LURE OF THE WILD

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 138, 14 June 1933, Page 6

LURE OF THE WILD

HEAKT OP PIOEDLANB NEW SCENIC ROUND TRIP MANAPOURI-MIDDLE FIORD^

By E. E. Muir. From thoso heights We dropped, at pleasure into sylvan combs; Whera nrbours of Impenetrable slinrle, ■ , Ana mossy scats, detained us slile by side. ?. Wordswortli. , There are few spots, even in Piordland, New Zealand's scenic. paradise^. Whore ono could spend, a more delight-. ful holiday than at the high camp on: the shores of Lake Minerva' (2400 ft)/ the. half-way stage on the :iew -track which has.been cut from, the North Arm of Lake ■ Manapouri to the Gaor Arm of Bradshaw Sound, thus completing a new round trip of 110 miles through scenes of the rarest grandeur and of ever-changing variety. Situated ■ 154 miles up the Freeman Canyon in the hinterland of Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau, long famous for being the home of the takaho, New Zealand's rarest bird, it offers every facility for the tramper, botanist, and climber, all within approachable distance—lovely Valleys filled with alpino and subalpine flora (including many of the rai^st species), tlireo beautiful lakos (Lakes Freeman, ..Mmon i, ,md Tuaraki) within an hoiu S distance of the camp, biiperli i\atcil iIN, mighty goiges, and mountain langes with giant granite precipices and m.uiy nnamed and unchmbed pc.iKs ungiiig from 4000 to 6000 feet in height—a wholo legion, m fact, which ie mams unmapped and mu< h of which is still unexplored. The -valley itself, which is about a mile long by a thud of a mile wade, is walled m by naked granite ranges on both sides with low nSges running out into it at oithei end, and.'while the lower half of it is occupied by Lake Minerla, ono of the most perfect of Na-ture's minors, tike upper half is decorated with pictuiesque beech groves and alpmcs, bubalpmes, and mosses which eovci tho floor. t A FIBST ASCENT. Having completed tho double-atage lourney up the Fieeman Canyon in one day, our paity (compusing J. A. Malcolm, distntt manager at Invei cat gill for the Touiist Department, A. E. Darlj)ig, of Suffolk, England, "Les J) Muricll, the leader of tho paity which cut tho tiack, and tho writei), which was tho second paity to accomplish the lound hip, decided to take "a day off" and spend it in the locality. In the early morning, while we woip tying i omf ortably in our sleeping bags upon tho canvas bunks, two grey Tvai biers came in thiough the small ventilation openings at both ends of tho tent, and flj ing along the ridge-pole m opposite Cliiections, and, very cleverly, on diffoi out sides, enjoyed an early bicahlast in devouring whatever insects wcic there. "It is their in\ariabl6 custom," said Murrcll, "and they never fail." We were presented with a fino morning with warm, sunshine, blue sky and white, fleecy clouds, and no wind. . . . While the writor spent somo happy hours in loafing about the camp, watching the antics of a large-fci7Gd and very friendly golden weka, wandering about tho shores of tho lake, inspecting tho alpine flora, and in collecting specimens of eidclweiss winch grow luxuriantly on tho valley ftoor, the others set out to climb a loaning peak, about 4200 ft, at the head of the valley. This they achjoved smcccbs-fdlly,i>x)l-)taining magnificent views of i^holo series of unmapped ranges and ranyons, no loss than ten largo and fcmall lakes, and of the South Arm of Lake Te Anau. They, of course, eiectod the traditional cairn on tho summit nun king the flist ascent, named, the peak "Alt. Malcolm," tho finor peak ne\t it "Mt. Ohnkard" (4600 ft), and the communicating saddle between "Malcolm Saddle." Having also deposited tho traditional "record, they, iotuined to camp ut 3 p.m, and as it came on to rain wo spent tho remainder of the day in.camp. BLEAIK AND BOLD FOWLER PASS. 6n the morning of the third day wo sot out "on the eight and a half mile stage up the remainder of the Freeman Valley, over Fowler Pass, and down the Camelot Valley to the camp at the Bediverd Falls on the Camolot Eivoi, five and a half miles from its mouth whore it enters tho Gaer Arm of Bud--haw Sound. The day's journey was anothoi wonderful experience, so completely difteiont m all its featuies tiom anything wo had yet met with. Mists w'eie still hanging about, and it was threatening to lain, but wo woio lucky again, and beyond a few drops had it fine all tho wav, with, occasional bursts of blight sunshine. Rounding the low spur at tho head of tho Lake Mineiva Valley, wo omerged into another vallPy about a quarter of a mile wide and thrcoquaiteis of a nul& long, which, turning lo tho west, led up on to Fowlei Pass (3200 ft). Interlaced with numerous lams and imining stieams, its floor almost wholly co\eiod with mountain grass, and on its slopes suppoiting an interesting variety of alpine shiubs and flowers, it is surrounded by high rocky mags, and prosents a scene of lonely, desolate giandeui which is essentially its own. A pleahant stioll up this wild \ alloy and an ruby climb of 300 or 400 ieet placed us on top of the Pass, where, down lugged bluff? of about SO oi 90 feet, nestled Lake Tuainlu, a .sheet of watei about 2u acres in extent, set amidst the moist baneii, bleak, and lockv sunoundings. "Running out to tho uoith m a scnes ot hummocks for ibout 200 oi 300 yards, tho Pass then dips into another canjon fining access to the South Aim of Lake To Anau. With a nauow gap m between, whence it diams into the Camelot Vallc-v, tlic like is wnllc-il m on tho south ami west cliffs of about 100 and 300 ±cct lugh, which then "lilnnmock" and use in shocr walls, notoblj on the suuth vdo, for 1000 feet "oi i»o;r, lonmmitin,; in still highiL ]ie iks with th it on the northwest, Mt. Caiul, bearing h( voi U snow fields. It is a weird and lorbidding spot DESCENT OF A "CHIMNEY." As i iin ipjioroil to lie botdng in, it >\ is 'uhiMblu to [ni^li on In oidoi to ivoirl tho moio difficult blufls wlmli ilmost onrlosc Iho liUi, it is IHIC.SSHV to ilimb 100 ft uji tho low fuoMool oi humuioik at the foot o± tho towcims; ■vert'c.il mouiitiin on tho bonth side of tho Pii^s, .dkl then "diop" 2joft down i "cliimii°\ " into the head ot tnt> Cnmelut \alJe; ion the west side Clunbonng up the irxjl&tool ovei baie loik, lichens, find mo«ses is in no sense n difficult task, while tho disc out of tie "chimney" pro\ides q'-iite an1 of lomanco without any of its ciangcis. Tho "ehimnoy," which descends af an angle of about 70 oi 80 dcgiccs, i" quite a lcspcetablo thicc sided one, about foui or five feet wide, wifh \oitiL.il walls on tho light and left, and piovades a wealth" of good foot and hand-holds —not one of those "openwork" affairs which are nioie "chimney" in numo than in fact and "in" ft Inch to negotiate corners tho use of the iopo is necessary when stopping out into tho -void! Halfway down this "chimney" is the only obstaclo, a Inge bokloi, whiih is -jammed in its Ihioil 'md picsiutb on its outei a. diop ot iioni eight to ten Jut. A am \(iiu-M)( "nnnihuli" is pioMilcd, howinn liotwoiu tin liinoi wall of the "thiiiincy" and tin iO( k; lowoinijr onobelf down this and crawling undei the

rock, oiie continues the descent and so emerges into the head of tho Camelot. Valley at an elevation of 3200 ft. DELIGHTFUL ALPINE OAKDEN. Looking back on the right one sees a fine waterfall, about lOUft high, the overflow of Lake Tuaraki, the source-of. the Camelot Kivcr. . . . Keeping close up to tho sheer face of the mountain on .the left, and which overhangs in places, we trudged on for half a mile or so through a delightful • ; rocky alpine garden which very much resembles that on tho Copland Pass when beginning the ascent of the zig-z;ig path from the Upper Copland Valley, though -it is very much less than that fascinating wilderness in extent. It is filled with the loveliest shnibs, lilies, daisies, eldelwciss, lichens, and mosses, in many cases of several different species, all growing in the wildest profusion and amidst the loveliest surroundings. . . . Getting down lower, closer .to the bushline, we pushed through .tho finest. grove of lacebarks the writer ever has scon,."whole acres in extent, .growing about niiie or. teft feet, high, and all 'most gloriously, out in bloom. . . . The delicate scent from those beautiful eliislers of flowers, which filled the air, wus like the breath of heaven. The Handsome pale green leaves, too, were ■tfithout blemish, not eaten to pieces by caterpillars like the .small patch tho writer saw on the Mackinnon . Pass. Milford Track, in :Mareh, 1925. . '. And the bush below! Covered with streamers of white moss, it seemed that it}1. top,, was put-.in flower.., ....'.. .. . WEIRD LOOKING PEAK AND^A GLORIOUS VISTA. Down through a belt of leathei]acks, down thiough the bush, skating along tin} left of the upper alley ioi a mile oi so, we came out upon a steep]}-de si ending <-ticam ft fin elevation ot .'ibliut L'OOOtt and looked up and down upon tho two most ipm.iikablo fecenes that the newlj cut ti.uk along tins woiuk'ilul -salley aftords. . . . The clouds nuw wore lilting and bicaking, piovidmg occasional patches of blue and inteivals of ladiant sunshine dis> poising the mists below. . . . On Oui l"ft, close in, and toweling above us foi o-vei 2000 ft and probably considerably nioie, was a most weird-loOking peak of glistening granite fashioned like an old medieval castle, rcpleto with high toweis tapei'ing off into needle-like points and many pei fectly-formed battlements, souio ot them square and deeply cut in between! Thcso weie all arranged around the top, sui mounting a mighty precipice of naked rock which plunged straight down for many hundreds of feet. At the toot of tho perpendicular wall oi this 6trango-lookmg peak, which we agiecd in naming "Tho Noimari Keep," tumbled the mad stream in numerous short cascades and waterfalls over its plunging quarts-like "bed." ... On the light was a magnificent \ista ot about ten miles down tho Camelot Valley and beyond, the perfection of wooded mountain scenery with bold peaks of about COOOft standing up on light and left partially draped in gold and silver mists thiough which the sunlight shone. In all probability this represents the most extensive -view of unbioken viigm forests still left in Now Zealand. The more distant peaks wore a hazo ; 6f blue which enhanced the colouring of the ecene. A WONDERLAND OF MOSSES. Entering tho forest onco moi c wo immediately passed under a goss&nier-hko waterfall which, seeming to come out of the t>ky above, plunged over another enoimous cliff and descended up&n us iv wet mis>t and raindrops. . . . Down, down, do\\n through the forest, up and d6wn, winding in and out, crossing Streams with lovely cascading waterfalls in a seemingly endless variety of supeib settings, wo steadily descended, listening now and again to tho songs of tho birds and the chorus of rushing toirots. W*hat a wonderful foiest, what lovoly mosses and ferns! As is the caso in all West Coast vall6ys, due to tho gioater laijifall, tho forest here was infinitely male vaned than that on the eastern side in th© Fiooman Canyon, which was,almost wholly composed of beech; sub-tropical in character, it was ]ust as virgin, while its ferns and mosses were even finer and of greator variety, splendid as those in the Froeman Canyon were. In scores of places, i indeed wherever one looked, there were tho most ciichanting scenes of unspoilt sylvan beauty, worth going thousands of miles to sec, for one will view them nowhere else. In this veritable treasuro house of tho t rarest acenery, however, it was the gloiious mosses which impressed tho writer most. Thickly carpoting the forest floor, and of many different ■varieties, they glow in all sorts of places in massed foimation, liteially a foot and more- thick, and in tho queerest shapes. Ono particular creation, .just below tho luncheon * camp, specially caught th© writer's gaze, being fashlonod out in the form of a largo chesteifiold couch lounded off into magnificent cushions, splendidly "upholstered" back and arms, and eiidosed by the loveliest di aperies %vhose jewels in. the form of beads'of moisture flashed bnlliantlj. . . > ' A BED DEER SEEN. It was -not without a shock that fully eight miles up from the mouth of tho Camelot Kivcr we suddenly and wholly unexpectedly camo upon a red dcci m the bed of the river, and which piomptly made off. Tt, Was a hfindsoni" eieatuie, but qnq could not but lament the folly which had introdueod such animals into this unique FiOrdland, whoso toiests, largely then principal cliaim, wore never intended by Provi donco to withstand the lavages of plant-eating animal?, and which foi that icasoii and tho magnificent rainfall iank as tho most beautiful in tho whole woild. Did tho presenco of that lono animal so far up in the Camelot Valley mean that this forest, too, is doomed to suffer tho fate that tlucatcns so m my other Now Zealand foiosts tort iv because or tho now fast-miiltipl>ing ho'ides of deer jn them? If so, then those who suppoit th© policy of protoction of doer in this countiy will be caljed upon soonci oi later to faco tho responsibility. CALLS OF THE NICJHT BIRDS. Closing the nvcr twice v.O came on t» Iho flat, where tho foiest tiecs s(mioA higher still and the fr-ms, and mo-ses g'GW -just as luxuriantly, and tm illy aimed at the camp at the r.pdnci© Tails, five and a, half mijes liom the mouth of tho uvel, whore wo mii. Nt tho inghf. Parade ducks "luinkod" and bl,uc ducks whittled in the pool clo«e b}, bud many find stianec wne tlu- oils of tho night buds. Wcio mv Of thorn those oi the takahc or notoinisJ The} may hue been, boc uihc thmo aio authorities who still b(lH\o Ilut tho takaho is not cornet in this distiut, though none can_ idon-tif-y it-, eiy oi call becauso it is unknown. Then tpoko MnS Arthur lircatlllnS hciillj •flint Is it tliou hast seen? or wlnt hnst And""l^ L bold Sir Bolero. •I henrd tho w.itir lapplns on llw iraq And the lone ripple «uhlne in tho reeds The fourth and 6bncludtlig article ot this senes will give a description ot the lcmakdcr of the round trip—Horn tho Bo'hvcro -Palls on tho Camelot River back to View House, Lako Manapomi via the Gacr Arm, Bradshaw Sound, Smith Sound, Dcop Cove, the Wilmot Pass, and the West Arm of Lake Manapoun. |