GEORGE SOUND

Southland Times, Issue 22491, 28 January 1935, Page 4

GEORGE SOUND

TOURISTS’ OVERLAND TRIP

TWO WOMEN AND A BOAT.

George' Sound, except from glimpses caught from the deck of a-ship, has remained as a closed book to tourists. Manv years ago the Government had a rtack made from the Middle Arm of Te Anau to this sound, and it is reported that a party of tourists successfully undertook the trip to the coast. But that was away back in pre-war days; and save for the invasion of wapiti hunters the country has remained in splendid isolation. „ . Last week, however, Miss Enderby and Miss Nicholson, of Amberley, North Canterbury, were venturesome enough to tackle the trip, and under the guidance of Mr Leslie Murrell and Mr H. Cashmore they reached the sound without mishap though not without the expenditure of a great deal of energy* A boat was chartered at the Te Anau Downs station and the party crossed the lake to the extremity of the Middle Arm. Then began the walk to the coast. There is a classic tale about two men and a boat, but on this tourist expedition the complement was reinforced by two women. The boat was an eight-foot dinghy which had -to be dragged ■ overland in order that L?lia Hankinson and Lake Thomson might be crossed, by water in preference to a tedious and strenuous clambering over boulders and landslips along the lake shore. The first stage of the trip, to Lake Hankinson, was accomplished without serious difficulty and at the head of the lake, where Mr Murrell has a hut, the party camped for the night. The noise of falling rain was not pleasant music to their ears next morning, but the. skies cleared about nine o’clock and the two men set about ■ dragging the boat through the rapids of a- river which resembled a mountain torrent. Twice the boat was submerged in’ the rapids and they had to tow it ‘back to the eddies and right it again. Sometimes the men almost disappeared beneath the swirling waters,: often they tested the thickness of their skins against rocks and trees. Alternately heaving the boat and sighs of' despair they endeavoured to work their way through the rapids. For hours they toiled but the progress they made was almost negligible. Finally they returned to the hut, exhausted and'discomfited, to be cheered by a meal which the tourists had prepared and to be still more heartened by the sporting offer of the ladies to assist with the transport of the boat. The happenings in that remote valley that afternoon would have made a motion picture audience roar with laughter, but for the toiling quartette it was anything but fun. The women stayed—or tried to stay—on the track grasping the tow rope while- the men laboured at the stem of the boat lifting it over boulders and tree trunks. Before dark Lake Thomson was reached and the boat moored to a tree growing near the shore. The party then had to return to the hut where they spent the night, arising at six to accomplish the last stage to the sound. The row up Lake Thomson was delightful, particularly in contrast with the toil of the previous afternoon. Then came the ten-mile walk overland to the coast. The track was in many places overgrown and hard to follow, and the walking was by no means easy. The dense bush growing on either side of the track did not permit views being obtained of the surrounding country, but on , the Henry Pass an excellent panorama was presented. About seven o’clock George Sound wag reached, the view from, the head of the fiord being typical of the majesty and beauty of Southland’s .West Coast scenery. A pleasant day was spent ,at: the; sound, a fishing expedition yielding good results. The return journey was accomplished with less exertion than the outward journey, the walking time from the sound to Lake Hankinson being nine hours. It is a walk, however, which could be tackled with enjoyment and safety only by very experienced trampers.