THE EXPLORER.

Otago Witness, Issue 1795, 17 April 1886, Page 1

THE EXPLORER.

BIG BAY AtfD DISTRICT,

WITH NOTES OF THE RETURN TRIP VIA THE HOLLYFORD AND LAKE HARRIS ROUTE.

By J. C. Meadwat.

Again tackling the bush, having crossed the creek in safety, we attempted to make Webb's Rock, a camping ground generally used by travellers in these regions ; but the track being so overgrown as to be impossible to trace left us no alternative, as the rain was descending in torrents, but to halt for the night at the foot of a towering pine, no open space being at hand. Lighting a fire under these circumstances was not easily done ; but it was managed. A couple of pannikins of red-hot tea gulped down made things a little rosier, and it took all I knew to contemplate matters from a Mark Tapleian point of view.

Up and away in the morning, having passed a sleepless and moist night, wp headed for Webb's Rock, solely for the purpose of drying our clothes, every stitch on us and in our swags being drenched. Hereabouts an ascent of some difficulty is encountered, and about half-past ten we reached Webb's Rock, lighted up, and determined to accept its shelter while we dried our belonging. 15 . This rock, hundreds of tons in weight, though situated on level ground, stand? detached ; and a considerable distance from tFie chain of hills at the rear, has the appearance of being rolled down. How it rolled, not being round, on level ground puzzles me ; in all probability it is a blow. Tts side has a scooped-out cavity of about six feet in breadth and sloping inwards a height of nine or ten feet affords ample room for a fire and two " doss downs," the remains of which are there — in the shape of dried leaves gathered by former occupants. It is unnecessary to add that this haven was thoroughly appreciated. Running to the south of this position, the Hollyford, distant probably a mile, roars and leaps, laving the sides and base of the great snow ranges, for we are right Amongst them

here, and the wildness and terrific grandeur of these; solitudes is appalling. Roar upon roar, grinding and tumbling goes on incessantly; glaciers are detached, whole sides of mountains are abraded, nature alters its outward form season after season, and man wots not. I am positive I am within bounds when I say that avalanches fell and their roar was heard every hour during my stay under Webb's Rock. I may mention that this camp is about ten miles from the head of Lake M'Kerrow, and such miles, too : they appeared to me to be about 16 furlongs each. The whole journey from my starting point at Martin's Bay to Kinloch, head of Wabatipu, is accomplished by the settler in three days— e.g., from Martin's Bay to Pyke's Chair one day, Pyke's Chair to the "footer" at the base west of the Divide, one day, from the "footer" at the base of the Divide to Kinloch one day, or a total of three days, stiff stages to the most experienced bushmen, and only to be accomplished in the summer season, as a portion of the route, shown later on, is covered with snow some hundreds of feet in depth, thus necessitating the adoption of the Greenstone Pass route, being an extension in distance of 25 miles, and at least a day in the doing. The continuation of the route up the Hollyford, via the Greenstone, is of the roughest description. In one part particularly there is three miles along the bed of the river densely covered with tutu six feet high, progress through which is easier imagined than described. The Greenstone, though not attaining in any part the altitude Lake Harris does, has not the facility of easy travel that the latter has, that is comparativel} ; and, further, lands you six miles down Lake Wakatipu, which is in itself a serious drawback; but as a winter rente the Greenstone is the only one available. After a day's stoppage at Webb's Rock, necessitated through the rain which abated not, we started again for reasons only too obvious, as between this spot and the next camp we had two creeks to cross, which, at the slightest indication of a fresh, are always flooded to such an extent as to render fording an impossibility. These creeks are the Hidden Falls and the High Falls Creeks, distant some miles apart.

My memory does not serve me now— taking notes being an impossibility under the circumstances, and with a saturated pocket-book— as to, or between, which of these creeks the Hollyford Falls occur. Suffice it that they lie between Webb's Rock and the " footer " on the west side of the Divide.

Of an extent and grandeur almost beyond all praise, the Hollyford Falls for beauty and willness stand out the gem of the whole trip. For river scenery they are, to my thinking, unrivalled. Extending for fully a mile along the track glimpses are caught here and there through the bush of this tumbling and tossing, roaring and leaping, body of water; huge rocks torn up, tossed, and thrown in the most fantastic and picturesque confusion, lie heaped one on another, forming dams and barriers. Through their interstices and vacuities rushes a foaming sea — the leaping, bounding Hollyford, Snags of great size are thrown across here, there, and everywhere, adding their mite to the grand wildness and disorder. At places where the bush is open and permitting of a broader view of the tumbling turbulent waters the effect produced is positively dazzling; the white light from the boiling rapids is too much for the eye, accustomed as it has been for such a lengthened period to the dead and bright greens of Che bush. Only for the roar one would imagine they had been transported to a small world of fleecy clouds. At the spot where the Falls commence a fork of some depth and width, n string at a speed to be seen to be credited, unites with the River Hollyford, and appears, as you face the Falls, to be descending a hill, as the island at the back of the Falls where the two arms unite are not seen at first glance. At distances not greater than one to two hundred yards all along the course of the rapids obstructions are formed as I have noted, «o that for the whole distance of the boiling, surgiug canon a series of cataracts run, as 'twere gigantic waterway escarpments. Once in among6t these, trunks of trees are whisked and thrown about like matches from end to end. At every turn there's a nook and n picture to ravish and delight the most artistic mind.

On arrival at the High Falls Creek we found it fordable, the rain, so far, not having affected its passage. We managed with the aid of poles to ford slightly above the rapids, it being about waist high, a most fortuitous circumstance, **■ a stoppage here of three weeks' duration is no uncommon event when the creeks are in flood, truly rural.

Along this part of the track its condition is simply abominable, and in rainy weather, faugh ' it beggars description ; not a tree felled and laid across the smaller creeks but is rotten or moss-grown, rendering crossing a matter to be done on all-fours, and even then it is very dangerous, sometimes the, fall meaning a descent into a boggy swamp or a drop into a creek with fagged, stony bottom and running at the rate of seven miles an hour. Trees of great size are lying across the track which can only with the greatest difficulty be got over, and we had to crawl along the whole length of the trunks and then through the branches, tearing you to pieces, while »t was raining all the time.

We were fortunate in not being delayed in crossing fhe Hidden Falls creek, the rain not having had the effect of increasing its volume of water to any considerable extent so far* and the fact of our wading through water up to our thighs made very little difference in our condition, as the continuous rain had thoroughly saturated us from head to foot.

Jaded and tired we reached the head of the track by this route, having for a considerable time, perhaps two hours, been forced into the bed of the river through the =imply impassable condition of the track with tutu and undergrowth Walking in the bed of the river means over boulders, across sinking sands, and into water-holes — you having the optiqn of w choice between two evils.

At this end of the track a small clearance in the bush has been made by a survey party, my

blessings on them, and a " footer " erected — in size about sft by 4ft 6in. Here we camped for the night, and changing as best I could I was'soon in the arms of Morpheus without rocking.

This camping ground is situated at the foot of the Divide, or nearly so. On the right rear their giddy heights the Darner Ranges, part of the great chain running through to Milford and southward. A short distance from the camp two tracks lie — one, that inclining to the river leading on to the Greenstone Pass, and the other, that to the left, running to the base of the mountain to be ascended en route to Lake Harris. To call it a track is a misnomer of the most glaring description — a few minutes into the bush and and all semblance of a track is lost, not a tree blazed nor a fern cut. The distance from the footer to the track ascending the mountain is supposed to be three-quarters of a mile — it took an hour and a-half to do. This is a fair sample of the whole track from end to end. It was cut four years ago and has not been touched since.

At a quarter to seven iv the morning, Friday, we tackled the mountain, ,ud if the track along the Hollyford is bad, this U, outside of Hades, the worst. It is all climbing, and steep too, and being slippery and damp — as the sun never penetrates here — the bush has overgrown all semblance of a track, which, being cut in sidlings, renders travelling very dangerous. Holding fast to the growth in the hillside without trying first is decidedly risky, as the drop on the other side, Dff the supposed track not broader than your foot, means down a depth whatever the height you have climbed. Up this mountain, across gulches, creeping along slips sliced out and still falling, hanging on across foaming mountain torrents, testing the safety of (reading on fallen trees, and crawling on all fours, 1 sweated and blew for six solid hour*i ; rests and smoke-ho's had now become standing institutions every 15 or 20 minutes; if it had not been for tho-.o halts I should not have surmounted my troubles and my mountain. It's all very fine to talk about being out of condition, and all that, but training for a sprint or a football match and mountain climbing like this are totally different "Mo nil that." The mountain side here, as elsewhere in these regions, is heavily timbered right up to the tfra.ss-line; the growth is rank, damp, and rotten ; the fall of snow is so great that timber has no hold, and finally, being top-heavy, uproots itself, and down they pome — fallen, crushed monarchs of these wilds. If there is one fallen tree to cross on this mountain si<ie track there are 100, and when this has to be clone at an angle ot 50 degrees, it can be seen at a glance that there other roads than Jordan rough to travel on. Tbe bush lines on these mountainous regions have an average height of 3500 feet, and at about halt past I o'clock in the afternoon we got through to where the sun makes at about the height already noted. Here, panting and thoroughly prostrated, I lay unable to move my locomotive apparatus, having no more feeling in them than decayed logs.

A very slight rest always effects a marvellous change quickly, the air being ol a bracing nature at this altitude, and in a short time Richard was himself again. How was I rewarded for all the toiling, by a- scene lavish, in its prodigality of marvels. The Valley of the Hollyford was seen away across the tree tops, with the river winding snake like among its many islets and sand banks, here seen and there hidden as a cunning silver thread in its bushcovered home, twining away ahead ; great grim giants of mountains reared their ice-bound heads on each side, these guardians of solitude sending their hoary heads into cloudy space; ravine, crevice, and waterfall all round • one giddy panorama, nature revelling in sublime and awful grandeur. Having now penetrated tho bush-line, the country assumes an openness only found at this altitude. Where we now rested a. plateau of considerable size and extent rolls on to the foot of the upper range, if I may so call it, of the mountain. This plateau is intersected throughout its extent with small channels, filled with the drainage from the surrounding heights, and is decidedly boggy : the mossy carpetings of nature are far and away above velvet pile in the sprinsy sensation to the footfall ; logs, lying untouched for many a day, on being removed leave impressions as if they had been weighted with iron, such is the softness of the verdure under foot.

The skeleton remains of a surveyor's camp arc here seen, but even without these suggestions of grim conviviality having once held high revel on th'.sspot, we felt that a billy of tea would go high, and my Man Friday and I were at it again punishing the fast-decreasing provisions brought from Martin's Bay T have now a better uiu'erbtanding of the word hunger than 1 ever had before, as without satisfying the cravings I had at this point ot my trip J could easily have tackled a bit of my boot, so ravenous is the appetite in this rarified region.

Looking back down whence I had come and away across the mountains, whose peaks went heavenward and along the ranges whose outlines were lost in the distance, that sort of distance yon get with the faintest of faint blue-: grey washes depicting n background— what a picture I saw ; shall I ever forget it * Miles upon mile-> a? tar as the eye could reach, rolled h;!ls and mountains in purples, blues, and greys ; hung here and there on precipitous heights like ?anze, mists were lio-n. and anon went Moating by; clouds held mid -heaven cloaked the wmd-nven mountain heads; breezes passing on swept these clouds- away and bared great ice-u'ekls snow-topped, full of crevices, and adorned like fairy courts, from out whose green-blue walls sprang foaming torrents, leaping madly e'er the great lH<rhts down amongst the Folia go into the sounding Holh tord. Oh, for the bui-h of a Hoyte, or a Wilson", as it is rather too much for my mind's eye Turning my back op the path I have to «ro, 1 look acrop;. thp l.ush-3oveiv«l vnlloy out of which I hnve oomo, and directly facing me arc mountains 8000 and 9000 feet hirh, the topmo s t peaks- of the Dan>cr ranges, tliro.rjh whose gorge? and ravines 'Us snul a p'i>.<-n</o ran bo pot to Milford, Be ;t; t so, but not for th'»« waif Indulging in this soil of eye feast was not provocative of progress, so drawing the curtain

of wrapt contemplation, we pack up swags ans away again. Away across the carpets of moss we mak« for a small belt of mountain pine on the righi of the plateau, and into which runs the track Passing through this belt we commence ar ascent of 1500 feet of mountain grass, dry and slippery, for the sun shines here in aH its glory flowers of great beauty blossom and blow, par* ticularly a plant having a daisy-like flower ol great size with leaves of a satiny-gloss and feel called the cotton flower. These leaves are capable of being riven into threads. Up this grassy slope we climb. There is no track, and we make for a pass at the summit of the mountain, and eventually reach the apex of the Divide.

If the glorious scene I was leaving behind was one never to be forgotten, what was this that now, as I turn a bend in the mountain, bursts on my view ? The scenery of the Hollyford in its many phases is undoubtedly beautiful and bewildering in its wildness, grandeur, and variety, but this now rolled out to my delighted gaze amazed me more than all. Oh, ye toilers for filthy lucre, come out of your dens and enjoy yourselves ! From the great height I am now I can see a distance almost incomprehensible for extent, magnitude, and, as may be surmised, variety, like the leaves of a book, and as easily scanned, the panorama before me is taken at a glance — lake, mountain, river, valley, and forest. " Vastness of verdurous solitude, forest complexity

boundless ; Where is no stir save the fall of a leaf or the wn\e of a wing. Lone, icy regions, where virginal nature roams ceaseless and soundless, Eicb with the richness of summer, yet fresh with the freshness of spriug."

Down at my feet, figuratively speaking, lies Lake Harris 2000 feet below, with a margin of four miles, and depth unknown — probably an extinct crater filled in with the melting snows of ages — deep, deep blue are its waters fathomless, a gull skimming its waters looks like a tty, so great is its depflh from where I stand, it has no shore. At the west end a chain of mountains, snow-covered, seem to pour iv t>»% meltings of their winter snows. Begirt at a' points, it is mountain-locked, escaping at the lower or Routburn end, where, leaping and tumbling over falls probably 200 feet high, it has an outlet to tha valley below. The track here— a sidling, only for its great height— is comparatively easy ; on the left, at a giddy depth, lies the lake, and on your right rise the rocky walls of the surrounding peaks.