THE ROUTE TO THE HAAST.

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 206, 21 October 1873, Page 6

THE ROUTE TO THE HAAST.

Should the rush to the Haast turn out favouj-ably, there is every likelihood that a number of miners and others in this district will be clearing out for it ; and as the source of the Haast is only about seventy miles from Cromwell, with a track the highest altitude of which is scarcely CDO feet above the level of Lake Wanaka, and which is passable at all times of the year, perhaps a short and truthful account of tbe route, by one who spent three months in prospecting and exploring the Haast and its tributaries, and subsequently resided some time at the mouth of the river, may be of some interest and possibly of some service. Let us start, then, from Penlbi-oke, at the foot of Lake Wanaka, and proceed up the lake to its head, a distance of thirty-five' miles, landing at the mouth of. the Makarora river, which empties itself into the lake. Thence we travel up the Makarora valley, a distance of about twenty miles, over a fine grass country, until we find ourselves opposite the pass or saddle, which forms a complete break in the dividing range. It is a low terrace or plateau, about 500 feet high and four or five miles square, the mountains on each side rising to ‘an altitude of over 4000 feet. Here we enter a fine birch forest, perfectly open, and after travelling a distance of five or six miles, during which we cross the Fish stream (a tributary of the Makarora) three times, we find ourselves on the edge of a low terrace overlooking the two small streams which constitute the head waters of the Haast river. These we follow down their course for eight miles, with good river-bed travelling, when the gorge brings us up. We took a heavy horse, with a pack of a hundredweight and a half, as far as this point without any difficulty. The gorge is ten miles in length, and is entered on the north side, to which we hold for about half a mile, when we cross the river, which in ordinary w T eather scarcely reaches to the knees, and travel down the opposite side until we again open out on low open bush, and river-bed walking. Four miles below the gorge, - the Burke river joins. The Burke is a deep and sluggish river; but the Haast is easily crossed both above and below its junction. We are now on the south bank of the Haast, and about forty miles from its mouth. . For the rest of the way, the walking is all bush and shingle-bed, and there are no more rivers to cross, as. all the tributaries between the Burke and the coast enter from the north,-r-viz,, the Clarke, Cascade, and Thomas. _ The bush teems with game in the shape of kiwis and kakapos, and the climate is much milder and dryer than that of the Hokitika or Grey districts. Several parties have gone from the Makarora and reached the coast: easily in four days, and returned in the sametime, which in itself proves that the country is by no means bad to travel over, as the distance is fully eighty miles. It is a great pity that the Government never thought proper to construct a good bridle-track across the saddle. I have heard many express a belief, (in which I certainly share) that there is a, wide field for prospecting in that direction : and there can be no doubt that had there been a track at the last rush to the Haast, (which was greatly overdone), ■ about five years ago, hundreds of diggers would have availed themselves of it to come to the Otago gold-fields.