TRANS-ALPINE ROUTE

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 31, 6 August 1923, Page 3

TRANS-ALPINE ROUTE

EXPLORATION IN 1857

BY DOBSON, SENIOR

In 1857 Mr. E. Dobson, the Canterbury Provincial Engineer, and father of the discoverer of Arthur's Pass (Mr. A. D. Dobson), made an expedition along the river Hurunui, and over a low saddle to where the waters began to run westward. It appears that a Maori path had been always known from the East to the West Coast by the gorge of'the Hurunui, at what is called Mt. Noble, near Mr. Mason's station, Waihi, and from accounts of Maoris, the existence of EOiue level land in the interior had long been understood. A certain precipitous gully in the gorge above mentioned, which the Maoris crossed with flax ropes and ladders, has always been the obstacle to exploring expeditions in this direction. Mr. Dobson endeavoured to find a passable road for horses along this route, and with Mr. Mason, Mr. Taylor of the Wairau, Mr. Dampier, a shepherd of Mr. Mason's, and, probably, another man, attacked the precipitous gully in question with spades and pick-axes. In four days a track was cut by which horees could be led from one side to the other, and the party pursued their way up the gorge, keeping a little above the riverbank on the south side.

In a very short time they came upon flat land. This was the half-expected country superior to their a;kiicipations in many respects. Dry, -though well watered, open, • grassy country, with clumps of wood standing upon it, and with coiners of the forest running down to it from the mountain spurs, enclosed in hills, but containing more or less 60,000 acres of pasture land. A good deal of limestone and quartz prevailed in the neighbourhood. The timber trees were the ordinary varieties of pine and totara with some white. birch. The general level was about the same as the ereat plain, perhaps at the highest 600 feet above the water level. The main branch of the Hurunui flowed slowly along the northern edge of the basin, forming- the boundary of the province. On the southern side of the "basin another stream of the river flowed, and formed an island, which again was divided down the middle by a third watercourse. LAKES DISCOVERED. On all the streams were lakes, six in number, to which the discoverers gave names; one of them, named Lake Sumner, is of considerable dimensions. The valley is picturesque, being low, grassy hills, and separating streams, with insulated mounds diversified by woods, and offsets of the mountains. Following this pleasant valley, the head waters of the Hurunui were reached, a low saddle was passed, and the party found themselves upon a tolerable stream running- westward. They had thus passed the dividing range, and could have reached the sea without difficulty, but continuous bad weather stopped them. The stream running westward was the Brunner, only about thirty miles from the West Coast, and the highest point of the line was found to be only about 1000 feet above 'sea, level.. A few..miles down the' Hurunui, there was a branch valley also passing over a low'saddle to the river Grey, said by Brunner to run through a valley sixty miles long, and full of lakes.

Mr. Dobson's report and sketches of this newly-disovered country brought instant applications for the 'land, and all that was available was at once' taken up as sheep runs. Quartz, indicating gold, abounded on the western slopes of the mountains. It was decided that a road should be laid out through this route to the west.

This successful expedition soon produced others. Mr. Torlesse reported a tour, and brought down a map of the country discovered by him in the upper valley of the Ashley, and a district -lying between Harewood Forest and the Snowy Range, dividing the Ashley from the Waimakariri, he had a good view of the country watered by the Waimakariri, and estimated the available land at 500,000 acres. HARPER'S EXPEDITION.

Soon after, Mr. Leonard Harper, with a party, made an • expedition to the Western Coast, They started on the 4th of November, 1857, from Mr. Mason's out-station in the Waitohi Valley, and passed through the Maori gully aloiif the south bank of the Hurunui. They then followed the south branch of the Hurunui to Loch Katrine, a small lake connected with Lake Sunrner. Arrived at the norfch-westem extremity of Lake Sumner, they thence ascended the eastern Teremakau, up to the saddle, which was then covered with melting snow ihey then made their way down the north side of tiie western Teremakau, and followed the bed of the stream to the junction of the Otira, a south branch of the Hurunui. The Natives informed them that out of the Otira ran the river \\ aimakariri, and not from a lake as was supposed. They next reached the «f° Sw T- ange and a lake > out of wl«ch the Natives told them -a stream ran into the Grey, navigable for canoes. Embarking on a raft on the Teremakau, which they soon after reached, they were whirled among trees and bushes torn away by the torrents to the Western toast. Owing to delays, occasioned by bad weather, snow, and want of food the journey from Mr. Mason's to the" toast lasted twenty-three days, but they made the return journey in fourteen days of which only eight were spent in travelling. The Natives assured them that there was an easy way up the valley of the Waitanga to the East Coast through an open country, but which does not yet seem to have been discovered. Ihey found many wild dogs in the bush, which the Natives tamed and' used for catching birds. These Natives all professed Christianity, and had no pigs or wheat, but lived on potatoes. Maori cabbage and fern, with eels and other fish.—Christchurch "Press "

Mr. A. Dinnie, engineer in charge of the tunnel, was the first to traverse 'it from Otira to Beaky. He did this on 22nd July, 1918. On the same day M.v. J. B. Cowing, assistant engineer, first traversed it from the Bealey to M.L.C., who took part in the agitation for the railway in 1879, can claim to be the first through passenger from coast to coast via Arthur's Pass tunnel. He did this on the day of the Augusri9lß.PierCinSthetUnnel' 21st