UNKNOWN NEW ZEALAND

Otago Witness, Issue 3662, 20 May 1924, Page 7

UNKNOWN NEW ZEALAND

A PEEP INTO SOME LITTLE-EXOWN PORTIONS OF WESTERN OTAGO. Copyright 1924 by R S. M. Sinclair. VII.—THE GRAVE-TALBOT PASS. At present the Grave-Talbot Pass is little more than a name to the majority of the public. Even those accustomed to spending their leisure among the mountains would bo unable to point to its whereabouts on the inaji. although some would probably be aware of its function and importance. In the Greymouth Evening Star of Tuesday, February 4. 19i3, appeared Talbot’s own description of his explorations in this connection, and for the matter contained therein, and the historical detail given below, I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness and thanks to a friend who prefers to bo anonymous. He has been kind enough to allow me to avail myself for publication of the fund of information and experience which he possesses in regard to the Milford district. It was at a request from Mr T. EDotino, the then manager of the Tourist Department, that Mr Grave commenced his search some 15 years ago for a new route to Milford Bound. The experience which Mr Grave had had in exploring the country between Lake Te Anau and the West Coast stood him in good stead in the task which he now undertook with the assistance of a few well-tried companions. It is worth noting that shortly oiler he decided to make the search a short paragraph appeared in the newspapers stating that Mr Donald Sutherland, the host of Milford Sound, had discovered a new route. This was not accurate, however, and the intimation was afterwards considered to be merely a "blind” to discourage the explorers. An impression is abroad that Mr Grave received directions from Mr Sutherland as to where he would be most likely to succeed. As a matter of fact, the opposite is the case, for it is well known that the worthy old pioneer bad come to regard Milford Sound and its hinterland as entirely his own, and was deeply jealous of anyone likely to make discoveries on what he considered his own upecial preserve. The summary that follows gives briefly the explorations which culminated in the discovery of the Grave'l'albot Pass. These were by no means Mr Grave’s first visits to the district. It is over 25 years ago since he, together with Dr Don and some others, made a trip to the head of the Tutoko Valley to ascertain if Mount Tutoko was a volcano, as it had been reported as having been seen in action. The report turned out to be without foundation. Even this trip had bee.il preceded by the visits of the Ross brothers who named the Age Glacier and Leader Creek, yet not long ago there appeared in _ print the fatuous assertion of an egotistical explorer that his was the “first serious expedition” to the Tutoko Valley. It was well enough known that no easy pass could be found out of the Tutoko Valley, and that even if one did exist it would have the disadvantage of leading into the Lower Hollvford. which is not a particularly accessible district. The explorers therefore concentrated on the Upper Jlollyford and the branches of the Cleddau leading in that direction. When eventually the pass was found, it was one much higher than the original APKinnon’s Pass, but had the advantage that it commanded much more magnificent views. The explorations also proved that there was no other pass in any way comparable to M’Kinnon’s in ease of negotiation. In 1905, Grave, Grenfell. Dr. P. Marshall, Flower, Browne, and Talbot ascended the Neale Burn, discovered Marshall Pass, descended Joe’s River, discovered three lakes, and made a new route from Te Anau to Milford. fn 1906, Grave. Grenfell, de Lambert, and Talbot explored the Cleddau River, named its tributaries, and succeeded in ascending its flanking ridges, but could not descend on the other side. In LOS, Grave, Grenfell. Gifford, and Talbot, went to the Hollyford bv way of Lake Harris: ascended Moraine Creek, a tributary of the Hollyford : made the ascent to the top of the ridge, Adelaide Saddle, but could not descend, although from here Milford Sound could be seen less than eight miles away. In 1909, Grave, Lyttle, and Talbot went up the Hollyford bv way of Lake Howden, ascended the Marian branch to Lake Marian, and later proceeded to the source of the Hollyford. Grave and Talbot succeeded in crossing to Milford Sound byway of the Homer River and Homer’s Saddle. In 1910, Grave, Lyttle, and Talbot crossed from Milford Sound to the head waters ©f the Hollyford and fixed a practicable

route for a pass, returning by the same route In 1912 the Tourist Department commissioned Messrs I>. Macpherson, of Otautau, surveyor, and J. Lippe, of the Hermitage, Mount Cook, to aeompany Messrs Greave and Talbot and report on the route. Mr Macpherson’s report may be found in the official icport on the survey operations included in tho parliamentary- papers for the year 1912-13. Inter alia, he says: ’The Hollyford is very much like the Clinton Valley in general description, but the distance to be traversed is less, and the mountains oil the northern face are far more magnificent, with their additional height and overhanging glaciers, from which avalanches are frequently precipitated in the valleys below.” He mentions the two possibilities of cutting a sideling down, into the Cleddau from Horner’s Raddle, or tunnelling through from the Ilomer to the Cleddau Valley (600 or 700 yards long, with a substantial fall to the Cleddau). Ho adds, however: "Both these alternatives would, to my mind, rob the route of its most attractive part,” Such is the history of the discovery of the Grave-Talbot Pass, one. of the. most attractive mountain rambles in the world. Since 1912, with the exception of the war period, work in connection with the development of the route has been steadily progressing, tracks having been cut through the bush both from the Sound up the Cleddau and Esperanco and from the Ilpwden Hut up the Hollyford and Homer Valleys. mainly under the supervision of Dr D. R. Jennings, cf Otago University. The once difficult portion of tho rock climb over the pass have, by blasting-, grading, and the assistance of stationary wire ropes, been made quite easily negotiable, and this route promises to become quite as popular as the old one. If proper accommodation were provided at the Sound the route via the Grave-Talbot Pass would soon achieve world-wide fame, and tend to restore the waning prestige of Governmental development in the Sounds district. A short description of the pass cannot by any means pretend to unfold sufficiently its natural wonders, but may serve as a guide to those accustomed to mountain travel who wish to try new country. It is decidedly unwise to attempt the pass without an experienced guide, as, in the first place, the actual pass route is difficult of written description, there is snow to be crossed, and at an altitude cf 6000 ft (or rather slightly less in case of the pass) it is dangerous to run a risk of loss of direction and of consequent exposure. But let it be understood that given fine or reasonably fine weather, and a member of the party with a knowledge cf mountain work and of the route, anyone possessed of two sound legs and a love of beauty will have no difficulty in negotiating the finest mountain walk in the world. To anyone proposing to use the pass, let us recommend it for the return journey from the Sound, as anyone going over the Grave-Talbot Pass in the other direction, and returning along the old track via iPKinnon’s Pass, cannot fail to be disappointed with the view from the latter. Starting, then, from Sutherland’s, the home of interesting memories for those who knew Mr and Mrs Donald Sutherland, now lying side by side in the mountains they loved, the track leads past a river lageon along the shingle of the Cleddau River bed and through the bush fringing its right bank. Few directions are necessary, the track-cutters having done their work well. About a mile or more from the Round, after traversing the flats which the Sutherland’s called Caledonia.” one mustlook for a place to ford the Cleddau River where it is wide and shallow. Thereafter, the rsute lies across open flats, through a few hundred yards of bush, and again out in the open. The Tutoko River is seen coming in on the opposite side of the Cleddau, and away in the background rises the colossal mass of Mount Tutoko. From here on the track hugs the south bank of the river, crossing Dead Cow Creek (verb, sap.) and various other little gullies, emerging soon at the junction of the Gulliver with the Cleddau-' The Cleddau here bends in from the south, and when it joins the Gulliver from file east, and across the rivers, stand the remains of the Junction Camp on a high bluff overlooking the rivers. This was the camp occupied by the road-makers in the first stage of the w-ork from Milford Sound. From the camp the track follows tho Gulliver Valley, recrossing the river to the south bank, past where the Donne Valley enters on the north, to the next camp near the junction of the Esperance. The track describes a zig-zag- to mount up into tlie Esperance Valley, and eventually leads out into the dry rocky riverbed. After crossing this, the traveller soon leaves the last of the bush and finally arrives among the well-known mixture of scrub, snowgrass, and shingle so characteristic of these altitudes. In front looms an apparent barrier of considerable height and seemingly doubtful accessibility. Nevertheless, that is the road lo the top of the pass. “The Ledges” leading from the source of

the Esperance River to the top of the pass have been artificially improved to suit the temperament of the most nervous individual, but from below the towering cliff to whose summit they lead seems most forbidding. The cliff is long enough to offer variety of approach. The easiest, if the longest, way is to tackle it from the right, where a steep incline leads up a considerable distance. The rope comes into use sooner or later, however, more by way of giving mental confidence than for actual use, and several hours of climbing put the Esperance Valley far below and bring into prominence the magnificent features of the mountain landscape. At the top of the huge cliff. along the ledges of which the pedestrian, now no longer a mere pedestrian, but a mountaineer, finds himself on the edge of a steep snowfield whose lower edge disappears over a cliff leading into (he head of the Cleddau. At the head of the Cleddau is Homer’s Saddle. In theory ail that remains to be done is to proceed along the ridge on which the mountaineer now stands and so on to the saddle. In practice that task involves the crossing of two snowfields and the descent of the steep rock ridge known as Talbot’s Ladder. In spite of the steepness of the first snow-field, the novice will soon gain confidence behind an experienced leader. A level traverse of this snov,-field is made, in a south-easterly dirction, towards a wellmarked niche in a rock ridge. From the edge of the snow a neat natural track rises up to the lowest point in the ridge known as Lyttle’s Dip. The next snow field is fortunately not quite so steep, for it is necessary to descend about s*ooft as one passes diagonally across it. At the foot of this snowfield. the traveller finds himself among a deposit of large boulders, which he crosses, bearing round to tho left and descending slowly till he reaches the ridge from which it is possible to see the great snowfield and glacier between Mount Lippe and Mount Maephersion. On descending this ridge, the top of Talbot’s Ladder is seen, marked now by the strongmooring of a Tiiece of wire rope. From this point Homer’s Saddle can be seen, sGuft below and to the right, 4000 ft below, is the source of the Cleddau River. To the left, some 2000 ft below, rises the Horner River. With' the aid of the wire rope the descent of the once difficult Talbot’s r adder is easy and rapid. The rope follows the general trend of the ridge, which 19 both sharp and steep, offering, however, numerous natural footholds and handholds, to which the rope guides the unknowing. And so the traveller descends to Homer’s Saddle, and is over the pass. It is a noticeable fact that a remarkable tendency exists for fog to drift from the Cleddau Valley up the saddle to its top, and then to disappear into “thin air.” This has a striking resemblance to the boiling of a huge pot. Talbot remarked on it: “The first time I stood on Homer Saddle, the fog boiled up from below into our faces We could not see a yard ahead. We seemed to be standing on the rim of n big witches’ cauldron; as if a step forward would bring us into the brew beneath. . . .” At the lowest point in Homer’s Saddle stands the cairn of the ill-fated Quill, a pile of large stones built around a pole, of which the stump still exists. From the saddle the descent to the Homer River camp occupies about an hour, and after a night spent in that delectable resort it is “Howden ho !” down the Hollyford, whence tho Greenstone Valley leads to Wakatipu and civilisation, on tho next day. The total distance from Howden to Milford has been estimated at 26 miles, much the same as from Howden to Glade House From Milford to the head of the Esperance Valley is about - eight miles; from there over the pass to Homer River camp about five miles, and from Homer River camp to Howden about thirteen, all these distances being quite within the scope of any visitor to Milford. The highest point in the pass. Lyttle’s Dip, is 5600 ft above sea-level. This, I think, is the first time the history of the Pass has been introduced to the Otago public, and insufficient as has been (lie -written description of it as it now exists, let that but act as an inducement to view the reality. Let the reward of the adventurous spirits who spent their time and risked their lives to provide this pleasurable excursion for us lie in our earnest appreciation of their efforts by the promotion of interest in its wild beauty, especially in view of the natural influx of visitors bound to occur on the occasion of file forthcoming Exhibition. Show them New Zealand I