Our Contributors

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 486, 11 March 1881, Page 2

Our Contributors

UP THE MAKAROBA VALLEY.

Coming down we saved a walk of about 800 ft by sliding on the snow, during which I had the misfortune to loso inj equilibrium when nearing the bottom, where I arrived on my head, after describing several s-omersaults and filling my clothes with snow, which made one feel (as Mr Mantaline would have said) " demned dernp." I was laughed at instead of consoled by my unsympathiß--ing friend, who had arrived at the bottom alright. About a third of the distance down we saw a few of the local pest, the keas, birds of the parrot species, resembling the ka-ka in size. Theee birds do a great deal of damage to the run-holdors. On some stations they destroy from five to ten per cent of the sheep. A f-w (generally five) attack a sheep, which they stick to till it is exhausted, when they settle on its back, tear a hole through just above the kidneys, and devour tho kidney fat, which seems to be their special object. On some stntions as much as half-a-crown a bird ie given for their destruction. We reached the foot of the hill in hulf the time taken in going up, re-forded the river and got back to camp, where we coon had tea ready, and I really do think there is nothing co refreshing us a pannikin of tea—when there is nothing else available.

Next day we struck onr tent and proceeded about nine miles up the ralley, and late in the afternoon pitched our camp at the edge of soinn bush, near a rather large mountain creek, to all appearance a most suitable spot, nearly level, and under a large tree. Wo had no sooner fixed up every th in ir and made all snug, when it commenced to rain. We had been told it could rnin about here, and wo very coon found out thai it could, for it came down a regular deluge ; however, we congratulated ourselves on having everything all right end comfortable in time ; so that, notwithstanding the rattling of the rain or. the fly, and the rumbling of boulders washed down the rapidly rising creek, we wenafter a short time fast asleep. We were, however, soon awakened by the sound 01 rushing water, apparently close at hand; so we lighted a candle and to our disgust found nearly a foot of wator in the tent, with our hats and boots floating serenely about, and only prevented from making a rapid exit by the door flaps being fastened. After securing them and opening the entrance, which hnd the effect of lowering tho wai»r Mime inches, we turned into our h riks again, nnrmuring the words of tho s'>nf?, '' Flow on, thou shining river," and w<tp soon slumbering again. Tn th<> morning we discovered that we hnd pitched our tent in a surface water-course, so we immediately repitohed it. We were now in thickly-'wshod country, the bush running up both sides of the valley to the height of a mile, and avray up the valley tn Hnast's Prss, nnd from thence to the West Coast. The bush, principally birch, with black p"ne and totara sprinkled through it, though of large extent, does no< contain roally much good timber. Through this valley it is proposed to bring a line of railway to connect Duncdin with the West Coast. What there is to support a line of that length it is difficult to see, but I believe steps are being taken to push the railway through.

The remains of a sawmill are sfill to be seen at the settlement, and up the Wilki'n one has just been erected and is at work now. There are a few hnndsawyers at work in the bush here, and about once a month or so rafts of sawn timber are floated down the Makarora to the lake, where they are taken in hand by crafts and towed down to the Molyneux ; there they are cast adrift, and piloted down to Cromwell, where they are broken up and sold.

We made another mountain ascent up Mount 'Cameron on (he western side of the valley, opposite Kiwi Flnt, about 16 miles from the head of the lake. B went to the summit, wheiv he discovered under a cairn of stones part of a iin powder-flask with the narnp— " Charles Cameron, January 1863," scratched upon it. Cameron was the man who discovered the pass which now goes under the name of the learned Professor, Dr Haast, ho (Cameron) having crossed over from the West Coast alone, prior to Dr Haast's advent there.

I did not get to the summit myself, having stopped behind above the bush to tako the skins off a couple of kakapos we had killed ; these remarkably fine birds are very large green and yellow ground parrots, mther rare, and .'ire found in the bush and the snow grass above, where ihey make perfectly beaten tracks from a foot and a half to two feet in width. The higher up they are found the larger the birds and the finer their plumage. Above the bush their nests are in crevices in the rooks ; down in the bush in hollow trees, and they give forth a singularly sepulchral, booming sound which greatly puzzled us until we had discovered its origin. As they only feed on grass, they are very good eating.

As we had not been up any of the hills on the eastern side, we resolved on ascending one before returning to Pembroke, so we shifted our tent up to Kiwi Flat, and fixed on n steep-looking hill that would give us a good view of the pass. The day before we attempted the ascent there had been a severe storm, which had left the hills covered with snov down to the bush However, we imighiecl thai would be no impediment to us, so the follow ing day being fine, we started, got up through the bush, which, though fftirly steep tho whole w.iy, wa a not densoly underscrubbed. So far so good. Then we got a inongst the stunted

scrub above, about breast high, covered with snow. Through this we had literally to haul ourselves up, getting thoroughly soaked from head to foot. After about an hour of this gentle exercise, we arrived on the grass, c >vcre about a foot deep in snow. Here our way lay along the edge of a huge slip, which had carried away nearly half tho hill side, and its edge being partially hidden by overhanging snow made our foothold rather precarious. To add to our mibcries in the form of nearly frostbitten hands and feet, a snow storm came on, for which I believo we were both secretly glad, ag it forced us to return, which we did not like to do before. We arrived at the tent after a nupber of slips and tumbles, not much the worse for our trip, with the determination of re-iiscending as soon as tho snow was off. In-the meantime we took a walk up to tho pass (distant from the lake 18 miles), following the track which is cut through the bush, past the entrance of the Makarora, which takes its rise in the hills to the north-east, and enters the valley two miles to the south of tho pass, joining the Fish River which enters the valley from the north-west close to the pass. The pass is a low saddle—in fact, the lowest between the Bust and West Coasts—and watershed covered with bush, and but 1700 ft above sea level, from which on the north side flows the Haast River, in tlie opposite direction to the Makarora, to the West Const, fulling into the sea 20 or 30 miles north of Jackson's Bay. We had the good fortune during our walk to obtain three specimens of kiwi, which birds are to be found but in two or three localities in New Zealand, and we also dropped upon a nearly complete skeleton of a moa, one of the small species, a toe and tho breast bone being missing. A greater part of the snow having disappeare ?, and the day being favorable, we commenced our re-ascont of Mount Misery (us we had christened it), and succeeded, after some hours of uncommonly hard climbing, in reaching tho top, whcr«» we found another of Mr Broderick's trig, stations. I pity the poor fellow who had to carry up the iron nipe that is lot into the ground here ; to haul one's self up seems quite enough. It is to be hoped the men get well paid, for thflj must well earn their money, whatever it may be. The view from here is very grand. The Makarora Valley, Southern Alps, Lnke Wanaka, Haest Pass, and glimpso of the Haast River as it disappears into the dnnse bush which follows the wind • ing of the valley, together with Mount Aspiring far away to the south-west, rearing its pnow-capped peak between 3,000 ft and 4.000 ft above the surrounding snow-clnd mountains, form a sight worth cofing. Our descent, which in some places was fnr more rapid than agreeable, was quickly made. The following day, having Been all that was worth seeing, we struck the tent, gathered our lares nnd penat.es, and tramped away back to the lake, where we camped for the night. The next day we took passages on board one of the crafts lying at anchor, and about midday were under sail for Pembroke, running before a stiff nor'-wester, and in five hours were enjoying the excellent fare provided by our amiable hostess, Mrs Russell, very well satisfied with our trip and ourselves.

E.F.W.