THE MILFORD TRACK

Otago Witness, Issue 3757, 16 March 1926, Page 33

THE MILFORD TRACK

THE FINEST WALK. AX IDEAL HOLIDAY. By Geo. F. Ixglis. I. I am aware that the ISlilford Track has been described before. I am equally certain it will be described again. It may be recalled that such a subject as William Shakespeare has beeu written up for some 300 years now, and is not in tl-_ least danger of being exhausted. And if that can be said of some of the works of man, how much more is it true of the inexhaustibly wonderful and beautiful works of Nature? And so as long .as men and women love mountains and torrents, and trees and shrubs, and flowers and ferns and mosses, and sunshine and rain, and snow-capped peaks and far glorious prospects from rocky heights—in a word, as long as men and women love sublime grandeur and exquisite beauty in Nature—so long will the story of the Milford Track continue to be told. It is indeed a theme to inspire the dullest and most inexpressive to eloquence; yet, I must confess that though I had read much that has been written and some that has been well written about “The Finest Walk in the World,” nothing of what 1 had read or heard really prepared me for what 1 was to see. The reality was far beyond expectations. The fact is that the journey is all so crowded with rare and wonderful experiences that no one can hope completely to see and record them for another. Each visitor will make and treasure up his own impressions according to hiß own individuality. None need fear to overpraise the Milford Track. Our language lias not words in which that could be done. If there are any who see little or nothing in it, let them forever keep a profound silence lest they proclaim that they have neither eyes nor soul. A FRANK WARNING. And here it might be time to utter a frank warning that the joys of the Milford Tr. k are not for everyone. But they are for the strong and healthy, and all those able to enjoy outdoor life and a real walk. By a real walk I mean, say, 10 or 13 miles of rough track with ten or a dozen pounds strapped on your shoulders. If j*ou can do that and come up smiling for a hearty meal, then be sure the Milford Track is for you. It is an unfortunate fact that a large proportion of those who undertake the walk have little or no idea of what is ahead of them. If the 40 or 50 Milford tourists with whom I came in contact are a fair sample, then three out of four suffer more or less severely through want of practical preliminary information. Some turn back without ever reaching the goal. It is not hard to find on the Track those who declare the;, would never have dreamed of setting out if they had known what the journey involved. The equipment* of a considerable proportion is ridiculously inappropriate. For this the Tourist Department and .lie tourists themselves may share the blame in vary ing proportions. The department’s pamphlets show a decided tendency to paint everything in the most glowing colours, and to omit all reference to possible difficulties and discomforts. It is very enticing to be told that the walk has been done by a child of six and an old man of 70; but, commented one of the guides, the booklets do not say what the guides had to do to get them across Personally, I do not know the old gentle man in question, but after doing th*» trip I venture two remarks about him—that he was a very exceptional man of 70 and that he will not undertake the journey again. On the other hand, it must be ad mitted that many people are very careless about making inquiries beforehand, and pay little attention to the thee do receive. One ill-equipped lady who complained much that she was not better prepared was asked if she did not receive toe Tourist Department's typewritten institutions about the track, containing a list of equipment. “Yes, I think I did,' she said, “but I didn’t read it!” HEAD OF LAKE TE ANAU.

So much by way of preliminary warning. The delights of the Te Anau-Milford trip first open up as the little steamer Ta wera towards the end of 5 hours’ run up the lake from Te Anau begins to push its way into the mountain fastnesses amid which Glade House is hidden at the head cf Lake Te Anau. The scene is at once grand and most beautiful. The rugged srow-capped peaks have oeen clearly ir. sight from Te Anau, 40 miles away, and now one is brought right to their feet. The course of the steamer bends to the left and then to the right, and leads to a sheltered basin shut in by precipitous but densely wooded mountain heights. Right at the mouth of the narrow Clinton Val ley—the only break thereabouts in the mountain walls —is the little wharf at which the Tawera is berthed at about mon. Even as late as the latter part ol February brilliant patches of the scarlet rata were to be detected every here and there, giving a picturesque touch of glowing colour to the sombre green of the forest. Earlier in the season it must have been much more beautiful still. Be tv.een the wharf where the passengers disembark for Glade House and the house itself is half a mile or more of enticingly beautiful track through virgin beech forest. It is a foretaste of much that lies ahead. The rich and varied colouring of the mosses that clothe the ground nnd the trees .charms every visitor While the passengers enjoy this stroll their luggage is taken by launch up the Clinton River to the landing at Glade House. This well conducted accommodation house is very aptly named, for it js situated in the centre of a little open glade in the midst of the mighty forest. AT GLADE HOUSE.

The scene at Glade House after the arrival of the boat js a very busy one, reminding one a little of a railway refreshment room. The boat cornea only three times a week and there is always a party waiting to return by it Those who have

just arrived are full of eagerness to be up and doing and off along the far-famed Track. Immediately after dinuer the necessary ruesac and oilsheet afe handed out, and the tourists change into such clothes a> they have brought with them for the jour ney. If they are ill-provided it is too late now to make up deficiencies in their kit If some of them had known they would most gladly have hired the oiltd silk waterproof overalls to be had at the Te Anuu Hotel, but that seems to be a secret safely guarded. 1 came across only one person who had discovered that such equipment was available there, and be made the discovery quite by accident Some people are under the impression that oilskins are stocked at Glade House, but whatever may be done in the future that is not the case at present. The only thing of the kind supplied is a very necessary and useful piece of oil sheeting in which a dry change of underclothing and such like are wrapped up in the ruesac. Sometimes those starting on the journey can do business to mutual advantage in the purchase of waterproof capes from those who have just come off the Track and do not remiire their capes further but one cannot rely on picking up equipment in that fashion. AN ISOLATED SPOT. The isolation of Glade House forcibly impresses one accustomed to the speedy means of communication in all directions that surround its in the city. I here is telephone communication through to all the huts on the Txack, but the Tawera, with its three trips a week, provides the only means of communication with tile outside world. Should anything happen to the Tawera—a by no means unimaginable contingency—the remaining alternatives would be a 20-mile trip by launch or row boat to the Te Anau Downs station—itself most isolated—or a very rough journey ol three cr four days over the Dore Pos3 to Lake Wakutipiw The isolation, however, constitutes for. many one of the chief charms of Glade House. It would be an absolutely ideal place in which to escape from the world that is “too much with us” were it not for one drawback—or perhaps two drawbacks. The first of these—omitted from descriptive publications—is provided by the sandflies that haunt the whole of the Track and reach their very worst at the Milford end. Fortunately, they can bo escaped indoors, but nowhere else. With rooms darkened and doors kept shut they cause no trouble inside, but outside they make it impossible to lounge about or to pause for long As soon as the traveller stops they cluster round in a gn at swarm and do their worst till he moves on again. I’heir fame has spread, with the result that most tourists carry some patent preparation guaranteed to drive them away or to repair the damages they have done. HEAVY RAINFALL. The other drawback is the rain. It is not so bad at the Te Anau end as on the Milford side of the pass, but it is bad enough. The rainfall about the Sounds is currently reported to average 200 in a year, but after what I saw of its abilities in that direction I should think that referred to a dry season. The rain, of course, is not an unniixed evil Without it there could not be the wonderful growth of mosses and other luxuriant and varied vegetation, nor could there be the countless beautiful waterfalls that are so fascinating a feature of the Track. But the rain is a very persistent factor that should be known about and prepared for. With a good waterproof cape or oil sheet the body can be kept perfectly dry in the heaviest rain. THE START OF THE JOURNEY When all the party is ready with packs adjusted after dinner at Glade House we step across to the boat landing on the Clinton River, and a cheery lad rows us up about a quarter of a mile before landing us on tlie other side. The beautiful green tints of the clear cold waters of the Clinton delight everyone, and we are glad to know we shall often see the river alongside the Track. Our destination for the night is the Pompalona huts, some ten miles up the Clinton canyon. The Track immediately plunges into a great beech forest, every tree in which is a picture to make an artist’s fortune. “Poem* are made by fools like me,’’ sings a modern poetess, “but only God can make a tree.” The going is level and smooth and easy to the feet. The whole area is strictly preserved as a sanctuary, and this is earlv evident from the variety and tameness ol the bird life to be seen Some wild goats cross the Track at no great distance and disappear among the undergrowth. They are. of course, not native, and. as they do considerable damage, the manager at Glade House, Mr Cheriton, has occasionally to get after them with a gun—the only gun officially allowed on the Track, though I did hear some whispers of another. THE CLINTON CANYON. The canyon along the foot of which the Track winds is walled in by precipitious mountains 3000 to 4000 feet high. Only the lower slopes are wooded, and in wet weather, from the rocky precipices above pour _ countless little cataracts each with its own individual beauty As the walk continues the canyon narrows some what, tho bush becomes more open and sparse, and the Track grows rougher and more winding'. In one or two places a great avalanche tearing down the m6untain side has obliterated the old Track with its debris, and a new' path leads over the ice and litter that still lie there A patch of raspberry canes by the wayside laden with ripe fruit provides a welcome surprise to the travellers. Groves of ribbon wood trees are covered with their dainty snow white blossoms. The elemisias begin to appear by the Track side waving their big flowers. MILE MARKS Close to the beginning of the Track a XXXII mark on a tree is intended to indicate the distance from MMford Sound. Similar mile marks are to be found all the way to Pompalona, save that the last one is missing. They are of the greatest interest and even of real assistance to travellers in keeping them informed of the progress they are making. They are of so much value that it would be well worth tho while of the department to have the whole track properly measured off and marked in somo permanent fashion Even if the distance did turn out to bo nearer 42 miles than 32 there would be no great harm done, and the gain in accuracy would lie something. After the 10 miles to Pom palonn only two or three mi!epo«ts remain for the rost of the journey. The others hove presumably been annexed ns souvenirs. The mile* between Glade House and Pom palona vary appreciably in lengtlv; but the hardest thing to believe in Milford Track mileage is the “four miles’’ from the Clin ton side of the top of the pass to the

Quinton huts. There is a XVII mile mark at the top and a XIII mile mark near the huts, but fair walkers can be prepared to spend three hours in covering it. Personally I would estimate the distance a* seven or eight miles