Lake Browning from Browning's Pass. (Photo: John Pascoe) Johannes C. Andersen in his Jubilee History of South Canterbury thought it was possible that Maori parties had travelled over Sealey Pass from Lake Tekapo in the Mackenzie country to Wataroa in Westland, and based his opinion on finding Maori implements close to the Godley Glacier. The pass is in fact a glacier, one which makes it a doubtful route. It is also unlikely that Maori travellers used any pass from the Tasman or Hooker Glaciers in the Mount Cook region. The last and perhaps the most famous pass in Maori history is the Haast, named after Sir Julius von Haast, though he had been preceded by a gold prospector, Cameron. The full account of the crossing by Te Puoho in 1836 of the Haast Pass is given in the Journal of the Polynesian Society of 1910. Briefly the story was this: Te Puoho was chief of the Ngatitama south of Mokau and claimed descent from the Tokomaru canoe. He journeyed to Massacre (Golden) Bay and with one hundred warriors went down the West Coast where he was reinforced by two hundred men under Niho. They continued to Awarua (Big Bay), but found the going so bad that they returned to the Haast valley, and went over the pass to the Makarora to Lake Wanaka, thence across Otago and Southland to the Tuturau village, near the present town of Gore. The raiders were attacked at night by Ngaitahu warriors and were all killed with the exception of three men and a woman, ‘thus, ended in disaster this ill-advised expedition, which must have caused a great deal of suffering, hardship and starvation to its members for no result whatsoever. It really was a very wonderful undertaking considering the terrible country … and has not been equalled by any other in Maori history.’ Nga Whakawa, brother-in-law of Te Puoho was one of the survivors. Alone he travelled across five hundred miles of hostile country back to his kin at Parapara in Golden Bay. A revenge party of one hundred men was turned back at Port Underwood in Marlborough as peace had been made with the Ngaitahu. Thus ended an epic of guerilla warfare and mountain travel. This summary of myth and fact about Maori parties in the Southern Alps is not complete without reference to the years of settlement by Europeans. Bannister and Fluerty, both of Maori descent, were good guides in the Franz Josef Glacier and Tasman Glacier regions. Arthur P. The Whitcombe Pass from the Canterbury side. (Photo: John Pascoe.) Harper in the nineties was accompanied on his Westland explorations by Ruera te Maihi—Bill the Maori. It is not too much to hope that Maori mountaineers will in future years join with fellow New Zealanders in climbing the high peaks and crossing the passes of the Southern Alps. They fought in the mountains of Greece, Crete and Italy with the distinction of which New Zealand is proud. The traditions of Ruera and Te Puoho were fulfilled in the deeds of their countrymen.