GRANDEUR GROWS

Southland Times, Issue 22499, 8 December 1934, Page 8

GRANDEUR GROWS

ROAD TO MILFORD ' HOLLYFORD ECLIPSES EGLINTON *’• I MAGNIFICENT CANYON i The beauty of the forest highway r through the Eglinton Valley has been r enthusiastically praised by visitors from ! far and near who, captivated by the > scenery, have sough for superlatives to : describe their feelings of wonder and : delight. And the road is worthy of such : fulsome praise. ' Yet in the opinion of a Southland I Times reporter who returned yesterday • from a trip to this magnificent corner •of Fiordland, the road through the , Hollyford will greatly surpass in gran- • deur that through the Eglinton. The ' Eglinton is enchantingly beautiful; the Hollyford is superbly grand. Not with--1 out cause have motorists enthused over ■ the former; still more will they be 1 impressed with the latter. And although 1 it is not yet possible to motor through 1 the Hollyford, an excellent track from the end of the formed road to the ! Homer Saddle will enable holiday visit- ■ ors to walk along the floor of the canyon and confirm—or condemn—the opinion of the reporter that the gran- ■ deur of the road grows with every mile. Channing Lakes. It is now possible to motor almost to the 56th mile peg. The scars which were unavoidably made when the road was cut through the virgin forest in the Eglinton are now healing rapidly as regeneration is taking place, the stumps of felled trees being to a large extent covered by the growth of ferns and young trees, not to mention Scotch thistles. Those who have not yet motored beyond Cascade Creek, where an accommodation house, garage and store are situated, will find themselves extolling the charm of both Lake Gunn and Lake Fergus along the shores of which the road runs. Then comes a short climb until at the summit of the rise part of the Hollyford Valley lies below, with Mount Little, the Crosscut and Christina towering above. It is a striking picture which foreshadows the wonders that lie ahead. Route to Martin’s Bay. The roads descends to the floor of the Hollyford and it is from here that in the years to come—possibly in the near future—there will run a road to Martin’s Bay which will connect with a highway down the West Coast from the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. Very valuable timber and much good grazing land are at Martin’s Bay, so that should the road be constructed it will have more than a scenic value. While-the road to Martin’s Bay would follow the Hollyford towards the sea, the road to Milford is being constructed through the superb canyon enclosing the upper portion of the river. The gravelled road along which motorists are permitted to travel ends near the floor of the valley, but much formation work has been done beyond the 56th mile peg where the precipitous walls of the mountains on either side commence to contract. More than a hundred men are engaged in rockcutting, wall-building, road formng and bush felling. It is hard and sometimes hazardous work, but the men are keenly interested in their task and are producing excellent results. There are some very steep cuttings above the Hollyford. At one spot men who were drilling rock had to reach the site of operations by climbing the face of the cliff with the assistance of a rope tied to a tree one hundred feet above the road. If motorists are repeatedly commenting on the excellent surface and grading of the highway, no less ready to bestow praise on the good work of the men are those in charge of the road. A Mountain Torrent. The Hollyford is, even when normal, a mountain torrent rushing over huge boulders, with the water boiling white as it descends steeply and relapsing into a rich blue in its calmer reaches. It is a river such as one sees in pictures and photographs; but in a very short time motorists will travel beside it for miles. . , The east side of the canyon is formed by the mighty base of Christina. This proud queen of the Hollyford will not show her stately head to groundlings Only at rare vantage points can her snowy crest be discerned. But the massive cliffs of Christina, round which the road skirts for four miles, are sufficiently awe-inspiring. Waterfalls leap sheer down the rocky faces and in winter time avalanches come hurtling into the valley, though without endangering the road which lies on the further side. Falls Creek A spot at which motorists are sure to pause in admiration is Falls Creek where a magnificent cascade descends with a roar. An old suspension bridge—which should for safety be crossed by only one person at a time—■ at present spans the creek, which could almost be dignified by the name of river. The new bridge will be constructed just below the falls, the spray from which will gently lave passing cars. , ~ With Student’s Peak and its wide glacial face as an imposing background, the road continues up the canyon until at Monkey Creek a pleasant contrast is offered by a wide meadow in which mountain lilies, daisies and veronica are blooming freely. _ Mount Talbot is now plainly seen, filling as it’does the head of the valley. Where the Homer joins the Hollyford the road will fork, the highway proceeding towards the Homer Saddle through which the tunnel will be constructed and a by-road leading to the foot of the Gertrude Saddle from which a magnificent panorama of Fiordland is obtainable.

Motorists who intend remaining a day or more at the present terminus of the road will find the track to the Homer or Gertrude Saddle easy to follow and quite easy walking. It is a leisurely day excursion which will prove most enjoyable and which will convey a very vivid impression of the delights which lie ahead of motorists when this section of the highway is completed. And beyond the saddle, at the Milford end of the road, lie views of Fiordland which those who have traversed the route state are more magnificent still.