EARLY GOLD DISCOVERY

Hokitika Guardian, 20 October 1921, Page 4

EARLY GOLD DISCOVERY

[•’II!ST RUSH TO Til 1C COAST. A ROMANTIC ACCOUNT. (From the Imports of Sir .Julius von llanst, F.R.S. to t.lic Canterbury Provincial Government). (ContinueJ.) XIII. Till; WAIAU (NOW W A 1110). The next river of importance is the Wniiiu. difficult to cross on foot except in autumn niitl winter, niter n continuance of line weather. It is formed liv two principal hranclies which, nlil'ioimh flowing in the same hroad val],,v beginning at the western foot ol the Southeru'Alps. 10 miles from the coast line unite onlv three miles Imm i,s mouth. The Totara (now Tatari" or northern conllucnt is led hy sereral "laciers, descending from Mount Beaumont, in their lower portion densely covered with moraines. The southern and main branch, the Mainu (now Waiho) has its principal source m the ucis Joseph glacier, the terminal 1',,,-e of which in 18115, according to my bar etrical measurements was lying 70.1 feet above the sea level. Ibis magnificent glacier descends from the north-wester., slopes of Mount Hni-

dinger, where large neve accinnulatioils are situated. Its ’''V 11 ' the sea shore is l.'il miles. Ihe outlet , :t tlijs olncier. of which I have given a description in the first pint, has tor the lit st three miles of its course a "ortlierlv direction, in a narrow channel. It then ieceives the Apassiz branch formed by the outlets ol two Miiall olaciers descending from a snow-held nort’li of Mount lie I.a Recite. Rom ■ire detisclv covered with moiainn- a<cliniillations. After the entrance ol boili main brandies int<» tbo l»rosi<! \Vaia ll valley, they have to their junction. and then to the sea. a ui.nj t \ north-west direction, llowing muieially i„ numeioiis channels with broad shimde reaches, excepting, however, that, three miles west of the Southern Alps, a large moraine crosses the valt y, through which both branches have cut’ their way. This sign of the last irhicier extension is very clear and fresh. It is almost needless to say mat ancient morainic accumulations, several hundred feet high. accompany the Inond river-bed ol the Waiau on hoth sides, terminating in the Waiau and Oniooron elill's near the coast, about two miles distant from each other.

Tin; WAIKUKUPA. Five miles south of the southern Waiau banks, the Waikill tails into the sea. It is only an inconsiderable stream, the principal source ol which seems lo be derived from a small glaeict formed by a neve, on the western declivities <»t Mount l Isiiiliii*i*THK WKHKKA. The next river, the Weheka. may be said to lie, with the exieption of the Waiau. the most important liver on this part of the const, ill amine Imm suow-lii'lds by " huh tie hie.be-1 pea's of the Southern Alps am here surrounded. It is formed of sevetal continents ol which the northern, although the shm lest, is the most important. This branch issues from the Prince Allied non Fox glacier. the tei mi lull ■ face of which I ea hula ted to be 711*2 feel the sea level. This heantilul glacier is, with the

Francis Mosepii glacier. the lowest m New /calami. Having alteady alluded to the cha tactet ist ic features ol the latter, which those ol the Prince Allied (■lacier resemble in many respects, and having also shown I rom the meteoioloirjoal conditions ol the western slum's of the Southern Alps, wli.v these glaciet s do descend to such low melons. I need mu attain enter into this subject. The Prince Alfred glacier is led by an extensive snow-held si retching i|im the north-western slopes ol Mount Tasman to the soulh-westurn ol Mount llaiditieet. and is sepaiated by a high ioek\ ridge into two portions. I' rom the letiuinal face ol the elaeier to its mouth, the Weheka has a nearly we-l-erl\ course, about I'd miles lotto, the elueiei thus being one mile and a hall j mater to the coast than tlie Francis] .Joseph elaeier. The next in middle , b; inch uniting with t he main m j northern branch eight miles above ils ; mouth, has a w est-by-not th course I - r | seven miles, its main source being I h«' j lleetoi (llallolli) eiaciet, plilieipally , led from the western slopes ol it j Cook. This elaeier lies in a deep ] etove, and although I could distin-i citisli from some hills which 1 ascended near the coast, several glaeiei channels |

both north and south ol -Mourn i feeding the trunk glacier, no stub continuous channels on the mountain, owing to its steepness could he di*- , criied ; so that 1 believe a great deal of ibis glacier is formed by enormous avalanches falling upon il colliinnally. The western branc.li uniting, alter a iiol'l h-north-wosi course lor aholll eight miles, ith the outlet ol the Balfour glaeiei. is also formed by seveial streams issuing I'rum glaciers on the iw-slciii slopes ol dm Southern Alps, beginning al Mount Stokes, and reaching as far as Scltmi Beak, in the Mr'tnrImuse laiige. As before ohsoivcd. many of (.he details in the map of ltd- p-u----,i,hi of the Southern Alps have la m tilled up fioin eye sketches only, although numerous hearings taken all along the coast o. lh.- directions ol the valleys, the size and position ol ihe snow-fields, and ol the glaciers ioimed at I licit lower extremities, have olleied

me ample material to lay down at least the piineipal features with some decree (d accuracy. KARANGAIM'A. Four miles south ol the Weheka, another large glacier rivei enters the sen. It is iiMinnl tli»* K;i|iUi*£!»rn:i. Its northern main branch Inis a length of twenty' miles, and its valley has a nearly straight north-west course. R issues from a glacier which must- lie ol considerable size, being formed hy a large sliuw-lield lying here mi 'he western Hanks of tin* Moorhoii.se range, well visible from the coast. lea miles above its mouth, an impoitanl eonlluent joins the main valley troin the south, and drains the Southern Alps foe a considerable distance, as lar son I h as the ranges east- ol Docherty’s Pass. If him many all'liients, issuing from glaciers of smaller sice, lornied opposite the glaciers at the head of Ihe livers Dobson. Hopkins (Lake Gl*au system) and the Landshmough, ihe latter tlm main tributary of the river lliiast.

M A lIITA 111. Of the river between tin- Kiirmigurua mid Uie I’aringa, only ilie Alalnl;dii deserves any notice. as it haulIt,, to Doeliertv’s Pass, draining the iiortliorii slopes of tin’ Hooker ranee. PAHINOA. The iiiiiin branch id the I’aiinga is formed by Uvo conllilclil streams, ol lihieh the soillherii one issues Irom a idaeier on the western slopes ol Mount Hunker, and after a north-west course ~f sh.ml six miles, receives the northein hraneli according to M-l Oerh. .Mueller, not of glacier origin. After this juiietion the I’nringn valley. Ini about eight miles, eoiitinues in Hie same direel,ion, receiving three miles above its mouth the Hall river, a small stream issuing from l.ake Hall, ol which I .have described the clinrnctci istie already. HA AST. The next, liver of importance is the llaast. It Inis, with the exception of the Tereinulinu, the largest course of

nnv river in Westland, its most distant source, at the head of the l.andsborough, being. about forty-four miles from its mouth. Although the sources issuing from small glaciers near llaast s Pass, are neither so important, nor so far distant as the former, they must be first: alluded to, as being near the remarkable break in the Southern Alps, In- which this river system was first explored hy me. A small creek takes its rise from a swampy tlat oil llaast s Pass, about two miles broad, which, at its northern termination, joins a larger water-course coming from the west. The united stream now Hows in a northerly direction, and receives numerous tributaries, of which the most important is one from the east issuing from a glacier on the western slopes ol Mount, Brewster. A few miles lower down, the Wills, an important branch, joins it on the same side, draining the western slopes of the high snow-covered peaks at the head of the Hunter river, whilst two tniies lower down, the liourke. a large stream coming front the west augments the volume ol the river considerably. For five miles more, the llaast continues its northerly course, when it enters a broad valley running at a right angle to it, and having a general east and west direction. Here it is joined by the waters of the l.andsborotigh, a broad glacier river, the main sources of which come from Mount Ward and some other peaks of the central chain. Its course is ot' a length of about 15 miles, with a westerly direction. Near the junction of these two continents, anothei important branch, principally draining the southern Hanks of the Hooker and Grav ranges, and which I have named the '('larise, unites with the llaast. It has a nearly south-west course, and near its head waters. Docherty's Pass is situated. After this junction, the valley of the llaast trends for about I eight miles to the west-north-west. ] wiieii, after having received a consider- | able affluent from the north, it turns again at right angles to the south-west, keeping this course for about eight miles, when for the remaining Id miles, it again testtmes its lornier west-north-west course. OKUItU ANII WAIATOTO. Ret ween the llaast and Arawata, the Okttrtt and Waiatoto rivers fall into the sea, of which the former has its sources on the western slopes ol Mounts Dana. Kinross, and Bowen, and the latter on those of Mounts Castor and Pollux, all prominent peaks m the central chain. THK ARAWATA.

Of the leniaiiiing river, the Arawata entering the sea at .Jackson s Bay. is worth mentioning. I have only seen it at its mouth, but 1 »*• Hector, who has explored its upper course, describes it as a true glacier river. Its main source issues from the llaast glacier, descending from the south-western slopes of Mount Aspiring. The valley of this river, about 2<i miles long. ha-, a nearly northerly course. South ol this liver only smaller water-courses ,-ntei the sea, of which several at ( as - tnde Point foi in a number of picturesque falls. I may finally observe that none of the rivers in ihe province are navigable, all being too rapid or too shallow. However, some ol them, such as the Grey. Teiemakaii. Hokitika. Paiinga and llaast, can be entered at highwater hy small vessels and steamel). D is aiso possible to ascend many of our rivers with canoes and Hatbottomed boats, for a considerable dis-

tance. In Westland, tilling the coast, a fringe of more or less level land is sit anted, of w hich the iiinngulnr area stretching into the Grey plains across the Arnold river, is the largest and most important. It generally consists of older alluvium in which the richest of Ihe Westland Goldfields are situated. and of younger imuainic accumulations and alluvium formed by the rivers once issuing from the extended glaeiei s. It forms a tableland lising gradually to Still feet, above which a number ot hills, consisting at tertiary strata, lisoa few hundred feet more. It is genernltv densely wooded, so. that to prepare it lor agricultural or pastoral pm poses, a great deal ol work will lie required. Thus il does not possess the same advantage with which the downs and plains on the eastern side of the Southern Alps are endowed, where in most eases the virgin soil , -in IM.l M . ploughed at mice without any furthci prepa iat inn. We have, however, to except some small area ninth ~f ilie Teiemakaii to Lake Brunner, the so-called Pakilii or Paddock, and a portion of the Hokitika plains, where a low alluvial plain slictchcs irom the Tatipeiikaka, eight miles ninth ol the

river |[;ia>t, to .1 licksdll s v\nn .i total length of thirty miles and an average breadth of four miles. It is covered with dense lorests limn which, in course of time, a large quantity '•! valuable limbei will be extracted for exportation. Everywhere amongst the valleys, descending Irom the Southern Alps along the West Coast, a ■ -Teat deal of land will in years to collie, be used liv the settlers lor farm purnoses, principally when the mining industry 0.1 coal, gold and other precious metals has heroine more developed, and a larger permanent population has settled in that line district. (To he continued).