From Timaru The Hermitage is reached in a journey of seven hours in the Mount Cook Motor Company's big, comfortable limousines. The first stage of the run is to Fairlic, through pretty agricul-

tural land and over fertile, rolling downs. After lunch at Fairlie, the car goes on over Burke's Pass, from which there is a very fine view of the snowelad mountains and tho broad sweep of the Mackenzie Plains, past beautiful Lake Tekapo, and the swirling Tekapo river, to Lake Pukaki, which is readied in time for afternoon tea. From Lake Pukaki a magnificent viow is obtained of Mount Cook, Mount Sefton, and the Moorhousc range, 40 miles away, towering into the sky. Prom the Pukaki accommodation house the road skirts the lake along the southern shore right to its head, now climbing hundreds of feet above the beach, now dropping almost to the water level, and presenting everchanging aspects of lake and mountain, until it finally debouches on to the broad shingly flats of the Tasman riverbed. A few miles more, and then the travellers arc being welcomed at the brightly-lit portal of Tho Hermitage. In the morning all is bustle and activity in preparation for the day's excursions. The manager and his staff are kept busy issuing all manner of requirements, from alpenstocks and snowgoggles for departing climbers to picnic hampers for those who are contenting themselves with less strenuous outings. One of the most popular of these is the walk to Governor's Bush, one of the few patches of pretty native bush to be found in this region. Prom the bush a track leads up to a hill-top, from which there is a splendid view of tho surrounding peaks and glaciers, and on to Black Birch Creek, where there is a fine picnic spot. An ice cave at the foot of a small glacier nearby is also easily reached.

The climb to the shoulder of Sebastopol may be made from Black Birch Creek, and there 13 a well-made track all tho way, leading out at the top to a level area on which are red tarns. From this point to the summit of Sebastopol is a stiff climb of several thousand foet, but the viow from the top is magnificent. Near the terminal face of the Mueller Glacier is Kea Point, two and threequarter miles from The Hermitage, which affords splendid views of Mount Sefton, the Hooker Valley, and Mount Cook. Another track from Tho Hermitage leads to the first suspension bridge over the Hooker, an easy walk of one and a half miles, and to the second suspension bridge, one and a quarter miles further on. The latter point is well worth a visit, as the bridge is situated close under a spur of Mount Wakefield, and the approach to it is cut out of the solid rock, so steep that step-cutting is necessary in winter when the rock is covered with ice. The bridge leads on to a mighty boulder, round the side of which there is a railed platform leading to the farther bank of the river. To the Glaciers. Seven miles up the Hooker Valley lies the Hooker Hut, 3850 feet above sea level, which is a base for excursions to the icefalls and tributary glaciers from Mount Cook, and from which the climb over the Copland Pass into Westland and to the Fox Glacier is made. On the other side of the Wakefield range, opposite The Hermitage, is the Tasman Valley and the huge Tasman Glacier, which no visitor should miss seeing. The trip is made on horseback, along the side of. the range above the Tasman river, to Blue Lakes, vivid blue sheets of water on which, in winter, splendid skating is to be had. A halt is made here for luuch, and then the party goes on to the Ball Hut, another excursion base, within easy Teach of the Hoehstetter Glacier and the far-famed Hochstetter Iccfall, one of the most magnificent sights, in formation and colouring, that the world can show. Ten miles further up the valley is the Malte Brun Hut, 300 feet above tho glacier, from which there is a fine view of Mounts Cook, Dampier, Tasman, Silberhorn, Lendenfelt, Haidinger, and many others, and from which is the starting point for some of the finest climbs in the Alps. The Mueller Hut, situated on the other side of the Sealy Eange, and seven miles distant from The Hermitage, is easily reached, and is a popular outing, for ski-ing and tobogganing may be had in its neighbourhood all the year round. Travellers who have ranged the world in. search of pleasure and beauty have readily admitted that the Mount. Cook region is unsurpassed in Europo or America, and the number of tourists who visit New Zealand for the purposo of seeing the "Switzerland of the South Seas" is growing annually. Its value to the Dominion and to South Canterbury cannot be overestimated, and no effort should be spared to make its attractions more widely known overseas.