AN ARTIST IN WESTLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16669, 13 October 1917, Page 1 (Supplement)

AN ARTIST IN WESTLAND.

ALAND OF VARIED BEAUTY. ■ ; BY 0. BIOimiLD. -■ . Nox much.ib known about the coast of Westland. if It is, rather out :of ; the way ; : the- diffioulties | and dangers' travelling are too,great for the ordinary tourist to include it in -his;' pleasure trin.' I And yet it- is• a land of great and' varied beauty ;' a land of mountains : crowßed .with snow and glacier fi a land of magnificent forests, dizzy precipices and rocky gorges, gem(like, lakes, i rushing torrents, and 4 broad Jagoons, A land'of gold, too. Its ocean . beaches were, oace • the ; scene ; of^busy? industry/but ' long since. deserted, save for a "lew. diggers who still fossick a bare living from the ocean sand. ■' ' ;T: "

• One ,of; the busiest 1 places in v the • old mining - days was Okarito, near Mount Cook,: a" long sandy beach' backed by an extensive lagoon. These lagoons are peculiar to.'the district. A warm-ocean current washes ,the v western - shore of the South Island, bringing with it a-warm moisture-laden air; ; this is chilled } > by tho ■ ice-covered peaks and causes- ah enormous rainfall, much as v l2ft- in a year sometimes, ... and the flooded rivers bring down a vast amount of water to, the sea. In many . : places v the westerly . gales block' up the outlets of .those rivers with' sand, "the waters gather behind, coyer the lowlying land, and form shallow, lakes, some of considerable, extent.»; ; , t . '„ , • __" . j "i. The Okarito lagoon is ten mile* long. The water gradually rises until the pressure overcomes ; the; resistance, when ;, it forces a*"passage;through; the sand, and the accumulated wators wish cut fori days 'or weeks, until another gale I piles up .the 'sand'and- again ,' blocks the entrance. Woe, to the horseman who; tries to ford the stream just after one of .these outbreaks. Many a man has been washed out to sea / in',;the'attempt. There is always a : large sheet 'of, water.; behind. The dense forest -■ crowds :to the ■, edge .of this, forming;a' belt.of dark verdure be-, tween the shining waters and the huge mountains .-'. beyond, £ while -; on a the \ ocean side tho forest straggles. out, individual pines and rimus standing out singly, 'close to the besch, taking on the most.grotos-; que shapes and vivid colours. Torn ; and twisted, they stand silent -witnesses to "the- fury of the western storms, ;J :- • ■'■,■;. Through the Mirror.' .'£The scenery of this coast : is' very >fine/ The lofty ; snow peaks of . Cook; and .Tasman, and a hundred lesser giants, rise boldly from: the dark forest which clothes their, scarred shoulders right, up to ? the snow line. - The sombre green, broken here -and •) there by I. the - dazzling; white] of a giant -glacier,'};which,- like 5 a foaming torrent, fills the deep ravines. The placid waters,* mirror-like, "repeat, again mountain, bush, and sky. The reflections, broken perhaps by the flapping wings of a' ; black, swan, or it may be reflecting the graceful image of. a; tall white heron, motionless as the ■ rock ?it stands • on." ■; And ? here , in the foreground, just where an artist would place them, the picture is completed by a "group of stately; pines. ~*." .. '%.. ',;'" When I made my acquaintance with those parts the only means, of communication was by \a> narrow ; horse track. Travellers had to ford ; , the -rivers- or, cross in a boat, while'the horses , swam.' The mailman provided ma*; with; a ; horse and a packhorse for my ' camping . gear. We travelled down.:: the. .coast,' noyr; '. along a sandy beach," now. over, rocks and stones; now climbing across a-jutting point,-or racing round - a headland /to escape the. : rising,- tide. -Our speed .1 was i limited to the gait -of-' the packhorse—Boniething between;a- walk :\ and i&' trot—it gave 'us plenty of time;' to. admire the . scenery, but was rather,' tedious going. ;■• ''.-..

z-£B' f. okaritb;<«/ •*",■ %,;;■. ■■U^ ; We reached _ Okarito i one ; day about noon, and 'If'at once set about" finding a suitable place for a studio. This was to be my headquarters for some weeks. The township,' which bnco extended for, a mile along the beach, was reduced to half-a-down dilapidated houses,clustering ,round' the landing -place//for; Okarito' boasts a small harbour and jetty./ Seeing a. cobbler ■ at work, in a little shop, I asked him if he knew of any'placei' I ■'■ could rent. '!Yes," he' said, "I can show you' tho Tery place. . Come with me." So I followed; him beyond ; some; tall trees, and there was-a two-storey, house, empty and out of -■ repair. "This," /he;/ said, 'C" is where the minister lived." / "What is 1 the rent of it!" I•: asked him. : " Half-a-crown a' week," he replied. y So I soon concluded the bargain. { ... : I ; had just settled flown/after tea when a • knock came at { the door.'- _On opening it there" stood a group of children .of - afl ages, from four, to fourteen—all • the 'children ■ in/ the / place, I \ believe. "If 5 you please; may 'we ' see your pictures V\-, they said. Sol had them in and showed them what ■' few sketches I * had already taken,. It" was pathetic to.witness/the delight of those poor f children. It was evidently quite ■an : event in their monotonous . lives. ; <- ' v ' ; Across the Bar.

i The whole population for miles around was dependant for their supplies on; a ; small ■{ steamer which came •..■; down; from Hokitika every three 'months..: They were - then out of ; flour, X and : were ;waiting :the : advent; of /the , supply-boat anxiously. _ I happened to be there when-she came in. When I came .outside in the morning, it was evident something unusual was happening. The whole village was down on the beach dressed in their Sunday best; the ; children had holiday from school, arid when it was reported the steamer was in Sight they were all •'• excitement. -/The state of the weather, the tide, and other conditions had .to'be favourable of/ 'she could not enter.', Now' we saw her lying two miles ; off waiting for the tide. An old imariro'-warsman, dressed for the occasion—he was the harbour master— a small hill and signalled the boat.from a "rude flagstaff. ;• Now she begins to move, the crowd on the beach watched with breathless interest. Would make •it or must they starve until a more favourable opportunity? .' Now she is near the bar; \ the pilot, all excitement, • guides her safely over, and people begin to breathe freely as 5 she enters/ the little Basin;, but, alas,- it was not to be— she riears the last turning she/grounded on a sandbank,' Frantic efforts are made to get her off; kedges are run out and, a' rope brought ashore and manned by all the men. women, and children ?in the place;- bat the rope suddenly parted in •the centre and.;sent, the crowd head over heels in the sand. , It was no use, the boat remaining immovable, and they had to wait/till low tide and unload the cargo into i; drays. •' ';;,.(;> ■/ .-. '.'.•.*/*;•;-; ;

. The Beauty 0! a Glacier. : - ,' •'•! One- of the finest scenes of the district is the great Franz Josef Glacier. It alone ■ is; worth travelling any distance to see. As viewed from the coast/it'presents the , appearance' of a torrent Of sparkling foam, filling up a wide ravine, its whiteness enhanced by the contrast of: the dark.green ; of /the surrounding bush. -On ./a; nearer :view the torrent is seen to .consist of glacier ice, crushed and torn into a thousand peaks "■ and spires, its; interstices gleaming a.lovely turquoise blue. s But it is when the visitor gets right up . to its terminal face that he realises the' stupendous character/ of this frozen river. The mind is over-awed in gazing up at .-high cliffs and precipices of ' solid j ice, spires arid monuments of- a hundred strange shapes,' dark blue caverns;-leading to unknown, depths below, while beyond, hem-, tried; in iby j rocky walls, are miles y - and ; miles of ice, mounting higher and; higher, till at the ..elevation of ; two miles /above' . the sea, - its starting is seen amongeternal snows- ot the .Southern 7!