DR. HECTOR'S EXPLORING EXPEDITION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 363, 18 February 1863, Page 5

DR. HECTOR'S EXPLORING EXPEDITION.

(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, .I}-:. ■■■ :

SECOND LETTER,

Left hank of the MatuMtuki River. February 6th, 1863. Sir—ln my last despatch I brought you. ns far as the "Wanuka Lake, and I now avail myself of the opportunity afforded for further communication by the men who are about to return with the boat to Koys' s:ai>n: Independent of the time "taken up in preparing provisions ibr the journey, we were materially inconvenienced both at our encampment, and in our further movements by the sudden violent storms to which the lake is subject. It is almost incredible that the clear placid Wanaka of the one half hour can be the boisterous foaming billows of the next. Nevertheless, such is the ca?c, the like lies spread out like a sheet of gla=s, not even a ripple to disturb the serenity of its bosom, and a sudden burst of wind down the mountain valley swells the gentle ripple into waves of yeasty foam, which, lash its pebbly shores with all the indignation of an angry ocean.

■ During one of these storms the hoat which Dr Hector obtained, for the use of the party, (.although not very stable from the commencement,) was stove in ami strained so considerably as to require a thorough re-fit before being used. On the 31st January, having stowed the heaviest of the baggage, and four live sheep in the boat, three of. us embarked and struck off in the direction .of the mouth of the MatuUituki river, which occurs about 10 miles up the lake, on its western shore. The remainder of the party, with the horses lightly picked, male for the valley of the river, by following along the base of the mountains which skirt the lake margin. I must confess that the voyage by the boat was by no means enviable—a rather different kind of excursion than that usually taken by am;teur boating parties with their gaily trimmed craft in the delightful neighbourhoods of, Kew and Kensington.— One man was incessantly employed baling while the other two, " stretched to their oars"' with the fullest determination to expedite the comfortless' task of rowing in places where their legs were at the tender mercy of two kicking sheep per man. The sheep also, appeared by no means to appreciate their amphibious change of existence, and when endeavoring to extricate themselves from their watery beds, they gave us additional trouble. By dint of hard work and a considerable amount of baling, we arrived at the mouth of the river in about 3 hours.

In this part of the "Wanaka Lake, the mountains on the eastern shore rise almost perpendicularly from its surface, while those on the western side slope out towards the lake margin, sufficiently gentty to admit of a good pack horse track. Drays have been taken along the base of these mountains, but it must have been accomplished with difficulty. At about 5 miles above our encampment on the lake, the Clutha makes its exit from the southeastern shore by a wide channel skirting the southern extremity of a fine elevated spur which forms the watershed between the Wanaka and Hawea Lakes. Almost opposite to this point, a wooded island rises about 200 feet above the surface of the lake, and a reef runs out from it towards the western shore. During the time when the lake is high, it is hidden, and it might therefore become dangerous to persons unacquainted with its existence. About 5 miles from the island, and on the western shore of the Wanaka, the Matukituki debouches into a wide bay, which has on its northern shore a mountainous island, thickly clad in shrub. The bay is deep for about 2 miles, when the bar of the river is indicated by the surf breaking over a shallow stretching from the island across the main channel of the stream to the wide open flat on its right bank.

From the bar,for a considerable distance up, the river .is be-et everywhere with numerous

sand-banlcs and quicksands, rendering its

navigation at this season of the year im- ; possible to any craft except the smallest and only admitting the latter when they are tracked by men wading in the water. As viewed about four miles above its mouth, where the stream winds round the only valuable bush in its neighborhood, it presents the appearance of a river sending out ramifications over a wide sandy flat, and putting it up into a multiplicity of gravelly, islands, whose surfaces here and there support only a sparse growth of coarse vegetation. While on shore on one of these islands, a sheep had managed to free himself of all rope ex :ept that around his fore feet, and preferring terra firma to our cianky boat, betook himself to land. We gave chase, and the animal increased our difficulties by taking a swim in a deep arm of the river towards the shore. In the centre of the stream he began to sink, and not liking the prospect of losing such excellent mutton, I took a few strokes and rescued him from so ignoble a death for one more shee t >like. Shortly afterwards we met Dr Hector, who, accompanied by one man, waded the river with a''tracking line to our camp for the night on the large fiat on its right bank. This flat is upwards of 1£ miles long and 1 broad, and thickly clad in vegetation. The scrub manuka and small shrubs are very thick along the river brink, while the tutu plant, flax, and fern are in the greatest abundance. As I shall have occasion further on to describe at length " Thompson's cattle flat," I shall not comment on the former to any greater length at present, as almost all that can be said with respect to the one might be applicable to the other.

The following morning Dr Hector despatched the boat with a half cargo, under the management of two men, while the remainder with pack horses forded the Matukituki, traversed a second open flat, and commenced our ascent of the mountains on the opposite bank to that of our encampment of the night previous. Our reason for traversing the mountains was to avoid a peninsula around which the river sweeps, and which bounds the southeastern extremity of the impracticable portion of " Thompson's flat." Having, nothing to guide us but the direction of the channel, which the Matukituki cuts thrdugh the mountains, and being frequently impeded also by the obsiacles oik-red us by the mountains themselves, our track was necessarily circuitous and in parts difficult. But neverthcle?3 after walking and leading our pack horses for about seven luil.s we succeeded in reaching the highest point on the ridge. Its elevation is about 700 feet above the level of the Wanaka, and from this point a magnificent view is obtained of the lake, the mountains which surround it, and the fine plain which stretches away to the valleys of the C*rdrona and Clutha rivers. Our descent into the valley of the Matukituki was rapid and precipitous, and, like our ascent, characterised by a luxuriance of vegetation. The occurrence ot such fine pasturage and shrub growth may, perhaps, be attributable in part to the presence

of decomposed basalt, -which enters into* the composition of the soil in these localities. It is remarkable that soils of this nature.: arc always the best lor pasturage. - The whole ot the line plains along the valley of the Columbia river in North America are of this character, and certainly there no liner pasture lands in tiie world than there.

On .arriving at the western base of the ridge we ha-J crossed, weencampsd on the extensive flit known as " Thompson's Cattle F.at." The whole distance we had come with the horses was upwards ol 9 miles, but the distance from our first encampment on the river in an air line did not exceed 4 miles.

- "Thompson's Cattle Flat" is about 5 miles long, and from 1 to 1 £ broad, or occupying in round numbers 4,800 acres "of. land. It is rendered in some partssolt and marshy by the small coulees or rivulets which trickle over the ravines irtgthe mountains. These'rivulets preserve th^ir ehanuels for only a short distance from the base of the mountains, when they expand iuto the plain, and their waters become absorbed by the sandy soil, of which it is composed. There are two or three places which are impracticable to horsts or cattle owing to the depth of accumulated mire, and for this reii-jon al~o no road could pass from one end of tfie flat to the other. If, however,, drainage were necessary, it could be accomplished with small outla3', and comparatively little labour.

It, in common with the.other flats referred to in tht3 letter are admirably adapted far pasture lands, but I fear that without drainage, "Thompou'd flat"'would produce rot in s.i'.-ep. All these flats art; however well fitted for the growth of light crops such as oats and barley. Oats if s.uvn in the commencement of November would yield good crops in the following February, but I believe that experience ha* shown that when sown in May the crop is much more heavy.

If subjected to the plough these lands will after drainage and manuring become of great value.

I would remark that although every facility is here afforded in an agricultural point of view to future settlement, yet the difficulty of access and egress is by no means small, and that in reporting ou the capabilities of the country, the latter is a point too often lost sight of by inexperienced travellers.

$sln order to give an idea of the rapidity of the current of the Matukituki, I would state that the last three days have been occupied in ascending thirteen miles of the river, and that the same distance might be run down with an unladen huat in about one and a-half hours. The average rate of the current is about five miles per hour.

In my next communication I shall report fully on the country further up, as well as on the mountains iv the neighborhood. I am sir, yours, &c, M. bULLIVAN.