Explorations of Manawaipouri.

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, 1 February 1901, Page 365

Explorations of Manawaipouri.

By Samuel H. Moreton

Illustrated by the Author

PART II

'. E following morning broke fair, and still southerly. The barometer was very steady, and here I would impress on intending climbers in this part of New Zealand that

opportunities of this nature should always be observed; southerly weather unaccompanied with mist is at all times most propitious, but should you be unfortunate enough to be overtaken by mountain fog, trouble of some kind or other is almost sure to follow.

We left the camp at eight o'clock on the morning of the Bth January, pushed off. from the beach, and dropped down along shore until we reached a strip of beach, three or four chains long, eastward of a creek that finds its way from the Cathedral Range, and empties its waters through heavy boulders directly into the lake. We pulled the boat up high and dry on skids, and followed up the creek for a shott distance, then crossed it to the westward, and at once commenced the climb, meeting evidences of rapid growth and decay in the heavy fag us and mosses, the latter surpassing anything I have ever met with. Ever-recurring hills of these mosses in a metamorphic state rendered the ascent very tiring. When we reached the altitude of two thousand feet we saw, spread out before us, &\\- that part of the lake that lay to the southward and eastward, and counted nineteen islands. Though the climb was hard, the toil was forgotten as we gazed at the beautiful scene before us. After a reasonable rest, we again made the attack, over very questionable premises, until three th ousand, three hundred feet above sea level

brought us to the limit of tho timber zone. Before leaving it, we cut a polo about nine feet long, and making tho life line fast to one end, made all ready for tho climb up to the ridge of the great abutment that can bo ween from any part of the lake. The party stretched forward in the following order : Jacobseu, Couzins, Baxter, and myself, for at this juncture De ha Mart; preferred to remain behind and return to tho boat. We moved forward with great care, pulling the (lagpole after us, steering it clear of all obstructions, and at one o'clock had reached the summit of the abutment, four thousand feet above sea level, and were sitting on the top of a stone wall, thirty inches in width, with death staring us in the face on both sides if a slip of the foot occurred. To the north the ridge rose until it met, at right angles, tint crest of tho mountain; to the south it declined toward the lake. Wo followed it down some chains in order to get a better view of the lake, and [ must confess it wan well worth the trouble.

On the Beehive Cone, about nine hundred feet from the surface of the lake, was nestled a very pretty lakelet, surrounded by heavy forest, and accessible from the eastern side of the cone. An inlet to the north is a particular rendezvous for trout, and at the same time one of the most beautiful spots to be found. I have called this lakelet Lake Dundass, in honour of Mr. George Dundass, who was for several years the proprietor or lessee of the Cheviot Station, " Takatimo." It was he who told me of this enchanted scene, in the year 1867, be was the first and only person who had then visited it. Looking over to the east of Titiroa and west of

Paddock Hill, or Dumcraggan, another lake, about two miles long, lying parallel to the hill, is to be seen ; also surrounded by bush, at the foot of the Turret Range, there are three more lakes, the largest unknown until our visit. We now retraced our steps to where we first landed, and followed the dangerous wall, until at one place the solid stone measured no more than nine inches. It was crossed safely, and the ascent became very severe until the angles met. Here was the perennial snow, but it afforded us no assistance, our direction being otherwise. Still on we went, struggling against beetling, weather-beaten battlements, huge monoliths which had to be climbed, and were so hard to the grip that the fingers suffered by the very touch. When at last the junction of the two ridges was reached, the sight was one never to be forgotten. From the ridge we came up, the perennial snow lay out before us for at least a mile, without a break in it anywhere, and very deep, declining rapidly to the west and to the north as we stood. From the snowfield to the main range the edifice of sheer granite was so vertical that nothing could lie on it,

not even a lodgment of snow for the whole eight hundred feet of altitude ; there was not a single break in the entire entablature. Let us now look from our station across to the south-west ; the eye crosses the Lake and meets the Turret Range, so it is mapped, and the surveyor who christened it had a keen eye for the picturesque. On the pile that immediately governs the Speyburn, turrets and flying buttresses are most prominent. Note how the great factor has carved and hewn these mighty peaks into their present shape, and tell me if you can how many ages were spent in fashioning this exquisite sculptured work ? For miles upon miles on this side of the lake the same sharp mountain outlines occur. Under different aspects and changes of atmospheric influences they also appear to change; yet their structure changeth not. When the nor'west tempest rolls columns of gathered storm clouds, which empty their stores of accumulated rain as they drive over the shoulders of the range, and are beaten down and flogged by the perishing storm blast, then the serried outlines are hidden from view, and we seem to have lost all hope of

recovery. But wait, the tattered and torn clouds are riven asunder, and have filtered through the escarped ridges, and high over all the mighty incisors have pierced their way through, and seem to await another attack

Now, look beyond this range, and let your eyes wander over the pathless Matterhorn Mountains. Can you compare them to anything else you have seen ? Do they not remind you of an ocean of stony waves, lifted like chopping waters. Here and there a break

occurs ; their mono-

tonous appearance is changed, and one immense wave has driven

on in great violence and broken ; the creamyyeasty foam has ovei'topped all. This is in reality a glacier, and though it suffers diminution from its under side, it is renewed constantly by converted snows. As we view the scene now all these

extreme measures — factors of denudation — have ceased to exist, at least, on a large scale, and in their place sun-

shine and rain have completed their mission. Everywhere, from the torrid to the frigid zone, is mantled with superb growth, and the colours range in the most bewitching

chords

Still going forward and upward, we surmounted a ridge of serrated granite. After having satisfied ourselves of the registered altitude, by geodesical survey, we had to descend in order to get a position

to raise the flag-polo, and build a cairn to place the bottle that contained our names, date and altitude. The pole stands at four

thousand three hundred and twenty-five feet above sea level, with a white linen flag attached. After having gone through the ceremony, without the aid of the Mayor, we scrambled down the ridge until we met with a snow gutter, and crossed among masses of enormous stone on to the incline of another of the Cathedral Group. We bad now descended several hundred feet, and

were wading through ranunculus, coenoesias and coelmoesias, and other alpine plants, in full bloom, the expanse resembling a very rare garden. As we crossed we graded, and finally came to a fast flowing runnel, carrying its water from the snow that still occupied the whole of the upper field to the breastwork over which it fell ; this will be referred to further on. Here we lunched, but had to dispense with the billy, which played no part in the present expedition. We. regaled ourselves with navy bread and preserved ginger; the latter presented by some kind lady friends on the platform of the Christchurch Railway Station. It was hailed with welcome, being the first conserve ever served in this region.

After partaking of our hasty meal we followed our course, and by four o'clock had regained the most northern battlements of the Cathedral Range. The view is one of surpassing grandeur, field beyond field of snow and glacier clothed these rugged mountain summits; the light and shade, dazzling in the sun's theatre of illuminations. The transient effects were truly bewildering, and the colour chords past understanding. Peaks, mighty in themselves, vied with each -other, and as the eye feasted upon the vastness, the vertical sides plunged down until the sense of comprehension of depths seemed to stupify, daze and paralyse the balance of judgment, and one had to turn away with a feeling of utter dissatisfaction of his own insignificance Leaving this point of vantage, we turned to the south-east, and entered the commencement of a snow gutter. At its highest point it measured about ten feet wide by three feet in depth, a mere trench, but by the time we had travelled a mile, the sides were hundreds of feet in height, and underfoot the rocks were so rough that it became quite an undertaking to climb down. On either hand the granite walls were sheer up and down ; there would be no hope of ever climbing the sides to get out, and in no case was it more than twenty yards wide ; every crevice and cranny was garnished with sub-alpine plants in a full blaze of

colour. On arriving at the terminal issue the scene presented was an unexampled battle ground of Nature's foi-ces. To our left, the great wall continued until it seemed to descend into the forest and was lost ; on our right the wall took a sudden turn at right angles, and became a forbidden barrier, somewhat overhanging. In altitude it was about a thousand feet, and across its face, a thousand yards until the forest hid it from view. In the great open that lay before us, like some vast amphitheatre, fagus, hoheria, plagianthus, olerias and coeproesma were forcing their advance march, each intuitively determined to take the position by assault ; but how does the storm king meet this usurpation ? In the midst of all this swarthy luxury he opens his artillery. The very reverberation is followed by an overwhelming avalanche, the air is displaced, rocks and snow from three thousand feet above descend, and crush and maim the beauty of the forest vanguard. These plants, which survive, live only in grim deformity. Just now, though we have the battlefield before us, the whole scene is peaceful, save that, over this great abutment of granite came the waterfall ; the runnel we sat beside at lunch time, with its character changed. From the summit the whole body of water fell, touching nowhere until it reached the level of our plane. During its descent, which was accompanied by a swishing sound, it was completely disintegrated, and resembled a vast shower.

Here the mountain wreckage was most noticeable. Enormous rocks, dislodged by successive avalanches, were strewn in all directions, breaking down and laying athwart the advancing foliage ; tall saplings were interlaced, and the roaring water, hurrying onwards towards the lake, at times running under the timber, and when its course was blocked, forcing its way over all obstructions. We struggled on as best we could, following the stream until the height of the steppes, some of them being fully fifty feet, made climbing down, even with the aid of the life-line, impossible. Then we

had to take to the bush, which had this advantage over the cascade, that it was not so slippery, and you could run the steppes out, and with care descend. At length we reached the foreshore of the lake at the point of departure. We went along the beach to where we had left our boat, and found our companion, De La Mare, making preparations for camping. It was now nearly nine o'clock, so we launched the boat and pulled for camp, had some much needed refreshments, and reth*ed for the night. Next day the steamer called with several

passengers on board, going up the lake, and we arranged that oar friend should be ready with bag and baggage by the time the vessel returned. We parted with the usual greetings and messages for friends in the City of the Plains. Our hands now being free, we resolved to visit (he Fi'eeman Burn, and accordingly we left the dep&t tent with the commissariat and all unnecessary luggage, intent upon a flying visit, and pulled along the Cathedral terminals. There are only two small bits of beach from our camp to the western extremity, the balance

being abrupt abutments. As we reached the north arm, the scenic splendour that broke upon us dwarfed us to inavticulation. I must coufess, with all my previous sightseeing and exploring, the Steep Peak rod need me to an iota. The north arm is bounded on the east by the Cathedral Raugo, and it also occupies the northern extremity. On the west lay the Mattorhorn Mountains, of which Mount George is the western portal, then the Awo Burn, which divides or separates Mount George from Steep Peak, so that Awe Burn is on the one sido and Freeman Burn the other of Steep Peak,

We had, as I have already stated, just turned the south-west talus of the Cathedral Range, and were brought to a stoppage. For several miles, right to the very head of the north arm (Freeman Burn), Nature seemed hushed into slumber, the "watery expanse was dreaming, all turmoil had ceased, and perfect peace was here. From the liquid plane there rose a mountain, whose summit reaches the altitude of five thousand, six hundred feet above sea level ; from the waterline the hyperbolic figure is most pronounced, until the great shoulders

lift and support the bristling finial, and there the perennial snows finish the decoration. We steered for the shingly beach at the head, and moored off shore to prevent damage to the boat, pitched the tent and reconnoitred, preparatory to making a start next day up the Burn. The following morning broke clear, and as we went, we cut a track with our billhooks; though this encroached upon our time, we hoped to profit by it ere long. On either side of the water the abutments rose sheer, and from Steep Peak a very fine body of water came plunging and cascading in

great fury until silenced in the river. As we progressed the boulders became very much larger until they reached the dimensions of small cottages, and we were at length arrested by a unique water shoot. From the manrer in which the huge blocks of stones are packed the water by impulsion appears to shoot from its higher to a lower level without a break, and is a sight well worth going a long distance to see. From this point the river draws more to the westward, and I know of no other stream that resembles it at this point, except the

reach on the Arthur River, between Lake Ada and the Sutherland Fall, which we used to call Kelvin Grove. The water is about fifty yards wide and four feet deep, and almost without movement, the fagus forest on either side forming an evergi'een canopy of interlacing branches. Through this avenue the light entered in bands and shafts, illuminating large boughs that were moss laden until they resembled some vast showroom of velvets and plush, enriched by successive chords ranging from the palest lemon yellow to the deepest olive green. Down from the forked limbs of many of the

giant trees hung that graceful fern, ihe aesplinum Jlaccidum, waviijg its tender fronds, and adding to the beauty of this fairy glen. The river looked like a tessalated pavement, so highly polished was the surface that the whole of the superabundant foliage was reflected. This stretch was quite a half mile long, and surpassed aught else of this particular character I had seen in my travels. We decided to go no further in this direction at present, deferring the completion to another time, satisfied with ascertaining

that there are no foothills, and that the mountains are lofty. We returned to camp, and on the following day went down the arm as far as the Awe Burn. We did not go inland, our business on this occasion being to enrich our portfolios, and we had every reason to be fully satisfied with the result. The uext day we struck the tent, and stood down the arm to the Cathedral talus. It came on to blow very hard, and we found a very promising dock for the boat, in which we moored her fore and aft. We then turned our attention to the

camping ground, which was out of the ordinary, being solid granite ; however, we managed to put up a very fair camp, and made everything comfortable for tho night. We were pleased with our quarters on account of the shelter, for on the western side of the arm the mountains had disappeared from view, and judging from the clouds that were passing over Mount George and Steep Peak, a heavy gale was blowing. We went to sleep, satisfied in a measure that we were all riffht. but were snrldenlv awnkonerl

by part of the superstructure of our establishment laying athwart us, and by no means dry. We crawled out into the pelting rain, thankful only that there was no snapshot man present to display us to public admiration, for there was no time for completing toilets, and we had much the resemblance of vessels scudding under close reefed topsails. We managed to put things right until daylight, and then ropitched in a more permanent manner, as we did not intend to shift camp again until we finally retired from this quarter of the lake.

After having made all safe, wo took up our position on the open shelving rocks that formed the talus, and there witnessed the thunderstorm that was raging over tho mountains on the other side of the north arm ; it was an awe-inspiring spectacle. From our point of view the spirit of tho storm seemed to have concentrated its fury along the vertebra of the west coast range, commencing at Steep Peak, and then over Mount George, acroßß the lake at the entrance of the west arm, over the Turret Kange, crossing it at right angles, and fr^m

there on to the southward. It was grand to watch the turmoil of clouds crossing and recrossing each other, colliding and separating, hurrying on, descending the great mountain piles, lit up by repeated reflections from lightning flashes, followed by the fulmination that threatened demolition to the whole structure, and reverberated in all dii'ections, along whole lines of peaks and up and down the valleys, only to spend itself on the wings of the wind. I love to watch a thunderstorm : there is pleasure in the sunshine ; there is happiness in its warmth ; there is undeniable joy in its wardrobe of colour as it spreads its evanescent changes over the face of Nature. There is also a bewitching charm when Nature chooses to array her figures in gray, when there has been a protracted rainfall, and the clouds are absent, their places filled with improperly decomposed vapours, and these helplessly drifting from peak to peak, spinning their long delicate tracery from mountain to mountain, spanning the valleys and waterways, here hiding a group of peaks, there liberating some stony aiguilles; and should there be waterfowl on the lakes, the mirage . will play the illusion so effectively, that the birds will be seen as though they were not in the water but standing, for you can see the web feet as well as the bodies, and they appear as large as a boat under canvas. There' is enchantment, I say, in all this, but I prefer the spectacular display of heaven's tragic forces when the armed clouds are marshalled to deliver their violence and pent-up fury, to shake heaven and earth, and parade their dramatic force until all is again calm and everything bathed in extraordinary light and shade ; the great source then becomes brighter, and the shadows are fuller. To me there is music in the wind and life amid the storm. After the storm abated, and everything assumed its normal condition, we took the boat and [crossed the lake to a beach, about half a mile long, situated under the Precipice Peak. From it we had a fine view of the north arm, and especially of the mountains beyond, and recognized some of the peaks

as those that can be seen around the Delta Barn, South Fjord, Te Anau. Then, turning to the forest that fringed the beach, we had the opportunity of deciding what the surrounding of the three small lakes would be that were discernible from our climb on the Cathedral Peaks ; we did not, however, farther prosecute this object on the present occasion, but pulled the boat back to our camping ground and safely docked her. That night we resolved to pull up to the head of the West Arm on the morrow if the weather still held good. The barometer was steady, and everything prepared overnight. We made an early start in the morning, and pulled toward the beach that has already been mentioned, and then round a bold promontory, the word " inaccessible " would be very well applied to it. We followed on for about two hours, then came to a short beach, terminating with a small island, rocky, and covered with shrubs and timber. We rounded this, and pulled the boat up on a sandy beach ; from here the view should more than satisfy desire. The small island formed the headland of a very pretty bay, called, I think, Fairy Cove. From this island beach the very best view of the Leaning Peak is obtained. When I look upon the evidence around me, wherefore should I side with those who offer no other solution except the volcano theory for mountain building, and aver that lakes are usually the crater of disturbance? Is it so in this case ? I think not. From the summit of the Leaning Peak, whose altitude is little short of five thousand feet, to the waterline, is nearly of the same angle, viz., one hundred and twenty degrees, and dare we say this line has been formed by erosion ? I think so, for I have moved position on this beach, and have lessened the distance towards the Turret Range, and by so doing left the granitic sand, and stood on the glacial ooze itself; and there is plenty of it, though it is only exposed in places, the dip taking place under the surface of the water, and to the westward, showing the erosive jtrituration has been travelling

from west to east, or where the two lakes have found their outlet by the Waiou.

From this beach we noticed a very fine waterfall debouching from an upland valley between the Precipice and Turret Peaks ; it is very high, and well worth a visit, but time forbade, so we again took to the boat, and shaped our course to the other side of Fairy Cove. Here we met with two small islands similar to the one just mentioned, and immediately alongside was another promontory, or terminal of a spur, runuing out from the Turret Range, on which there was

no landing. About mid-day wo got round to shallow water, stones and driftwood, in f,act, trees, to one of which we made the boat fast, landed, and boiled the billy. Across the arm, looking north, we got a view for several miles up, what we have for the nonce called Rugged Burn, but time would not allow of any trespassing. We left its exploration for amore convenient opportunity, and pulled on over the last stretch of water for the head, and reached the place where I camped some thirty odd years ago. The site of the late survey camp was discernible.

Consulting our map as to the track up the Spey Burn, we went up it so mo diatanco and then returned, and employed our time in sketching. The scene from here, looking down the lake, is unquestionably line. The Cathedral Peaks are entirely altered, and have the appearance of a severely serrated rauge inaccessible to the mountaineer.

The weather now began to look unpropitious. We noticed broken water coming along the lake, evidently being driven by a strong southerly wind, so we shoved tho boat off, and tho wind strengthening,

had hard work to got up to where we lunched. Oar next venture was to try arid weather the promontory, and though there were four us, spell about, it took two hours to cover the distance of two miles, with constant bailing. After rounding the headland, the pull across Fairy Cove was a little easier, and we lay the boat close to the little island, where it lay earlier in the day. The broken water to leeward of us was very rough, and the wind very strong, but after a good rest, we made another move, only to find, after we had gone half-a-mile or so,

another very heavy pull for two miles. By steady perseverance we managed to get into the bay under the Precipice Peak, opposite the camp. We had been on this beach before, and pulling well up to shelter, we beached the craft, built a fire, dried ourselves, and made the most of the situation until midnight, when a lull took place, then though the night was a very dark one, we launched the boat, and made across the lake, the outline of the Cathedral Peaks against the sky being our only guide. We reached dock in safety, and picking up the

buoy that had the ends of the mooring lines, made all fast, went to the tent, boiled the billy and turned in.

Next day we struck tent, and went back to the Isthmus Camp, and the following day took our final departure from here also. It was a looking-glass day, very warm and not a breath of wind, so we pulled through the islands, and settled upon a camp in one of them, east of the Cone Peak. Surrounded by islands, we had a safe place for the boat, and had just secured her when a perfect nor'-west hurricane began to blow,

and it is well for us we were not caught out in deep water, or we should most assui'edly have been swamped, for loaded as we were with all our belongings and stores, there was very little free board. We had some difficulty in pitching camp, the wind being so strong, although as there was no rain it was warm and dry. By nightfall the wind lulled to a calm.

Next morning we found we were iv a panorama of extraordinary scenery. To the north-east the Kepler Mountains rose up in sinuous splendour, their ridges and spinal

forms running in all directions, and from appearance one may fairly form an opinion that miles of these ridges are inaccessible. Still further to the eastward the range descends to the intermediate Waiou ; but westward the Keplers are. connected with the Cathedral Peaks, and together they form a range of splendid character. Their undulatoiy figure sometimes rising to the summits in slabs of sheer stone, now descending with a sweep, now lost to view along the low foothills, weaving their timber domes into geometrical convolutions ;

the lights glinting here and there, opposed by the many purples, contrasting their hues, until all is lost in the deep ultramarine haze that occupies every gulch and ravine, and then the quiet expanse of water, catching up the broad effects of light and shade, to these concomitants add the islands that directly surrounded us, some mere rocks a few feet out of the water, others "like i"eefs stretching their amphibious aggregations in a bath of sunshine. Others again look like sauriaus, with their dossal vertebras exposed, but all more or less carpeted with luxuriant cryptograms. There were also islands with their escarpments of rock work bounding sandy beaches, worthy the name ; then the mosses, fern and many members of the lycopodium family, with their exquisite tracery creeping in every direction ; and lastly the fagus and leptospermum scoparium, the perfume of the latter permeatiug the atmosphere for miles. On the upper portions of the gi*eat granite bosses, next the advanced growth, lay the endless wealth of cryptograms, in their full wealth of chromatic livery ; chords from the palest yellow, through the accentuations, until I'eaching green, here vibrations followed from the palest citrine to the darkest olive, then the purples, both warm and cold tones» defying the eye to continue, so subtle and without stint was their multiplicity, and to sum the whole in one galaxy, the russet completed the score of one of the rarest sights to be found. I have seen during my sojourn vound and about this lake miles upon miles of this form of vegetable life — a joy alike to the student and the professor of bryony. We were several days at this camp, sketching in every available place, and the more we saw the more there was to see. We travelled to the southern end of our

island, which formed tho eastern portal of Hope Arm, or Monument Bay, and obtained probably the best view of Titiroa (the long axe), taking within the scope tho Monument Peak. After taking full advantage of this vantage ground we struck camp, and steered for Circlo Cove ; but before reaching there we landed on a peninsula, and again added many sketches to our portfolios. While travelling the shelving shore we again met with heavy deposits of glacial ooze, silted like that seen at Fairy Cove. We again put off, and went up to the sandy beach at tho head of the cove and camped. From this position the CathedralKepler Range seems to outstrip all former views, being hemmed in by a bay or cove gave a wondrous charm to tho scene. Rising at an incline from tho beach, and covered with bracken, flanked on either hand at the summit by a ridgo perhaps two hundred feet high. From tins

point of observation you can see over the plains for many miles, down the Waiou, over the terrace formation, and in one direct line of seventy-five miles — the Moffatt Mountains — as far as the Greenstone Saddle, on the Hollyford River ; then turning right-about-face, the view over Manawaipouri is almost beyond belief ; the whole of the Cathedral Range and Kepler Mountains, the glaciers, the flitting lights, the intense shadows, the bewildering foothills, numberless islands, standing out from the surface of the water like so many jewels, bedecked with the most superb chromatic livery. I have heard people from many lands use extravagant language over nothing in particular, but if you are desirous of establishing in your memory a scene that shall never suffer displacement, let me ask you to pay a \isit to Mana-wai-pouri, the Queen Lake of New Zealand, and second to none other in the world.