EXPLORING THE FIORD. COUNTRY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10621, 17 March 1896, Page 7

EXPLORING THE FIORD. COUNTRY.

MR MACKENZIE'S RECENI TRIP,

Mr T. Maokenz'e, M.H.R., who has just returned from a trip of Kxploratioa in the country fouth of Like Mauapouri. afforded same interesting information respecting hia work in an interview with a representative of the Press in Gbristcharob. Mr Mackenzie bad with him Messrs O. Bishop, K. Rose, and A. M'F&rlane, and at Pigaon Island, oq the .West Coast, he was joined oy Mr Henry.

" The object of the trip," he said, " was to connect, if possible, the head of Duskv Sound with Broughfcon Arm, at the head of Breaknea Sound, with the intention of ultimately forming a road right through from Dusky dound to Lake Munaponri. The idea in, therefore, to connect one of fcha most southerly sounds with Mauapouri, which will enable tourists to do this lake, one of the' most beautiful of the group; then taking Te Anau, which affords no end of variety of scenery, and pissing up the Clinton Valley with its alpine grandeur to the Sutherland Falls, and parsing by way of Lake Ada, with ita unique submerged fore.it, into Milford Sound. All the other sounds can then be visited on the tourists' way south. It was also our object to open up the traob of unexplored country between Duaky and Doubtful Sound« and the southern end of Lake Maaapoufi, and provide a road for miners and others. We followed for 16 miles a large rivar flowing into the upper covo of Dusky Sound, and cut a good trask the whole way. The valley nveritges half a mile in width and the soil is vfiry rich. It is heavily timbered, principally wi>h birch, which is therefore of no special value. We passed a lake on tha way about two miles long, the bed of which was once a forest, as stumps of treeß are st'c'iing out all rouud the margin, and it therefore resembles Lake Ada. Ib was impossible to get into Broughton Arm as we intended, as our progress in that direction was barred by a high, abrupt range. It was our intention to go ovet to Manapouri, bub the weather was so bad, and as we could got no word before leaving bs to what arrangements could be made for ua there, we thought it unsafe to hazard the trip across. During the time we were there it rained steadily. Had we not bsen tied by the date unon whioh the Hiaeoioa was to call for us, and bad the weather been fair, we could have mapped oafc most of the country in a tow days. In regard to the country itielf, the only thing to be done with it is to stock the heights with deer and chamois. There is abundant feed on the higher parts, and the native plants in the bush are very suitable for deer. We found that there was very little native game, the i ferrets having destroyed the kiwi »od k ikipo. We caught only five of the latter, and liberated them again, and wa did not hear a single kiwi, and very few woodbeni. The sceaery in the valley up which we passed is very grand, aod we found some beautiiul waterfalls and cascades, bat we could do very little with the higher country on account! of the bad woither. The season has been an exceptionally bad one, and during ths month of January 31in of rain tell in the district.

"The three meu 1 had with me were supplied by the Government, and I found them splendid fellows, and the Hon. .Mr Ward was very kind in placing the Hinemoa at my disposal. It is impossible to epcak too highly of the kindness I received from Mr Heary, who lives about 25 miles from the scene of oar exploring operations. It waa a great advantage having him with u.«, as he had been part of the way up tha rivar bafore we were there.

" It has been said that this country has no history, but Dusky Sound is quite an historical pl&ce. In 1795 a ship was wrecked there in what is known as Facile Harbour. The vessel was called the Endeavour, and from inquiries made by Captain Fairchild one turns out to be the ship that Captain Cook sailed in. She put in there in a leaky condition^'having on board a number of passengers and some 60 stowaways — esc&ped couvicts from Sydney. They were relieved by a sailing vessel, whiah left a crew to continue sealing. The orew became alarmed after a tiras, and thought that the ship would never come back, and they commenced the building of a 60-ton cutter. The senior, however, returned, and took the crew away, the cutter being abandoned. After a time another vessel was wreoked on the coast or in the harbour, and her crew finished tha cutter snd went away in her to Sydney.

Wn went to the spot where the Endeavour was wreoked, but fouad that most of her had been removed. The sealers cut har up for firewood, and a largo part of the balance was taken by Captain Faircaild to Wellington. Some foul work has also been done in Dusky Sound. Thore were a number of Lascars on board the Sadeavour or some other vessel, and when they fell short of food tho Lascars were banished to au island, since called Indian Island, where it is believed that moat of them porished. Dusky Sound wai alno thescen«> of exploration by Captain Cook. It was there that he c&me in contaot with tbe Maoris, by whom the sound wrs then peopled, and v he gives a very interesting description of them and his dealings witu them. The large river I followed up in., I believe, the same river at tb.3 mouth of which Captain Cook interviewed the Natives, as his description corresponds with what I observed. In the bush through which the river runs we fouud a few traces ot old Maori cuttings ou totara trees, and I am inclined to think that it is the way they went over to the interior.

" I feel quits sure from a tourist's point oE view the route we explored will ba n. very attractive oae, and oan be made to produce a considerable amount of reveo.ua. I think thatf* more sbringent regulations should ba passed, so as to conserve the forests, as at the prtuent lime firos are apt to be lit by tourists, and in a dry season a large portion of the bush might ba burnoi.

"Tha Union Company were very kind in giving us a splendid . boat, which enabled us tj Kfit about among the islands ill Dusky Sound. We found a numbar of islands at tas head of tho sound which were not marked on the chart, and in some places where only one is marked we fouad a group of several. I would suggest that now v?e have got some of the vessels of the auxiliary squadron here they might ba set to do nvjre of the good work such, as was dona.by tbe Acheron in 1852. There are quite a number of rocks not marked on the chart, at all, and as tue?e sounds every year must become inure popular, the .time of some of these warships mignt ba very profitably spent in surveying."