DIRECT TRACK TO MILFORD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 88

DIRECT TRACK TO MILFORD.

AN UNSUCCESSFUL EXPLORATION;

An exploration party, consisting of Messrs A. F. Grenfell (Gore), A. Taibot (Carter* ton), B. De Lambert^ and W» G. Gravel (Oamaru), has just returned to DunedilE from an unsuccessful effort to discover anoverland track from Milford Sound to Laker, Wakatipu. The exploration was conducted with the co-operation of the Tourist De? partment, the party leaving; Dunedin on; December 21 last. Te Anau was reached 1 at 3 a.m. on the 22nd by bicycle from! Itumsden. After reaching Milford Sound the party was supplied with stores by tha Tourist Department, and started off with' swags weighing 621b each. The route token' was by way of the Cleddau River, which? flows into v Milford, and, by the Tutoko River, ihey traversed each of tho branches of the Cleddau in .turn. The lastnamed river has more tributaries than any, other river in the sounds district — to* wit,- , seven. All the valleys -egotiated ended in precipitous cliffs, except in one instance. ' In one valley they thought they had! found a pass leading 5o Wakatipu, and this was probably jhat Mr Sutherland re* ported having discovered in March last. They found this valley easy of ascent, tha height being- about 4000 ft, but their further, progress was finally barred, after travelling . over a razor-back ridge, by a precipitous! descent of 3000 ft towards Lake Wakatipu. They were unable to walk on the ridge leading to the cliff, and had to" crawl along; it. Looking down '10m the top of the cliff, they thought the valley below was another branch of the Cleddau, but they were" unable to descend, and made their wav, back to the foot of the pass, and in three days' time worked round into the valley they had seen from the top of the supposed pass. They then 'saw that their supposition that this valley was a branoh of -the Cleddau was correct, and they reached the foot of the before-mentioned cliff and: looked up steep face. It was found absolutely •impossible to JNifte an ascent, and even had they succeeded in doing- so _'t , would have been useless for any "public purpose. Several determined attempts wero made to climb the adjoining mountains, and the party eventually got along the ridge leading to what yas supposed to be the Homer Saddle, .vhicli looks into the Cleddau, but was unable o make the Saddle. From this mountain they! lookedl over the' Homer Saddle down into the Hollyford Valley, and also into ihe tranches • of Joe's River, whioh the same party had explored two years ago, and also into Cleddau Valley. From this point they saw that neither by Joe's River nor by tha Cleddau could a way be found into the - Hollyford Valley, and tnence to Milfordv The only way to make a road, they concluded, would b-3 to -cut a ledge zig-zaggingl down the precipitous western, face {3000 ft)' qf Homer Saddle. This Mr Grave thinks would not be so difficult a matter as it* might at first be- thought, as there aro numerous sloping terraces on the cliff's face. The party left «J unturned to find a pass, and they have returned with the conviction that no ...rass will ever be found! suitable for tourist traffic, notwithstanding 1 , Mr Sutherland's assertion hat he has discovered * practicable joute. The weatheU during the exploration was exceptionally) fine, the best ever experienced fa. ihe district, and not a day was lest. Under, the ordinary weather conditions prevailing in the district what had been accomplished! would take six weeks. n The members of the party ra aimed from! their exploration In good health and spirits.-