TO MILFORD SOUND

Southland Times, Issue 19645, 2 September 1925, Page 9

TO MILFORD SOUND

KETCH WATERLILY RETURNS, WAPITI SIGHTED. After a fortnight’s cruise in the Sounds of the West Coast, the ketch Waterlily returned to Bluff yesterday morning. The Waterlily left Bluff on August 18, captained by Mr H. J. Roderique and carrying a party of Public Works men bound for Milford Sound. Yesterday, during conversation with a Times reporter, Mr Roderique gave an account of the trip. “It is very noticeable,” he commenced, “that the weather on the West Coast is a great deal warmer than here. Although there was a great deal of snow on the hills —-more than I have ever before encountered in a long experience of the locality, the days were warm and pleasant, and during the time we were away we only struck two days’ rain.” The Waterlily loaded timber at Port William, Stewart Island, on her way to Milford Sound and sailed for Preservation Inlet on August 20. On August 22, Dusky Sound was reached and the ketch anchored in Luncheon Cove. Here bad weather was encountered for two days and the winds were changeable, so members of the party went ashore and explored the nearby bush. Pigeons, kakas and woodhens were very plentiful and Mr Roderique stated that as a result of his observations he was inclined to think that the pigeons and native birds were increasing on the West Coast. On August 24 a start was made for Milford Sound, but heavy seas were met with and the Waterlily took shelter in' Casswejl Sound. While ashore, Mr Roderique saw many traces of wapiti. The undergrowth near the sound was broken down and cleared in many places, while tracks were plentiful. Members of the party sighted a lone wapiti on the edge of the bush, but Mr Roderique was unable to discover if there were many in the vicinity. He picked up a shed horn on the beach—a fact which suggests that the wapiti are located at present in the Sound. On August 25 the party was landed at Milford and the ketch left for home. The mountains at the head of the lake were covered to almost half way down their sides, with a mantle of snow, but on the sea the air was warm and pleasant. At Preservation Inlet a police posse headed by Constable McCulloch, of Tuatapere, was picked up and landed once more at Port Craig. “I intend to leave for Milford Sound with Government stores, on September 13,” said the master of the Waterlily, in conclusion, “If the weather remains as good as ever the trip should be equally successful.”