HOLIDAY AT DAWSON’S

Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1929, Page 3 (Supplement)

HOLIDAY AT DAWSON’S

A FROZEN FAIRYLAND.

(By

“Panitahi.”)

:■ *? an^a .P I’s 1 ’ s P e . towers, above us, a giants /'i .stepping, stone to the summit. .1 went to -.frozen fairyland to-day,-and really it. is wonderful. I followed the. Kapuni.stream up from. ’?/ behind the house. The' trees are not very / big at this altitude but ■ their mossy old trunks ■; grow, right, from the water’s'--'edge, and their > branches form a lattice work as delicate as .■/' Dresden china. Often the twigs reach out and touch their cousins on the other side*, forming a marvellous tunnel- through.. which ® .splashes of sunlight make pools of fire in the ■ noisy stream; ■ , ■•- h. .. .’ .... . . ; “Soon I came to a fall .where the stream tumbled sideways, into a smooth cleft in its I.V solid rock bed., It was not very - high, that .fall, but a marvellous rainbow danced in the . spray which .hung ethereal jewels on .the laughing mosses. On I clambered, past‘the.. U '-shining - splendour of Wilkie’s Pools, where ■" the snow, already lay thick on the .ground, and round a corner of the gorge. Before me was a view never to be forgotten.' The.great .white mountain, with never..a spot of black s within 4090 feet of the top, shone in ,thb ' morning sun like - something not of this earth, something the fairies ?had stolen from their king’s palace and left to amazo human beings. ;.- ( ■ -■; .-■• ' ■' / ■ | “And then I came into the most lovely part of the gorge. It was all and<more than I expected to find after reading 'a-briut -it. ’ To-day the sun shone and glinted from a thousand icicles that decked the shrubs. Fantham’s Peak rose in stately white against - , a sapphire sky. No storm . clouds. eddied 1 there to-day, '■ The sun gave a new glory to the majestic ridge. Nothing was sombro . or severe. Every plant and stone laughed with the joy of being beautiful.”

Don’t attempt steep snow slopes 'anles» ' -A; your boots are nailed. Don’t go on the mountain without dark glasses if there is snow on the slopes. - Don’t wander, if lost on the mountain. Always remember a track goes three-quartera ■ of the way round the mountain > and . creeks and rivers'lead out to open country.' Don’t leap or jump, on to any rock or : snow slope. This is most dangerous ■ and leads to serious accidents. But if you happen to slip, remember to keep hold of th® ' ? ice axe or alpine stock, turn the face in to the slope and press (not drive) the axe into the snow. ■ . • .. ' • Don’t get panicky if out'..after dark, Keep your head and watch for. the search party which is sure to come to your assist- •* a rice. Always remember the higher the. altitude the lower the , temperature,’ therefore ’ make down to the scrub line if at all possible,' > ■ ’ Don’t attempt to glissade unless the snow-- ■ '• ■ is soft. , ••..