CRUISE OF THE RAKIURA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 17

CRUISE OF THE RAKIURA.

IN FIORDLAND. " SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. I The party of Chriftchureh gentlemen who chaptered the steamer Rakiura to convey i them to the West Coast Sounds, mainly on a scientific expedition, having returned ' from their cruise, opportunity was taJcen of the presence ; n Dunedin on the 6th' of Mr T. D. Harraan, who was a member of the party, to acquire some particulars of I the expedition. Among those who made the cruise were several of the best-known scientific men of Christchurch, &uch as Dr Chilton, professor 6f biology at the Canterbury College; Mr R. Speight, lecturer in geology at the Canterbury College; Mr R. j M.* Laing, botanist ; Mr E. R. curator of the Christchu rch Museum ; Mr H. F. Skey, who is in charge of the magI netic observatory at Chri&tchurch ; I3r ,' Coleridge Farr, and Mr H. H. Cook. The ! expedition was organised by Mr Harm an I and Mr Speight. Primarily, the object ' of the expedition was to complete the m«.g- --' netic -survey of • the souther n portion of New Zealand, and to investigate the animal and vegetable life of the western portion of Otago. ( The Rakiura left the Bluff on Tuesday, j December 22. eaid Mr Harnian, and arrived 1 at Preservation Inlet the following morn- , ing. \ magnetic station was established • at Cromarty, and during the observations • that were going on the members of the 1 party not so engaged steamed up Long , Sound nearly to the top. In the afternoon, with all aboard, the steamer proceeded to Cha-Mcy Inlet, and harboured for the night at North Port, a very beautiful little cave. At this spot the expedition discovered a very bountiful supply of f-raynsh. The water simply teemed with them, and mem- | bers of the party went out in open boats, and putting their hands clown into the ! water pulled them out in numbers. North Pou Mas left at <iayhrcak, and Du»ky ! Sound was reached in time for breakfast, the boat anchoring in Facile Harbour. The party the* made their way to Pigeon Inland, and paid a visit to Mr and Mr& Goldfinch, caretakers of Resolution Island, t li e great bird sanctuary. Abouc noon a dcpaiture was made from Facile Harbour, and a cruise nrad-a amongst the numerous islands in Dusky Sound, which, in the opinion of the party, was considered the most beautiful of the Sounds, the little islands being thickly wooded light down to the water's edge. Duck Cove was next visited, and here another magnetic station was established. About 4- o'clock in tho afternoon Duck Core was k-ft, and the paity proceeded alony the Acheron Passage, which connects Duskf with Bieak-bea Sound, going as far as Wet Jacket Ann. At the head of tins one of tho beauty spot* of the Sounds tho Rakiura anchored for the night At daybreak next morning the little steamer out from Broaksea Sound, and proceeded on to Doubtful Sound, and further magnetic oi>=tnaT,oij6 v. ere made at Wor.dhea<] Point. Bradshaw Sound and Dcas Co.c were next visited, and at the Jatter th<? party p si took of its Chirstmas dinner, which, thanks to those in charge was (f an excellent Tder. At Dea=, Co\e magnetic observations were again made, and an anchorage made there for the night. Early next morning- a start was made for George Sound, and here further observations weie made. During the .stay hcie a jotirr^y wa"= u-a.de a!on=; a short bush track to Lake Katherine and on thi^ occasion distinct tiace* were div 1 o\ ered of the Wapiti deer, impoilcd flora Europe by the Government a short tinie ago and liberated in tin- counliy. The Uovorianenfc was pariiculctil.\ unxi-uv- to asceiiata something dLoiu the welfare of ths deer, and the infoijnation which the expech'ion brings back with it in this connection ii particuiaiJy 'gratifying. Ihe tra.ee? of the d<M?r were \ery clear round the shores of thi« kike, which wab evidently one of th-:-ir drinking places. Although none of the Wapiti were actually eeen, the

I traces were very fresh, and there were alro j Fom-c very small hpof marks, which indicated that the deer had young. After \isiting Lake Katherine a visit was paid to Lake Alice, and a halt mad-e for the night at George Sound. Leaving lat dawn next day a start was made for B-ligh's Sound, and then on to Milford Sound. On reaching this point there was a very heavy downpour of rain, which had the effect of causing a wonderful display of waterfalls. The grandeur and majesty of Milford was something to remember. A magnetic station was established close to Mr Sutherland's accommodation house. Here a party of seven members of the expedition left the boat and proceeded to the Sutherland Falls, and over the M'Kinnon Pass to Lake Te Anau. Crossing the lake by steamer, the/ party proceeded to Manapouri, and crossed therefrom to the extremity of the western arm. Here a small hut was found, in which" a halt was made overnight, but heavy rain and an absence of blankets made things very uncomfortable. Early next morning the party proceeded along the Spey River over the track which leads from Lake Manapouri to Dusky Sound. The track was almost completely obliterated, and it was only with extreme difficulty that the pass was traversed. Walking was exceedingly difficult and rough, and after- an arduous climb Doubtful Sound was reached about 6' o'clock in the evening, and the Rakiura boarded after a long and arduous journey. In fche absence of the overland party, the Rakiura visited Caswell, Charles, and Nancy Sounds, establishing several more magnetic stations. In many respeqta Nancy Sound, which is very rarely visited, was considered one of the most beautiful of the sounds. Deep Cove, Crooked Arm, ! and Breaksea Sound were visited, while a j trip was also made up Vancouver Arm, and a return made through Acheron Passage to Dusky Sound, where a visit was made to Pickersgill Harbour, which was the site chosen by Captain Cook as his harbour • when he visited New Zealand in 1773. A careful examination was made for traces of Captain Cook's visit, and the old clearings made by him were very clearly visible. A magnetic station was established here upon the headland at the spot from which Captain Cook made similar observations 135 years ago, the object being to check the observations made so long ago by the great navigator. It was at this point that Captain Cook remained at anchorage for two months, and, it will be remembered, as some of his crew suffered severely from scurvy, he discovered a specific for the disease in the shape of spruce beer, which he manufactured from the juice of the rimu and manuka scrub. At Dusky Sound the site on which the old Endeavour was sunk in Facile Harbour was inspected, and although Mr Gildfinch informed the party that parts of the boat were sometime;, visible, no trace of it could be seen. Leading Dusky Sound on the evening of Monday, January 4, the Rakiura proceeded to the Bluff, which was reached early on Tuesday morning. The work carried on by the scientific portion of the expedition was made extremely difficult at times by the heavy rains and roughness of the weather. The magnetic survey party established eleven stations in all. while those who were engaged in geological, animal, and botanical research gathered a great amount of valuable information and specimens. Marine life and sea flora were also given full attention. Generally a -very considerable amount of highly useful scientific work was accomplished. The Rakiura proved a very worthy craft, and Captain George Marks a capable and genial navigator, who did everyrhing in his power for his charges. In fact, the members of the party were cared for in the very best of manners by everyone on board, and this proved a big factor in the success of the expedition. (Faou Otiß Own Cgr&espondekt?) CHRISTCHURCII, January 6. The party of Chrjytchurch residents who were with the Rakiura returned to-night. Dr Fan- and Mr Skey pxnressed satisfaction with the magnetic observations that had been ia:tde. Dr Farr considered that it i was highly creditable that 11 stations should have been established in 13 daya, especially when 10 days out of the 13 were very wet. Mr Skey said that although the observations made and stations established practically completed the magnetic survey of the mainland of the Dominion, he would like to see an additional four or five stations established in the cold lakes district at places between stations already established. With these stations established (he magnetic survey of the mainland would be completed. Mr R. M. Laing, the botanist of the party, said tliat on the voyage round the steamer called into 13 sounds. The explorers were very anxious to go into a little sound, or rather lake, tailed Sutherland's Sound, which is practically unknown, but the cantain did not think it safe to take his craft in. " Jlow-

ever," Mr Laing continued, " we have seeu • far more of the sounds than most peopl< do." As far as the forest region of th« sounds was concerned, the plants were wett known, but there was a good deal to be done upon the heights above the sounds. The party was, however, unable to spend sufficient time to enable it to get abovs the forest line. He had brought back a j few alpine plants from Wilmot's Pass, | which wore the first to have been collected i from that place. Personally, he had spent most of his time looking after seaweeds, but the sounds were not good collecting grounds, as they were too deep, and had no foreshores. Amongst the specimens he did secure there were probably several novelties.