TRIP TO WEST COAST

Otago Witness, Issue 3763, 27 April 1926, Page 31

TRIP TO WEST COAST

IN SEARCH OF LARGE DEER HEADS. OTAGO SPORTSMEN DISAPPOINTED. Two well-known Dunedin sportsmen, Mr J. R. Wilson and Mr John Black, have just returned from a trip to South Westland. They went to the coast with the hope of coming across some good deer heads. Their objective was Okuru, 200 miles south of Hokitika, and then into the Southern Alps. They found, however, that only a travelling Otago stag or two had penetrated this country for its winter quarters. These stags were in great order. Though the party were not successful in their search for deer, they had a most adventurous trip, at times certainly not without the element, of personal risk. Messrs Wilson and Black left Dunedin by motor car on March 21 for Pembroke, and next day reached the Makarora, at the head of Lake Wanaka. Here they were met by Guide Eric James, nicknamed “Eric the r .irless,” and Guide Jim Buckley, on his good grey mare Polly and with his wonderful dog Joe. Buckley was Lord Jellicoe’s guide when the popular Governor-General got his big deer head, the pride of the Wembley Exhibition. On Tuesday, March 23, the quartet headed for their objective, and at once became acquainted with a typical West Coast drizzle. There were three pack trains at the start of the journey. One was under Mr John Kron, one of the cattle kings of South Westland, who had just brought his wife, his boy, and Mrs Graham, of Ei anz Joself Glacier House, to Makarora on their way to Dunedin’s far-famed Exhibition, and was returning to his homestead with his three hacks and two packs Rex Dunning, who has an accommodation house at Makarora, was going into the Mule Valley camp with his pack. Messrs Wilson and Black had seven horses in their train, and there were therefore 19 horses in all in the cavalcade—a very impressive sight. Heavier rain fell as the party pushed on, and Mr Wilson, riding one of Mr Kron’s hacks, and Mr Kron led the way. It was an education to see Mr Kron on his thoroughbred horse Mystify, one ot Mr G. D. Greenwood’s breeding. Round corners on narrow tracks, with a slip to glory, and down and up river flats. The narrower the track the surer the horses. One very noticeable thing, however, was that even a Scotch thistle would cause the sensitive horses to change their track, even to the very edge of a precipice, although they would coolly step over a tree lying across the track. The fear of the unknown.

The party got through the Haast Pass, and just after getting clear one of the front pack horses slipped in a small water hole and turned a complete somersault. The nxt horse jumped clean over it, and kept its place in the rank, and the fallen animal quickly regained its feet and dropped into the file, hardly a moment being lost. These pack horses are wonderfully intelligent. The pass is very small, and one does not realise that the Southern Alps are being crossed. The mouth of the Wills River was crossed, heavy rain falling, and so was the mouth of the Landesboro. At Clark’s Bluff hut, opposite the Landesboro and Clark Rivers, they met John Cowan and his soldier mate Bill, and were treated to a sample of true West Coast hospitality. Next morning Mr Kron left them for his homestead, and as Mr Dunning had also gone on to his destintaion the quartet were now left by themselves. They had a real experience of the West Coast, “land of the mountain and the flood,” before they reached their camp at Okura River, and after doing some exploring in the vicinity of the Princess River, Mueller’s Pass (overlooking the Burke River), and Mount Medeon, they came to the conclusion that the deer they saw were not worth shooting. Making b-.ck to the base camp on the Okura from their temporary camp at the head waters, the party got soaked to the skin. It was a case of water, water, everywhere; it was streaming down hillsides, off the ferns, and from the skies. The base camp was reached in the dark, and, after doing as best they could with the mouldy bread, they turned in. About 4 o’clock in the morning a thunderous noise woke them up, and it was quickly discovered that this was being caused by the raging torrent rolling boulders and trees down the river. T..e base tent was on an island in the river, but, fortunately, it was on the highest site. It was found, when daylight appeared, that the river had risen six feet during the night.

It had been arranged for a packer to brings in some fresh bread on the Thursday, but he was unable to get through until the Friday night. On the Saturday a start was made back to Makarora. More rain, and rough work in swimming rivers, riding over shingle beds, and up and down narrow bush tracks. The night they ar rived back at Clark’s Hut thev ha simply to trust themselves to their horses. Through the blackness of the bush they carried them, along narrow tracks with the ice-cold water rushing to the sea, hundreds of feet below. It was simply a case of leaving their safety to their trusty steeds, and whereas the animals had stumbled now and again, even fallen, when travelling in the daylight, they did not in the blackness of the water-sodden bush make a false step. Makarora was safely reached in due course .and here Messrs Wilson and Black Gut in a week fishi. g. Moreover, they ad the satisfaction of each catching a salmon trout, the first time it has been known that salmon trout have been caught in this lake.

There are two points which Mr Wilson thought should be brought under the notice of the Government. # One is the desirability of placing opossums in this district. They can do no harm, and would in the fullness of time prove a valuable source of revenue. Another point which Mr Wilson considers should be brought under the notice of the Government relates to the fishing in the rivers on the coast. It is a rather remarkable fact that roost of the fish are at the mouth of the riven. Mr Wilson sees no

reason why Mr Ayson should not place rainbow trout in these snow-fed rivers, as those fish would work up to the glaciers almost.