WEST COAST EXPLORATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1397, 9 May 1865, Page 5

WEST COAST EXPLORATION.

"We have been favoured with the followng report, which we publish for the informa;ion of our readers:— Christchurch, May 4,186 ft. Sir,—l beg to report the progress of our cxpediion to the head waters of the Hnkniii up to the date if my leaving the camp on the 28th April. I ndvised you, in ft former letter, of oar receipt of :he information obtained bv the Kev. Mr. Stock rom an «ld Maori at Kainpoi. At the date of its irrital we were on our way to the Knkahv, and were flad to receive what we imagined might prove of jreat assistance. The account was, however, in iome respects, very confused and perplexing, and re were obliged to form onr own idea as to the imount of positive information which it contained. We came to the conclusion that the existence of a iave, a pass, and a large lake, with a stream running ( »ut of it, were the only facts upon which we could ] lepend, and we accordingly determined to make ( hetn our landmarks. After a slight delay, caused by bad weather, we , cached Major Scott's on Saturday, 15th, and on the vening of the 17th were camped opposite Sebasopol. ] We soon determined which of the upper streams , ppeared to offer the best prospect of a pass, and tarted, without swags, early on the 18th to make a ireliminary survey of the ground. We had not ravelled above two miles up the valley when, to our :«at surprise, we caught sight of a tent. This j iroved to belong to Messrs Griffiths and Oatway, rho were bound on much the same errand as ourelves, and had already been on the top of the pass. ( U we learnt from them that there was a large lake here, with a stream flowing out of it, we felt olerahly certain that we were working in the right , irection, but resolved to hunt for the cave before , rossing. Messrs. Griffiths and Oatway arranged to , ain our party, and the same afternoon we and they , hifted camp to a point much higher up the valley, , nd distant only about a mile and a-half from the j oot of the pass. Mr. Browning and I spent the , ftemoon in hunting for the cave, but without , uccess. We searched every clump of bushes and j eapof rocks over a consderable extent of ground, j ut could find nothing which, under the most liberal escription, could be called a cave. We could think of no other spot in the valley to 1 diich our search should be extended, and accord- ( igly resolved to cross the range without further . elay. It is unnecessary that I should trouble you ( rith details of our examination of the western side ( f the range, and I will, therefore, confine myself as ( losely as possible to a general statement. We started up the pass on the morning of the 9th. We were two hours and a half in the ascent, iie upper part being exceedingly steep and danerous. The point of the saddle on which we landed bore ue north from the nearest of the three peaks in the ascade range (distant about 7$ miles), and I guessed ( :s height above the stream at the foot to be 1500 jet. The barometer read at the foot 27.79; on the >p 26.14. The remainder of the week was spent in following tie stream which ran out of the lake, as far as we ould, and in returning to the western side of the i ass. After running about N.W. for a short dis■uice the stream took a northerly course, and, when : t last a gorge, of a more formidable character than ! ny which we had already passed, completely stopped : ur further progress, the course was a little to the ast of north. Right ahead of us—in fact, looking own upon us—was a tremendous mountain, the < lost massive of all which we had seen, and which re imagined to be Tera Tama. The stream, we oncluded, must run into the Teremakau; and as we ; new that our proper course lay far to the west of his position, we resolved to roturn to the camp and aake a fresh start from the pass iii search of the •roper route. We camped on the western side f the pass on Saturday afternoon. Rain had et in; so that when on the next morning w;e found ur provisions all gone, and the weather becoming corse, we were all agreed that the sooner we left the lass behind us the better it would be in every espect. The mist, fortunately, did not hang ery low upon it, and we reached our camp safely bout 12 o'clock on Sunday. Here we were shut up -pounded, in fact, by the swollen streams for three lays—five men in a tent measuring 6ft. by 6ft. The Feather mended a little on Tuesday, and by Wedneslay we were able to get away, and Mr. Browning, ilr. Johnston and I reached Major Scott's the same tfternoon. I cannot conclude this letter without expressing iur obligations to Major and Mrs. 'Scott for the great tindness we received at their hands; every assisance which they could render us was most freely fiven, and Mr. Browning returned amply provided irith a fresh supply of provisions for himself and Mr. Griffiths. Mr. Johnston and I, as well as Mr. Oatway, who had gone another way, were compelled to ■eturn to town. In conclusion, I will only further add, that I beieve the pass to be that described by the Maoris to Vlr, Stack ; and I have but little doubt that by this rtme Mr. Griffiths and Mr. Browning have discovered the route. I feel pretty sure, however, that it is not what the public would consider as a good line for a pack trackj and that if any chance of a road to the West Coast still remains, it is by the Hokitika, from Whitcombe's pass. I hazard this conjecture from information supplied to me by Mr. Griffiths, who considers that to be by far the lowest and easiest of all the Rakaia passes. I have, &c., R. J. S. Habman. To the Secretary for Public Works. Christchurch. p. s.—l think it right to mention that until I had an opportunity of examining the maps in the land office, we could not be sure which was the mountain called " Sevastopol." I now find that it lies to the north of the stream at the head of which the pass is situated.