OTHER EXPLORERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 February 1928, Page 34 (Supplement)

OTHER EXPLORERS

; 1 T’ — . i i i First Alpine Crossing ;

THE honour of having been the first white man to cross the Southern Alps is claimed for the late Mr. Leonard Harper, son of Bishop Harper. Mr. Arthur P. Harper, of Wellington, states that, in 1857, his father came over the mountains with four Maoris, via Harper’s Pass, at the head of the Teremakau River. They reached the old pah on the north beach of the Teremakau, and then went on to the Mawhera. River pah. There, Mr. Harper was joined by Tarapuhi, and they went south along the coast to Big Bay and back to Teremakau, whence Mr. Harper returned,to Canterbury. The late Mr. James Mackay visited the Coast about the same time, arriving at Mawhera just after Mr. Harper and his party had left for the south. Mr. Arthur Harper has been connected with the Coast since 1872, when he first visited the district to see his uncle (Archdeacon Harper) at Hokitika. In the ’nineties, he visited Noble’s Gully on goldmining business, and in later years did considerable exploring in the mountains of South Westland. He also carried out considerable exploratory work between Westport and Hokitika, accompanied by Messrs

, Perotti, Wisdom, and others, on ber half of the Midland Railway Company. Sailing from ’ Lyttelton in March, 1857, in the schooner “Emerald Isle,” 1 Thomas, John, and Joseph Oakes voys aged to Greymouth, their craft being J the first sailing vessel to cross the bar. ? They travelled up the river in the s ■ ship’s boat, and found the coal seam previously discovered by Brunner. 5 They were also successful in their prospecting for gold in various parts j of the district. The journey from Canterbury to the t West Coast was made in February, ! 1859, by Messrs James Mackay and John Rochfort. They separated, at j Otira, Rochfort travelling to Mawhera t (Greymouth) via Lake Brunner and the Arnold River, later proceeding along the coast to Nelson. Mackay 2 followed the Teremakau River to the coast. His mission was to purchase the West Coast from the Maoris, but he was at first unsuccessful, and left for Auckland. Commissioned by Governor Gore-Browne to purchase the West Coast for a sum not exceeding £4OO, Mackay returned to the dis- • trict early in 1860, and reached Mawhera, accompanied by his nephew, ■ Alexander Mackay, and three natives, 1 after a tramp of six weeks from Nel- ’ son. ! PURCHASE OF THE COAST , ' Negotiations with Chief Tarapuhi ■ resulted in an assembly of the na- ‘ tives at Okarito, and the purchase was ! subsequently complete!! at Mawhera, ' .the natives parting with about seven and a-half million acres of land for ■ the sum of £3OO. Approximately 12,- ’ 000 acres were reserved by the Maoris, ' and the town of Greymouth stands on ' part of these reserves. The purchase ■ of the West Coast was completed by Mackay on May 21, ISGQj. While returning to Nelson, s Mackay narrowly escaped losing his life while attempting to cross- the Grey River, which was in flood. His canoe capsized, but Mackay clung to the craft, and was washed ashore on the north bank of the river, where the township of Cobden is now located. He also saved his swag, containing the deed of purchase and the remaining one hundred sovereigns.