A TRIP TO THE HAAST RIVER.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 166, 5 February 1867, Page 3

A TRIP TO THE HAAST RIVER.

SjffiUnaVlßl correspondent 0$ tlie Westland Wk'" ' * Observer.) ■ r - morning last the p.s. Brace lier departure for the Haast, witli *g&jrt>out twenty diggers en route from Hokijjpftika ; but the exertions of the usual adadvertising medium, the bellman, failed in procuring any addition to the number of passengers, notwithstanding the rumors ( €l '.liich have lately been in circulation of the number at the Five-Mile only waiting a cliaiice to get down, but I- presume that the experience of Fox's has led the miners to examine more closely statements respecting new rushes which in some cases they have found to their cost have been purely of an imaginative character ; and it may be that the latest information, received by them from the Haast has not been so favorable as before, or at any rate was not sufficiently encouraging to induce them to desert paying ground upon a speculation for a " pile." The Bruce towed out the schooner Phoenix, and cast off about noon, and steamed away to the southward ; but, the weather >.being very thick, proceeded under easy steam, 'great care being necessary, but fortunately "when ncaring what was supposed .to be Gillespie's the mist cleared pffvspmewhat, and Captain Karley. was enabled to bring up close to the beach, ' and send two loads of provisions ashore, in pan's whaleboat, which was brought down in the;; steamer from Hokitika . for the purppse pf landing at, the Haast. Gillespie's looks very dull, only about n dozen buildings to be seen, but the land- ■ ing of the boat brought out a good number of men on the beach. The Bruce ;ithen steamed away from Gillespie's, (it about four o'clock in. tlje afternoon, and shortly after entered* 'a belt of muddy water, evidently the result of a heavy fresh out of Cook's River, from the length of time it took to run through it, .the set of it being to the southward, About four miles to the southward of the river, passed some ugly--looking rocks standing out a considerable distance from a long bluff, whilst ahead of iis one was visible about two miles, off shore, just such a one as might account for the missing Caroline. At Hunt's Beach very few buildings were visible, and it looks almost deserted. ■ The Bruce-. '.arrived at Bruce Bay at ilbout six p.m., and steamed in and anchored, the weather having somewhat cleared vp t but only the hills immediately around the bay were to be seen, the higher ones being enveloped in clouds and mist ; and yet eyeri then the bay had a fair appearance. The bold land at the lower end, which stretches out seaward and protects the anchorage from the south-west, is wooded to the summit; whilst- 'fringed with rocks at its base, it forms a pleasing contrast to the long white beach which stretches away up the coast, well set off by a low wooded- terrace in tlie rear, V few buildings lending life to the scene. . - B.ut on a fine, sun-shiny day the view is beautiful and grand. Beyond tlie beach .and the ■wooded terraces lie bush-covered hills, whilst again above them rise 'the' gi;anite-looking mountains, and liighevistill the snow-clad rauge, kissing, the very steins to have waiTed with. the. clouds, and clothed itself witli their, spoil. About a mile from the ■ Bluff a smaU'river runs out, wjhich should be available for small vessels drawing foi.r or five feet of water, but the channel iippgared indifferent, and a short distance ,&>land the river runs, in two channels, ■fSvided by. a sandbank. There is very little, doing at Bruce Bay, arid only about twenty * irieu' in the. neighborhood,' the want of provisions having caused many men' to leave ; but those that are there lire, said- tolbe doing fairly. In the night .We Bruce steamed out of Bruce Bajyand, going easy, at ab'ont five fi.m. (Monday) brought up off the Haast in "four fathoms, low water, the entrance bearing S.E. half S., distance about one mile ; the larger' Open Bay Island bearing W. by S^£s;; the rock off the mouth of the Haaist vW. i■ S . Some mi Win the rear of the; > : entrance is a remarkable conical hilli'and Visible to the southward are others of. the saineform, but'- not so great." Care i would liave to be exercised in navigating to the. southward of the river, as rocks might, be expected. The weather \yas 'still "thick. ans, foggy, but gradully' cleared, and Captain Kerley steamed close in for a look at the river, and there appeared to be a good channel running 'N.Ei and S.W. with plentyof water ; but not liking the look of it inside, he determined to send- the whaleboat ashore on the beach, and, if ex- i pedient, sp to land the passengers. The Bruce then steamed back about a mile, and' Pan,' Tvrith'a crew from the Bruce's riien, landed in the boat, "but with difficulty, frqmthe surf on the beach. Some thirty or forty men had congregated on tlie beach, and- the boat \vas taken up and disappeared in the bush, and as afterwards appeared, was carried across tlie beach into the^ lagoon which runs in the rear of it/. "and pulled down to the. moiith of the river. After waiting some time off the beaqh, the Bruce steamed down ■' £o thejbar again, <pd Captajn Kerley determined to go iuj although there was' evidently a considerable fresh running out, from : the large extent of discolored water. in, a small signal-post was observed^ a-™!-^ txa > ™ hand j prepared tp : exercise the office of signalman. ■ However/ Captain Kerley experienced no . difficultyvin entering, carrying , in twelve feet least at two-thirds flood ;' but, as he had expected, had some difficulty in finding a berth inside, the thick water : rendering it difficult to keep the channel ; btit:-:TOnning over in tlie main channel, towards^ilie south bank, found nine to ten fcetiofesiwater, and anchored close off a. low busji^abput a quarter of a mile from ': the mouth of the river in the- main chaiinfel| which is here about 50Q yards wideisiifainlay there just long enough to discharge^ the passengers, and then steamed outMse^again, ' - i Viewedjifrom seaward, tlie Haast has the appearance of a'-fine river. At the rear.of 'the. north beach, which is bright, and stated to bdas hard as that at Bruce Bay,- is a, low- wooded terrace, and between it and the. hills, other low terraces are said to be, but are not noticeable from seaward. - Along the beach a few tents may be seen ; the. miners being at work in that direction as well as inland- The north beach runs down in. a narrow line to the mouth of the : i river, atidthe Lagoon, meeting the river at ■right ahgles,|ruiis along for a considerable 1 lti- tiie rear of; the beach, and ? ■'•■-;■ river by one or inbre smaller : chaniiels; .

There is no lagoon to the south, but the beach rims down iv a narrow bank for a few hundreil yards to- the channel,but at be partly overflown.- The low bush, off which the Bruce lay, commences at the beach, and runs in a a straight line for 600. 0r 700 : yards, when sandbank commences, high water it would the bush continuing at the back of it; .but the main channel of the river ..runs pretty straight until reaching a- line of hills sweeping round from the north beach beyond the lagoon, and with it, of. course, the river must incline. The Haaat is said to be a tidal harbor, but appearances would lead to the belief that the. influx of tide must at any time be iuconsiderable. So close to the bar as fchc Bruce lay, the water was perfectly fresh, and although two-thirds flood, the current was strong ont ; but at the same time, it should be observed that there had been a fresh the day previons, the water being still very mullocky. The appearance of the river seems to indicate extensive freshes ; aud, indeed, it was stated that they overflowed all the low land. From flic narrowness of the beach extending north from the south bank of the river, it might be expected that such a river would be likely to shift its outlet frequently ; but that appears not to bo the case, and is caused, I- suppose, by the straightness with which the main channel of the river flows from the hills to the beach. The channel is wider than Okarita, .but- from 'the current out, I should expect a heavy bar whenever there was any sea, and it would only be safe for sailing vessels to attempt it with a good breeze at anytime. The Glengany, M'hicli. brought diggers from Hokitika, sailed in, and was towed out by the ship's boat,, so -strong and straight was the current ont ; but the bar must have been very much smoother than when the Bruce took it, for a boat could not then have looked. at it, much less towed. - From information obtained from a store keeper who took a passage up in the Bruce it appears that only a""sma!l quantity of gold has been got— fine bright gold, weighing particularly. well. Including the miners by the Bruce, there' would be approaching 100 men there. A number who arrived by the Glengarry had four month's provisions with them to give the place a trial ; but those who took passage from Hokitika 7m the Mary von A very were i landed' at Jackson's Buy, and unfortu- j nately lost a great portion of their supplies in rafting over Jackson's River. There were only about eight men in tlie district previons to the arrival of the vessels mentioned, about twenty men who had been prospecting having left the district to . journey northward overland. Fortunately for the miners, there are plenty of eels to be had to supply the place of fresh meat. The Bruce left the Haast at about halfpa'.t' ten n . m. , and the weather clearing up a view of the coast was obtained. Capt. Kerley steamed for a look at the Pareka, a. good-looking river a few miles to the southward of Bruce Bay, .well sheltered from the south-west by rocks. To the south of Bruce Bay , the hills approach close to the sea— long bluffs being common with; strips of beach sometimes in front of them. The overland journey to the Haast must be attended witli difficulty as well as danger, both from the .'bluffs and the rivers. When abreast of Mount Cook tho clouds cleared ofty affording an excellent view ; when the southernmost(the pointed) peak appeared to be considerably higher than the northern (the broad) one; whilst viewed from Okarita the reverse, is the case. The Bruce anchored off Okarita the same evening.