NEW SCENIC TRIP

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21979, 14 June 1933, Page 5

NEW SCENIC TRIP

HEART OF FIORDLAND MANAPOURI-MIDDLE FIORDS By E. E. Muxs. ; V 111. From those heights We dropped, at pleasure into sylvan T combs; > * Where arbours of impenetrable shade. And mossy seats, detained us side by side. • —Wordsworth., There are few spots, even in Fiordland, New Zealand’s scenic paradise, where one could spend a more delightful holiday than at the high camp on the shores of Lake Minerva (2400 feet), the half-way stage on the new track which has been cut from the North Arm of Lake Manapouri to the Gaer Arm of Bradshaw Sound, thus completing a new round trip of 110 miles through scenes of the rarest grandeur and of ever-changing variety. Situated 15J miles up the Freeman Canyon in the hinterland of Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau, long famous for being the home of the takahe, the rarest bird in New Zealand, it offers every _ facility for the tramper, botanist, and climber, all within approachable distance —lovely valleys filled with alpine and aub-alpine flora (including many of the rarest species), three very beautiful lakes (Lakes Freeman, Minerva, and Tuaraki) within an hour’s walking distance of the camp, superb waterfalls, mighty gorges, and mountain ranges with giant granite precipices and many unnamed and unclimbed peaks ranging from 4000 feet to 6000 feet in height—a whole region, in fact, which still remains unmapped and much of which is still unexplored. The valley itself, which is about a mile long by a third of a mile wide, is walled in by naked granite ranges. on both sides with low ridges running out into it at either end, and while the lower half of it is occupied by Lake Minerva, ope of the most perfect of Nature’s mirrors, the upper half is decorated with picturesque beech groves and alpines. gub-alpines, and mosses which cover the floor. A FIRST ASCENT. ,

Having completed the double-stage journey up the Freeman Canyon in one day, our party, which was the second party to accomplish the round trip, de- t 'cided to take “ a day off" and spend it in the locality. In the early morning, while we were lying comfortably in our sleeping bags upon the canvas bunks, two grey warblers camp in through the small ventilation openings at both ends of the tent, flying along the ridge pole in opposite directions, and, very cleverly, on different sides, enjoyed an _ early breakfast in devouring whatever insects were there. “It is their invariable custom,” said Murrell, “ and they never fail.” We were presented with a fine morning with warm sunshine, blue sky and white, fleecy clouds, and no wind. While the writer spent some happy hours in loafing about the camp,' watching the antics of a large-sized and very friendly golden weka, wandering about the shores of the lake, inspecting the alpine flora, and in collecting specimens of eidelweiss, which grew luxuriantly on the valley floor, the others set out to clinib a leaning peak, about 4200 feet, at the head of the valley. This they achieved successfully, obtaining magnificent views of whole series of unmapped ranges and canyons, no fewer than 10 large and small lakes, and of the South Arm of Lake Te Anau. ' They, of course, erected the traditional cairn on the summit marking the first ascent, named the peak “ Mt. Malcolm,” the finer peak next it “ Mt. Clinkard ” (4600 feet), and the communicating saddle between "Malcolm Saddle.” Having also deposited the traditional record, they returned to camp at 3 p.m., and as it came on to rain we spent the remainder of the day in camp. BLEAK AND BOLD FOWLER PASS. On the morning of the third day we set out on the eight and a-half mile stage up the remainder of the. Freeman Valley, over Fowler Pass, and down the Camelot Valley to the camp at the Bedivere Falls on the Camelot River, five miles and ahalf from its mouth where it enters the Gaer Arm, of Bradshaw Sound. The day’s journey was another wonderful experience, so completely different in all its features from anything we had yet met with. Mists were still hanging about, and it was threatefaing to rain, but we were lucky again, and beyond a 1 few drops had it fine all the way, with occasional bursts of bright sunshine. Rounding the low spur at the head of the Lake Minerva Valley, we emerged into another valley about a-quarter of a mile wide and threerquarters of a mile long, which, turning to the west, led up on to Fowler Pass (3200 feet). Interlaced with numerous tarns and running streams, its floor almost wholly covered with mountain grass, and on its slopes supporting an interesting variety of alpine shrubs and flowers, it is surrounded by high rocky crags, and presents a scene of lonely, desolate grandeur which is essentially its own. A pleasant stroll up this wild valley and. an easy climb of 300 or 400 feet placed us on top of the pass, where, down rugged bluffs of about 80 or 90 feet,, nestled Lake Tuaraki, a sheet of water about 25 acres in extent, set amidst the most barren, bleak, and rocky surroundings. Running out to the north in a series of hummocks for about 200 or. 300 yards, the pass then-dips into another canyon giving access to the south arm of Lake Te Anau. With a narrow gap in between, whence it drains into the .Camelot Valley, the lake is walled in on the south and west by cliffs of about 400 and 500 feet high, which then "hummock” and rise in sheer walls, notably on the south side, for 1000 feet or more, terminating in still higher peakd 1 with that on the north-west, Mount Baird, bearing several snowfields. It is a weird and forbidding spot. DESCENT OF A " CHIMNEY.” As rain appeared to be setting in, it was advisable to push on. In order to avoid the more difficult bluffs which almost enclose the lake, it is necessary to climb 400 feet up the low footstool or hummock at the foot of the towering, vertical mountain on the south side of the pass and then “ drop ’’ 250 feet down a "chimney” into the head "of the Camelot Valley ; on the west side. Clambering up the footstool over bare rock, lichens, and mosses is in no sense a'difficult task, while the descent of the "chimney” provides quite an air of romance without any of its dangers. The “chimney,” which descends at an angle of about 70 or 80 degrees, is quite a respectable three-sided one, about four or five feet wide, with vertical walls on the right and left, and provides a wealth of good foot and hand holds—not one of those “open-work” affairs which are more “ chimney ” in name than in fact and in which to negotiate corners the use of the rope is' necessary when stepping out into the void! Halfway down this “ chimney ” is the only obstacle, a large boulder, which is jammed in its throat and presents on its outer side a drop of from eight to ten feet. A convenient manhole is provided, however, between the inner wall of the ” chimney ” and the rock; lowering oneself down this and crawling under, the rock, one continues the descent and so emerges into the head of the Camelot Valley ,nt an elevation of 3200 feet. DELIGHTFUL ALPINE GARDEN. Looking back on the right one sees a fine waterfall, about 100 ft high, the overflow of Lake Tuaraki, the source of the Camelot River. Keeping close up to the sheer face of the mountain on the left, which overhangs in places, we trudged oh for half a mile or so through a delightful rocky alpine garden resembling very much that on the Copland Pass when beginning the asc'ent of the zig-zag path trom the Upper Copland Valley, though it' is very much less than that fascinating wilderness in extent. It is filled with .the loveliest shrubs, lilies, daisies, eidelweiss. lichens, and mosses, in many cases of several different species, all growing in the wildest profusion and amidst the loveliest surroundings. Getting down lower, closer to the bushline, we pushed through the finest grove of laeebarks the writer ever has seen, whole acres in extent, growing about nine or ten feet high, and all most gloriously out in bloom. The delicate sceut from those beautiful clusters of flowers, which filled the air, was like the breath of heaven. The handsome pale green leaves, too, were without blemish, not eaten to pieces by caterpillars like the small patch the writer saw on the Mackinnou Pass, Milford Track,

in March, 1928. And the bush below! Covered with streamers of white moss, it seemed that it. too, was out in flower. WEIRD-LOOKING PEAK AND A GLORIOUS VISTA. Down through a belt of leatherjacks, down through the bush, skirting along the left of the upper valley for a mile or so, we came out upon a steeply-descend-ing stream at an elevation of about 2500 ft, and looked up and down upon the two most remarkable scepes that the newly-cut track along this wonderful valley affords. The clouds now wefe lifting and breaking, providing occasional patches of blue and intervals of radiant sunshine dispersing the mists below. On our left, close in, and towering above us for over 2000 ft, and probably considerably more, was a most weird-looking peak of glistening granite fashioned like an old mediaeval castle, replete with high towers tapering off into needle-like points and many perfectly-formed battlements, some of them square and deeply cut in between! These were all arranged around the * top. surmounting a mighty precipice of naked rock which plunged straight down for many hundreds of feet. At the foot of the perpendicular wall of this strange-looking peak, which we agreed in naming “The Norman Keep.” tumbled the mad stream in numerous short cascades and waterfalls over its plunging quartz-like “bed.” On the right was a magnificent vista of about 10 miles down the damelot Valley and beyond, the perfection of wooded mountain scenery with bold peaks of about 5000 ft standing up on right and left partially draped in gold and silver mists through which the sunlight shone. In all probability this represents the most extensive view of unbroken virgin forests still left in New Zealand. The more distant peaks wore a haze of blue which enhanced the colouring of the scene. A WONDERLAND OF MOSSES.

Entering the forest once more we immediately passed under a gossamer-like waterfall which, seeming to come out of the sky above, plunged over another enormous cliff and descended upon us in wet mist and raindrops. Down, down, down through the forest, up and down, winding in and out, crossing streams with lovely cascading waterfalls in a seemingly endless variety of superb settings, we steadily descended, listening now and again to the songs of the birds and the chorus of rushing torrents. What a wonderful forest, what lovely mosses and ferns! As is the case in all West Coast valleys, due to the greater rainfall, the forest here was infinitely more varied than that on the

eastern side in the Freeman Canyon, which was almost wholly composed of beech. Sub-tropical in character, it was just as virgin, while its ferns and mosses were even finer and of greater variety, splendid as those in the Freeman Canyon were. In scores of places, indeed wherever one looked, there were the most enchanting scenes of unspoilt sylvan beauty, worth going thousands of miles to see, for one will view them nowhere else. In this veritable treasure house of the rarest, scenery, however, it was the glorious mosses which impressed the writer most. Thickly carpeting the forest floor, and of many different varieties, they grew in all sorts of places in massed formation, literally a foot and ignore thick, and in the queerest shapes. One particular creation, just below' the luncheon camp, specially caught the writer’s gaze, being fashioned out in the form of a large Chesterfield conch rounded off into magnificent cushions, splendidly " upholstered ” back and arms, and enclosed by the loveliest draperies whose jewels in the form of beads of moisture flashed brilliantly. A RED DEER SEEN-

It was not without a f shock that fully eight miles up from the mouth of the Camelot River we suddenly and wholly unexpectedly came upon a red deer in the bed of the river. It promptly made off. It w'as a handsome creature, but one could not but lament the folly wdiich had introduced such animals into this unique Fiordland, the forests of which, largely their principal charm, were never intended by Providence to withstand the ravages of plant-eating animals and for that reason and the magnificent rainfall rank ns the most beautiful in the whole world. Did the presence of that lone animal so far up in the Camelot Valley mean that this forest, too, is doomed to suffer the fate that threatens so many other New Zealand forests to-day because of the now fast multiplying hordes of deer in them? If so, then those who support the policy of protection of deer in this country will be called upon sooner or later to face the responsibility. CALLS OF THE NIGHT BIRDS.

Crossing the river twice we came on to the flat, where the forest trees soared higher still and the ferns and mosses grew' just as luxuriantly, and finally arrived at the camp at the Bedivere Falls, five miles and a-half from the mouth of the river, where we spent the night. Paradise ducks “honked” and blue ducks whistled in the pool close by, and many and strange were the calls of the night birds. Were any of them those of the takahe or notornia? They may have been,

because there are authorities who still believe that the takahe is not extinct in this district, though none, can identify its cry or call because it is unknown. Then spoke King Arthur, breathing heavily: ‘What is it thou hast seen? or what hast thou heard? ” And answer made the bold Sir Bedivere: •' I heard the water lapping on the erag, And the long ripple washing iu the reeds.”

The fourth and concluding article ot this series will give a description of the remainder of the round trip—from the Bedivere Falls on the Camelot River hack to View House, Lake Manapouri, via the Gaer Arm, Bradshaw Sound, Smith Sound, Deep Cove, the Wilmot Pass, and the West Arm of Lake Manapouri.