WESTERN SOUTHLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18754, 6 January 1923, Page 7

WESTERN SOUTHLAND.

LAKE HAUEOTO AND THE PEIXCESS EAKGE. NOTES OF A RECENT TRIP.' By James Spbden. Botanical research in the open spaces and mountains of Otago and Southland has for many years had a great attraction for the writer,, and some notes of a trip he recently made to Lake Hauroto in the western district of Southland in company with Mr W. A. Thomson, of Dunedin, may prove interesting to many readers of the Otago Daily- Times, After some preliminary- trouble through the bursting of a tyre and plater on through a tube giving out, the travellers got a fair start on their journey, and the account of a rather strenuous, and, from a botanical point of view, not very- successful trip, may be given in Mr Speden’s own words:

Leaving - Otautau we could see the fog coming down on the hills as we prepared to cross the Clifton bridge . over the Waiau, a big river. After leaving the bridge we turned off the main road up the Lillburn. We got on all right till just as wo reached the clay road, when it started to rain, and we got stuck in a bad place. As we had no chains, we stopped in the car for an hour, and as towards dusk the rain wag not so heavy, we got out and went back half a mile to the nearest homestead, which we found was uninhabited. We looked into the stable, which was not locked, climbed up into the loft, and slept well. Next morning, the rain being off, we got back to the car, boiled the billy, made some flax rope for the back tyres, started the car going again, and got out of the narrow load. Wo left the car at the side of the road about two milee; on the wrong side of the last habitation. Having packed onr swags and changed our clothes, we marched on, and called in at the first house, where the lady of the house informed us that her brother-in-law, owner of the last house, Mr !S. Gardiner, occasionally packed tourists out to Lake Hauroto. A little, later we met a waggon, and were recommended by the driver to call at a building a few chains further on. Mr Gardiner was there, and said he could net pack us out, but would lend us a pack horse to take our stuff as far as the bush, about six miles distant. So with lighter loads and hearts we made good time through the bog and bog pine to the bush, where we boiled the billy and sent the horse back. We ( waded through bruy; and iltreams, and 1 after about two hours’ heavy- going with swags, along a boggy track, in the bush all the way, we reached the lake, and considered our troubles at an end. Ihey had not started. From Mr Gardiner wo had got the key of the boathouse. It was not long before we had the boat out and launched. It wgs a good, substantial boat, with centreboard, mast, and sails, but would not hold water, so we turned it over and spent an hour or so trying to caulk it with strips of old tent or sail, and myriads of sandflies trying their best to stop us. Our efforts were all to no, purpose. The boat leaked just as badly as ever, so we let it fill, thinking it might take up before morning. We took a walk along the edge of the lake, and about a quarter of a mile along came across the old original 1 canvas boat, and (what - was of very much more use to ns) about 41b of patent driers in a tin, also some varnish and a little paint. We went back to the boat feeling better, pulled it out, turned it over, dried it with raers, and witli petrol, which we found in n tin, and with some of the paint we first painted nll the joints. We next caulked them all with the patent driers, and finished it all off with a coat of varnish mixed with_ petrol. Meantime the sandflies were doing all right. We then had something to eat and drink, and at dusk crept into our sleeping bags on the sandy beach and went to sleeo.

morning at daylight we were soon about again, made breakfast, packed up the swag, and then examined the boat, which we found did not let anv water in except at the centreboard a little, so we were now' right so far as the boat was concerned. For the first hour’s vowing wo were practicnllv only in an inlet, or arm. of the lake, fill we got past the island, when we had only about two or two and a-half miles to get to the other side, where the mountains rise sheer up. The top of these mountains, the Princes} Range, was our destination, but we had to look for a climbable nlace, and, w’hen wo found a spur, a beach to land on, as the hills came sheer down into the lake. After some time we found a place to haul the boat up on about a quarter of a mile further south from where we would start to climb. We hauled the boat up, put our swag in a safe place, and started off with a billy And a little food, and expected to get back next day. That quar-ter-mile along the steep face gave us a taste of what to expect, but once we crossed the creek and got on our spur to climb we were "fitting on all right, when the fog started coming down, and it started to rain. We were then about 800 ft up. We selected a good tree, and stood under it for some time, expecting the rain to go off. As it was getting colder we thought we would try and light a fire. This wo managed to do, and caught enough drips off the tree to boil the billy, and stood there, never moving more than a few inches, or we would have got soaking wet, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., when, as it was getting darker and there seemed no hope of it clearing off, wo decided to make back to the boat. After again boiling the billy we came down to the boat in quick time (about an hour). We had difficulty in finding where we left the boat, as there was no getting along at, the water’s edge. However, at last we came to it, although by this time snaked through. We fortunately found a cave a few yards from the boat, and as it was perfectly dry, 1 threw off mv wet clothes, nut on some dry things, and spent a very comfortable night. The glow worms were magnificent. At first there were only three, but these increased at the finish to over 30, of a brilliant green blue. Some worked like searchlights, and once in the night when I woke up thinking it was getting daylight 1 found it was very much darker outside. My friend Thomson said he had an objection'against sleeping in caves, so slept out at the water’s edge in his sleeping bag. At different times during the night I thought I heard the boat pounding on the rocks, and was afraid it might he blowing a strong easterly. , It was, however, only my friend turning over in his sleeping bag trying to keep dry, as the verv heavy drips from trees over 100 ft above seemed "to get through his bag. Ho shifted a few feet under a log, and was then all right. Next morning it was still raining, and had rained all night, but shortly after the sun came out bright. The first thing to do was to have breakfast, and then dry all our things, which we managed to do, although one or two got a bit scorched. Wo then took a roam about the edge of the bush, but it was .terribly wet—everything dripping. I got a few ferns, and Thomson cot one or two orchids and other things. Tliis part of the country has a large variety of orchids. We Intended next dav to start afresh for the top, but that afternoon it stained to rain again, and kept on all nicht. We sat in the cave for a while, but had to keen a green branch waving in front of it till darlc to keep out the sandflies. I had gathered a few dry sticks, and nut them in the cave for starting the fire. ’Flic water was dripping verv fast at the mouth of the cave from the rocks above, and just as I was feeling very comfortable and dosing off I was awakened with a crash. J sat nn. and found that a large rock had come down from the roof on ton of mv firewood, just where my friend would have been had he remained in the cave. That was enough, and I got out and started to look for a safer, if not drier, place. After' looking around I

decided to pitch the tent, which we should have done when we first landed, and fastened one end to the boat and the other to a tree root, gave it a good steep pitch to throw off drips, got my dry twigs of beech out of the cave, and spent a very comfortable night in the sleeping bag, although I felt it very warm., and thought I had a touch of fever. Next morning when my friend woke up with cold feet he found his lower extremities about a foot in the lake, which had risen considerably. It was still raining, so we decided to come back, as the lake was calm, and might not alwavs be so. They were two disappointed individuals who sailed away from the shore. We got on a small islet close to the main island, which is at least about a mile long and sCoft high, everything covered with bush, a most interesting vegetation. The rocky islet was 40 yards long, 20 yards wide, 14ft or 16ft high, water deep nearly all round, and the following was a complete list of the plants on it, except mosses: Weimmannia Eaccmosa, Leptospermum in full bloom (very large flowers). Panax Colensoi, P. Linoaria, P. CVassifolia, P. Simplex, Dracopyllum longifolium (two varieties), Melrosideros lucida, Phyllodadus alpinus, Fagus Solaudri, Cyathodes Acerosa (with beautiful red and white berries), Gaultheria antipoda (yar. F.recta). Podocarpns totara, Dacridium cupresisimum, Myrtns pedumculata, Griselinia littoralis, Archeria Traversii, Coprosma lucida, Olearia arborcscens; and the following orchids:—Dendrobium Cunningham!, Karina suaveolens, and micromata, Thelmitrfi longifolia. The ferns were: Ptcris Aquilina, Hymenophylhnn (three varieties) ; and the mistletoes Loranthus micranthus and Tlavidns. The list comprises not such a bad selection of trees and shrubs, considering it was only a rock, and there were no grasses and no predominating trees or shrubs. We next rowed around the bottom end of the main island and up the east side, as we had not seen where it was separated from the mainland at the top end. We found a narrow channel about two chains wide. We noticed several fine things growing on the rocky i Me > but about the best was Gaultheria rupestris, 2ft to 3ft high, covered with bloom (Andromeda japonica is not in it- with this), also Karina micronala flowering everywhere, and it also must be n great sight later ou with Dendrobium Cunningham! and Karina suaveolens.

Lcaving the island wp had about three miles to row to the landing, but it was not difficult, as we bad no wind. When we got there we had a good tuck in, as we had no breakfast and six or seven miles’ rowing at leisure. After that wo decided to try- the bottom end of the arm, about two miles away, I should say, where 1 collected a few more filmy ferns, and we snent a pleasant two hours or so besides finding a helm For the boat. On the south side of the inlet there is a peninsula which seems to be a great camping ground for deer, a'/ they seem to have the undergrowth well tramped down: but the whole countrv seems to be infested with deer, pigs, and wild cattle, as there are plenty of traces of them everywhere.

The first day my friend found an orchid growing on a tree overhanging the lake which we had not seen before, so we were on the look-out for more, and found , one or two. It may be new—l hope it is—but it seems to match the description of Sarcochilus adversus. While at this end of the arm one or two very heavy showers came on, and there was a noise like thunder, or rather an avalanche, from the direction of Slip Hill, which is the nearest hill (about 5000 ft high) on the same side of the lake as we on. This slip is about half a mile wide at the top, sliding down into a narrow valley or ravine, and dissolving out on to the flat in the bush. This part is worth the study of a geologist, and by the look of it the slip is always moving and very precipitous. About half a mile down we had the finest echo ever we heard. The words came back so plain and musical, and then receded from the other side of inlet and hills. After the shower had passed we rowed back to the landing, boiled the billy, pitched the tent, and slept comfortably on the beach. It is an ideal beach for bathing, not very deep for a good, way out, and smooth, sandy bottom. We had thought if it turned out exceptionally fine we would make a last desperate attempt in the morning for the Princess Range again, but the hills were dense in fog more than halfway down the bush. I surmise the top would be about 5000 ft up and the bush line 3000 ft. In the morning, after breakfast, we turned our way homewards. There were no woodhens to be seen. We saw a crested grebe on the lake, also black teal and grayducks and kingfishers, and bellbivds were plentiful, an odd tui and fantail, plenty of warblers and tomtits, a few pigeons, kakas and riflemen, New Zealand canaries, a good many parakeet, and a solitary robin near the outside of the bush. We heard a good many shining cuckoos, and saw one perched high on a tree. When we got out of the bush and on to a grassy bank of the Lillburn, or rather branch of it, we again boiled the billy, and had a roam around among the pig and bog country. There seem to be hundreds of acres of bog pine here. I never saw anything burn so well, and with such a fierce heat. It gave, very littlo smoke, which had an aromatic scent. After stopping here for two or three hours we made off again, and arrived at the homestead, where they treated us to tea in good style, and then the other two miles to the car. We camped in the same loft, as we were not in a very respectable condition, and moved on in the morning. We thought we were early, hut found when we got to Otautau. 30 miles, that we were two hours behind time, a* wo must have- si cut in. From Otautau we came home by way of Winton. where we had dinner, and arrived at Gore about 4 r>.m.