HOW TO GET TO THE GREAT SUTHERLAND WATERFALL IN NEW ZEALAND: THE HIGHEST WATERFALL IN THE WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8398, 23 January 1889, Page 5 (Supplement)

HOW TO GET TO THE GREAT SUTHERLAND WATERFALL IN NEW ZEALAND: THE HIGHEST WATERFALL IN THE WORLD.

This waterfall is in the valley of the Arthur river, about 14 miles inland from the head of Milford Sound, into which the Arthur river llows. There are two routs* open to the tourist: —First, by steamer to Milford Sound, and thence up the valley of th« Arthur river; and secondly, overland from Dunediu or luvercargill. The first is the easiest and safest. The tourist takes passage in one of the Uuiou Company's steamers—say, by the first of the annual excursions. Arriving at the anchorage at the head of Milford Sound, the course is by boat for two miles to the head of the navigation, thence on foot by a bush track two miles to the foot of Lake Ada, thence by boat to the head of the lake and a mile and a-half up the river beyond, then on foot once more along a bush track for five miles to Beech hut, which is about a mile from the waterfall. The following table gives the distances and time oesupied:—

From Bte.imer to lower boat landing ... 2 miles by boat — 1 hour To foot of Lake Ada ~. 2 miles on foot — 1 ~ To upper boat lauding ... 4 miles by boat — 2 ~ To iieeolihuC... ... 5 miles on foot — 5 „ To waterfall ... ... 1 mile on foot — 1 „ Total distance ... Mmiles.oeeupyinglO „ The time occupied may be considered rather long, but as each tourist has to carry his " swag" (i.e., blankets and food), it will be found that the journey will probably occupy the full time estimated above. There is at present a fern tree boathouse at the foot of Lake Ada ; and a slab hut, with eight bunks in it, known as " Bee.-.h hut," in the middle of a beech tree forest about a mile from the falls. A contract is now in progress for improving tha track, also for building three additional huts—viz., oue at the foot of Lake Ada, one at the upper landing, and one near the Beech hut. Bach tourist should carry a blanket or opossum rug, a change of underclothing, a billy and pannikin, 121b oatmeal, 121b biscuits, 31b sugar, Jib tea, and a few tins preserved meat. This is bare sustenance for about 12 days. The preserved meat may be left behind if a gaff is taken, as there are pleutyof eels in the lagoons near the upper lauding, which may be easily " gaffed " by a person standing in the bow of the boat while it is quietly rowed along the shore.

Eels are the only fish to be found in the streams at present, but it is hoped that trout fishing may be indulged in in the near future, as some hundreds of small trout were turned out in the Cleddau and Arthur rivers last spring. Of course there are various kinds of salt water fish to be caught in the sounds, and in some places crayfish are very numerous. It should be stated that tourists may save themselves the trouble of carrying a gun, which would only prove a useless encumbrance, as there are no wild animals in the bush; and the guides have strict instructions to report any oue shooting native or other birds out of season.

As the steamer does not stay at Milford Sound long enough for the party to make the return journey from the waterfall, tourists will have to wait for tl'a\ next visit of the steamer to the sound, which takes place exactly 10 days after the first visit.

In the interval the Roaring Fall, behind Beech hut, may be visited, and those fond of climbing may follow the overland track to Te Anau as far as M'Kinnon's Pass, near Balloon Peak.

An excursion may also be made towards the sources of the Arthur river; and a few days may be pleasantly spent in exploring round the shores of Lake Ada.

The fare by steamer from Dunedin toMilford Sound (visiting the other West Coast sounds en

route) is £12^ and the fee charged for a guide to the fall, audjjfcr boating across Lake Ada, is £1 per head. This also includes the return journey. The Sutherland Waterfall is 1904 ft high, and the water strikes the rocky precipice twice in its descent, forming three leaps; the upper leap being 815 ft, the middle 751 ft, and the lower leap 338 ft.

The surrounding scenery is grand and picturesque, and visitors can walk with ease right up to the foot of the fall. Lake Ada is 150 ft above sea level, Beech hut 780 ft, and the foot of the fall HSOft; so that the top of the fall is over 3000 ft above sea level. The waterfall is fed by an extensive glacier, surrounded by snow-clad mountains. THE OVERLAND TRACK. If the tourist wishes to proceed overland to the Sutherland Falls, he journeys by railway to Lumsden, -which is distant 137 miles from Duuedin, or 50 miles from Invereargill. Fare from Duncdin : First class, 28s 7d ; second class, 19s Id. Faro from Invereargill: First class, 10s 5d ; second class, 7s. There is a branch railway from Lumgdou to Mossburn, a distance of 12 milus, but as the trains run only ouce a week, the coach starts from Lumsden for Te Anau lake.

The distances and times arc as follows:— Time Fare, occupied. Lumsden to aoulliend of To Anau I lake, 50 miles by coach ... 30s 1 day South end to north end of Lake Te Anau. 33 miles by steam launch 20s 1 day Up Clinton river to bout landing, one milo by boat Boat Uuidinit to Lake Eleanor, 11 miles on foot ... ... 1 day Lake Eleanor to Beech hut, 3£ miles on foot ... ... 4 hours Beech hut to waterfall, 1 mile on foot ... ... ... 1 hour A contract is now let for improving the track between Te Anau lake and the Sutherland Falls. Two huts are also to be erected—one at the boat landing on the Clinton river, and the other at Lake Eleanor, —but for this season tourists will require to carry their own tent?, and they should take care to pitch them well above flood level.

The Te Anau lake is G94ft above sea level and the track up the Clinton Valley rises 1300f1 in 11 miles to Lake Eleanor, which is thus aboui 2000 ft above sea level.

Thence the track ascends 1000 ft in a mile and a-quartjr to M'Kinnon's Pass (3000 ft above sea level), and then descends at the rate of 1000 ft per mile for 2j miles, when the Beech hut is reached, 780 ft above sea level.

No provisions are obtainable on this track; so each tourist should carry at least as much food as before recommended.

The coach is advertised to leave Lumsden for Te Anau once a week—on Wednesdays,—and the little steam launch runs to suit. Tourists can make their own arrangements with the coach proprietors for special trips. This would give tourists one week to reach the falls and return to the boat landing on the Clinton, but travellers should be warned thai both the Arthur and Clinton rivers are subject to heavy floods in the spring aucl early summer. Sometimes heavy rains set in for three days at a time, flooding the rivert and rendering the tracks impassable. Ou these occasions the rivers may rise from 10 to 15 feet in a night, but they subside almost as rapidly. In the autumn the weather is more settled, but still it is well to provide against the contingency of being detained by wet weather. It is therefere recommended that an extra supply of provisions should be left at the boat landing, to fall back on iv case of detentiou by floods; as, if the tourist should miss the little steam launch, he would have to wait a week for the next trip, as it is not possible to proceed overland from the head of the lake. In the tourist season, however, the proprietor of the steam launch will make arrangements to run up to the head of the lake on any day that may be appointed. So far the two routes have been treated separately, but the best way is to combine the two—that is, to go by steamer to Milford Sound, and return overland, via Lumsden, to Dunedin or Invercargill; or, from Lumsden the traveller can go by train to Lake Wakatipu.

By adopting this plan, the tourist will see the other West Coast Sounds en route to Milford Sound, but if he adopts the opposite plan of going overland to the fall, and meeting the steamer at Milford, ho will miss seeing the

other sounds, as the steamer returns direct to the Bluff and Port Chalmers.

Both the Arthur and Clinton Valleys arc heavily timbered, and the track for tho most part passes through denne bush. l'"or about a mili; iv the vicinity of M'Kinuou's Pass the truck is above the limber lino, and it, may be well to

wuru the tourist that this paas should never be

attempted unless tho weather i.i fuvourahlo, and if a mist should como on there would be great risk of losing the way. It is on this account that a shelter hut is to ho built at Lake Eleanor, in tho Clinton Valley, on the east side of the pass, while on tho west side Heech hut is already erected iv tho Arthur Valley. The distance between tho two is something less than four miles, but it is the roughest four miles on tho whole track. It is advisable that a party of tourists should consist) of not less than four or five, and no member of the party should wander off alone from the others.

If, in spite of this warning, it should be the sad fate of anyoue to be lost in tho bush, it is generally a good rule to go down lull till a stream is reached, and then to follow the stream into the main valley.

It is expected that tourists will take every care to conserve- the natural beauties of the country they pass through, and that in erecting their tents or cutting firewood they will do the s.imi; with judgment and not wantonly destroy

any of t.lie usitivu bush or ferns. In thin connection if. may be mentioned that the whole of the country passed through is entirely destitute of Kuglis-h grasses, fruits, or Mowers. Tourists therefore will have a splendid opportunity of developing the latent, altruism in their nature by Ukinj; supplies of fruit, Mower, vegetable, or grass seeds with them and sowing them in suitable places. Apple pips, plum or cherry atones, filberts, hickory nuts, walnuts, cuttings of gooseberries, currants, raspberries, strawberries, or even the seeds of these useful fruits may be all utilised as there are many fertile and sheltered spots to Vie found whe'ro lucy would grow luxuriantly. This, surely, is a more sensible way of leaving oue's mark in anew country than the silly habit of cutting initials and dates on any tree with a smooth bark that presents itself. H is particularly requested that all tires should be carefully extinguished before leaving runp (imperially in the shelter huts provided by ibe Government), auJ » good supply of kindling wood should be gathered during tine weather nud stored iv each hut—not forgetting to leave a sufficient quantity when leaving the hut, ready

for the next party of tourists. Tourists will not omit this very important duty if they think that perhaps the next party may arrive at the hut wet through and in pouring rain. If any food should be found in the huts it should not be touched except in oases of real necessity, and if a party of tourists should have any food to spare at the end of their trip it should be left sutpended from the rafters or placed in a biscuit tin with a stone ou the lid to secure it from the rats. A little thoughtfulness in (his matter may be ths means of saving life on some future occasion. It is a good plan to have all stores packed in biscuit tins, so as to secure them from the damn, as well as from rats, which are very numerous." All cooking utensils should be left clean and turned upside down. The contrary picture of a, billy with the remains of athree-weeks-old stew in it can be left to tho. reader's imagination. These details are mentioned, not because tourists are supposed to b« iunoraut of what should be clone in these cast's, hue tvjcvase in the burry of packing up, &c., many thinj:* are apt to be forgotten. All survey murks, such as ilngs, stakes, or anything with a cairn round it, should be carefully preserved, as tha destruction of any of these may cause great delay and inconvenience to future surveyors. If tb«i stump of any trpe should bo found to be oari-fully ?awn oft' level on the top it may be concliulwl atones, that it hns been used as an important survey station, and should not be interfered with ia any way. In conclusion, it ought to be stated that the sandfiies are very troublesome at times. Various prophylactics have been recoil' mended, such as eucalyptus oil, kerosene, cucumber and glycerine, or diluted carbolic acid; but the most effective plan for protecting the face and neck is by means of a large square of mosquito net, or gossamer, while long-sleeved cotton, gloves may be used for the hands.