IS IT WORTH WHILE?

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 746, 19 February 1910, Page 11

IS IT WORTH WHILE?

THE MILFORD, TRIP

'." "Talk .about a 'plessure; trip in Xew ..Zealand," .'said girl the other: day.-;'; "It * most dreadful place 1 wap ever in. : I've only Ijonn hero three weeks,',',and.'..ypji'yo'--given! ; mo an was-'fin-'Central - Otago, and nearly 'broken all my- bones, and done your, best to 'drown' iwas on the •Milford' track;- 0 -No,':'i.Ve;'not'been in a wreck yet,' butrl'm :',eipe'ctihg' : to ;havo that oh' ,my -: way v-home;"' -'' She ' touched wood quickly and'said in a resigned tone,, "I've had awful, experiences, .and now Ifm.'prepar'ed for ; the, worst." ; ; . . ' ; "Anyway,. wo have no snakes here," said a .New' Zealand '.poitriot, ..trying to think, of'- some.-small ; redeeming ; feature, where nearly all was black.".. ■'"Snakes!" flpshed''the'girl,."l should 'think'', youhave;'!■"''Snakes''-in clothing! "I met.bne'sooh after I -landed, a'charmijig mah.; He had'heard we' were.

; thinking doing .thai Mjlford, trip, ; and. ho not;,ohly encouraged us, he. urged, us, ;on. He;.and ,]iis ;wito':liad dobd the trip, ond it. was so easy and delightful, wo really; miis t • go.-'-\Yo, belieyed him then, ;but : now.; \vc. believe.' that . nil the. New Zealand ,' people ; who: toid'.iis, that; 1 had 'designs on our. lives.'" I'm., just .' waiting... till-; I; get-t' hack to Australia, and I'm going 'to: tell them there: 'Don't trou- : ble •to start,a suicide, club over here;. if you feel. that .way, go. to New Zealand, :that, .will. b.o.;.,quitc sufficient.'.. '. •Thpro, wis 'some^justification■ for. all this,, for.' while - the beauties, of the Te ; Anau-Miiford'' journey' '.aro '■.vaunted far .and wide,, litUoi enoughKis; said, of the difficulty; of : the-journey, . and yet. .it is 'a:;.;iva]k-that iputsYa '-great, strain on ahyona.:who'.isiiiqt.'iu .training./' '-.One hears 1 noiv;.and .again ;of. women-who '; have, attempted' the walk/and have turned back,:.or .only ,got .through with„,great .difficulty,', but' thejgeiieral.impression .is that the; iravellcr, : str6lls along a pleasant ivell-mado ;path: gazing (tat 1 tho most ex-quisite-scenery, <and (.enjoying every yard ■ ot : the way, whereas it is;a stiff strenuous, walk, in .'good .weather^."and. one'that .only a • strong ;.wowan .'should,- attempt; if ■thevweather/is- at : all -doubtful,; for rain adds' enormously ;to the: distress and discomfort: of the traveller, and once wet .throngh.ut is by-no means .easy .to get drr again; party : of . Australiahs',\yhp went over recently,, had...an',.unpleasant .experience. They were without .;a - guide, ! and'; when they, came :to a:'stream on '"M'Kinnon's Joss, . that - generally .. looks . innocent .enough, >;they bad'thc greatest' difficulty in getting across:" Tho 'stream breaks ;into . two-broriches -just - above the - track. ,Thoy crossed the ..first branch, as tho water .was. rising Very rapidly; and the only way; for t.j,rwomen orthe.party to' .cross the'second'was to jump into the arms'.of .tyi - o.'ine'n, who braced themselves 'against .boulders' that were \hidderi v in the current.";. Two l:oys;and'one lady . crossed ■safely, and then as'a girl jumped a boulder gave; way, and she and the man were swept, down, under, tho. water.. Tho second man grabbed: at' something, and succoeded in rescuing' the gii'ij,but.hers was a niost unpleasant experience, as was that of the - Other' girl,; who "had "-.to : wait between 1 ' the;;two streams Mntil a line could be thrown' over her and "she could bo dragged across; Then wet, bruised, shaken : and very ; miserable,: the party resumed .their way, while another party ' who; had ventured . after . them) , but scrambled -hastily back to' the bank,, retreated .to a hut ott'the safer side',till the rain cleared off.' and; tho,-'witter ..went- down.' Thoso freshet's; goyas;'suddenly almost - as; they come, and'a part)- ,coming from tho opposite side, six'hours later found only a ipleasant little stream—where there had been a'torrent / As a .'matter of fact, the crossing' coiild,' have 'been -made without danger hii;her up, .but: the party, without a guide did not':know that.

"What' aboiit: 'The ; .Finest Walk: in • the. World'-"' another.;.girj.. who complained of the arduous, ijojirnev was. asked, and she..replied"lhat'.- they iwere quite mit. of love with' that 'cliarriiihg piece of writing

before they reached Milford, since in dwelling on the' beauty and charm of the walk, ; it so far ignores the difficulties. ---.-

There is no denying-the beauty of the scenery,' she said. "The Churton, Valley is'wonderful, and_ the view from the Pass is .almost worth; it' all,'but you must-re-member that after all you have to toil up 3000 leet, .and..the..going.down is worse than tho going " tip;'. The track - and the accommodation is quite as -good as. one could reasonably expect, but you are bound, to cover ;the- allotted 'stage each you would have to sleep out. .Emphatically, while -it is , a journey that many a liian can take, it is too much for strong woman, ajid frankly I don, r. think it, is worth while. The same expenditure- of "time and, energy and money would be, better repaid elsewhere Jv. a ,? is on the-track from Te Auau to Milford.

_, Mince pies (says a medical.'man) take ?/?' place from the point of indigestibility.'-. ' y : '; • ; , W 9 awwhat we. wear."" There is more truth in this than perhaps most of yus might: be willing to accede at' first .thoughts. . ; ; ■■■■ •