A BIT OF HISTORY

Northern Advocate, 19 April 1933, Page 6

A BIT OF HISTORY

McKTNNON PASS. RIVAL EXPLORERS. WISDOM OF BIRDS. The current issue of Hie “New Zealand Railways Magazine,” which is brought, out on a bigger scale than hit Lot to, preserves and extends its railway interest, and also its leaning towards .New Zealand open-air life, the call of the wild, and Maori and pakelia. records. Under the heading of ‘‘Famous Now Zealanders,” “-J.C. ” begins a series with Fiordland, and the names of Donald Sutherland and Quinton McKinnon. There is room here for something about the latter, who walked in October, ISSS, from To Anau to Milford Sound over the pass that bears his

name. A High Quest. It seems that while Quinton McKinnon was trying from the Te Anau side to find a way to Milford Sound, at least one other pathfinder had his eye on this high quest —high in every sense. Mr. (afterwards Sir) Thomas Mackenzie “was an enthusiastic and courageous amateur explorer in those days. He, too, was ambitious to discover a pass to connect To Anau with the coast.” On the suggestion of the Chief Surveyor of Otago (Mr. C. W, Adams) he tried a creek that was found to offer no route. Later, following the observed flight of birds (black swans), Mr. Adams suggested another creek, but his advice fell on deaf ears. Yet Mr. Adams maintained (as is evidenced in a letter printed below) that adoption of the second suggestion would have placed Mackenzie over the pass before McKinnon.

In ISBS Mackenzie went with Adams to Milford Sound. Mackenzie had exploring interests, and the chief surveyor had various interests. Donald Sutherland, another noted explorer and discoverer of Sutherland Falls, had contracted with the Government to cut a track along the Arthur River from the head of Milford Sound. The chief inspector’s duties included the inspection of that track, and the measuring of the height of Sutherland Falls. “d.G.” states: “The rest of the story is told in a narrative which the late Mr. C. \V. Adams (he was the father of the present Government Astronomer, Dr. C. E. Adams) Avrote for me in the form of a letter, dated May .‘>l, 1006.’’ Here is the narratiA T e:

A Little Friction. “I may state that there Avas a little friction between Tom Mackenzie and myself. Ho wanted to ■ monopolise Donald Sutherland altogether to help him in his exploration. Noaa t , I had to inspect Sutherland’s contract for cutting the track to the Falls, and only a limited time to do it in, so it Avas necessary that Sutherland should accompany me, as a good deal of his Avork Avas not up to the mark. Mackenzie used to express his contempt for sur : veyora as explorers. He said they Averc all right Avith a theodolite and chain, but Avhen it came to exploring they Avero not in it. And he lost no opportunity of ridiculing my faith in McKinnon, as 1 said if there was a pass I Avas sure McKinnon Avould find it. “And Avhat made Tom Mackenzie more savage Avas the fact that if ho had folloAvcd my advice ho Avould have been the first - over the pass. It was true that I advised him to try Joe’s River (at the head of the Arthur), but it was found to head in the Avrong direction. Rut one morning, one of the road men told me that he had seen ‘three explorers' come over the pass, and he pointed- up towards Avhcre McKinnon’s Pass is. So I said; ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I Avas up this morning by daybreak, and I looked up and suav three black swans coming oA’er to this side from the other, and as birds generally fiy over the loAvest gaps in a range, I should not be surprised if that is where the pass is.’

Theodoliter’s Rejected Advice. “I told Tom Mackenzie of this, and strongly urged him to explore up in the direction of Roaring Creek—only it had not been so christened at that time. He refused point-blank, as he said he had taken my advice once and gone up Joe’s Creek, and he saw enough then to convince him there was no pass in that direction except what birds could fly over. But instead of trying where 1 advised/ he explored the head waters of the creek that flows past the foot of the Sutherland Falls. I told him if he did find a pass in that direction it would not lead him into To Anau, but rather into one of the West Coast sounds.

‘‘ You may perhaps ask why I did not take a hand in the search for a pass, but I had my hands more than full of my own work. I had to make a sketch survey of the track and the valley of the Arthur ami tops of all the country in sight, and measure the height of the Sutherland Falls as Avell, and get back to Milford Sound in time for the coal steamer which was to call in for us, by a certain day, and we just managed to get through in time.’'

A few days after that (October, I88S) McKinnon came down the valley from the direction where the black swans had down. He had penetrated the Clinton Valley, climbed the watershed between that gorge and the Arthur, and crossed the saddle that is now known as McKinnon's Pass. He was all alone. So he was the first man to find a way from Lake Te Anali to Milford Sound.