DOING THE GLACIER.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 March 1923, Page 4

DOING THE GLACIER.

A REM ARK AIM. Y Cl I EAR TIMR. ENTHUSIASTIC CYCLIST. Have you seen ihe Kranz dosef Glacier ‘i Ask this question of the average man in the city and you "ill receive the reply that touring ol such a nature as ihat is tar too expensive for him. No doubt most people will ! r surprised to loom that ibe trip can lie done at a very moilerale cost. A party of three I'leu actually did the trip at i in* trivial expense ni L’o apiece. In conversation with a repieter one of liiern wave a few details id t'e t ** i pi. THE JOURNEY DESCRIBED. The party took the I rain to •' tpur's Rass. where they arrived at Lit l i, m. and they i ben reeled round 111** rriad rill they came wilbin sigld n! ‘be Devil’s Runeli Bowl. Here amidst : beautiful scenery they part" *'!■: lunch. Aft or a brief spell they 'oil'd 'bin- lull! net llnoio.il the Gorge, but nulort Hllnl ely the «eather, which bad been line when they sot out. became somewhat luizy. A'tlioitgli it ohseured the view l*o a certain’extent* it did not prove unpleasant and the party found it good t vnveiling in the cool mist—much more pleasant in fact than the blasting hot Tie cod of the first day’s travel I'uund ihe travellers at Jackson s whore they camped the night. Next <hiy Ihe trip was com inueil through gorgeous hnsfi and alpine scenery and over lii-.t-class roarls to Greymouth. where the next day was snout, resting and looking over the cycles. With renewed vigour a start was made nexi morning in perfect weather, hut owing to a faulty lyre the tourists only got as lar as Ross, where eamp was again made. For nine miles south of Boss the party ourountoiV'l what moved to he the only i-uallv had part of the road on the whole i rip. If was here Hint one of ihe cycles -ulfcred a badly buckled wheel through striking a boulder. Through the emirtesy "f a motor lorry drive'* however, the eyele was soon hack in a garage at Russ, where repairs w,.,e -peedily executed, and the remaining 70 miles south was commenced in earnest. A good run was made from Ru-- in | lari 1 lari, where lent, was I,f' 1 !:I•<! for the night. Tic last 10 miles to the Franz Josef Glacier was hegim early next morning in grand weather. The stillest climb mi the whole trip. .Mount Hercules, is encountered a few miles from llari llari. bill it is a pleasure to walk slowly through the beautiful scenery that covers its W'R''S. ONE YAST FERNERY. Lake luuthe is soon reached alter the long descent and for miles the read winds through native Inisii-—a gorgeous scene, ins! like iu.c vast fernery. Alter Matainui, t!0 miles south ol llari llari. the Waitangi river lias at present In l,“ forded, the bridge being only in course of iniisti net it ni. This is the only uii bridged river oil the Coast side, however, all the other large rivers being spanned by up-to-date wooden bridges. Ti e Glacier was reached at .*,..'!!1 p.m. and in itself was a sight which proved a sullieienl recompense for all the I rouble of pushing a bicycle so far.

“A day on the ice with a guide from the AA’aiho accommodation house proves very interesting and instructive and remains a pleasant liletime memory," said one ot the tourists. “The colours visible in the deviations and crevasses in the ice are simply wonderful."

The return journey was lor the most part over the same ground, but it was interesting to notice lmw different the scenery looked ■when viewed ill an opposite direction. Indeed it was often diHieult to remember spots over which the party had passed a few days previous! v.

The party camped out at night by means of a small tent which they carried With them. They "tuckered' themselves on the road, the loot! being bought, at the different towns on the route and carried on a hack carrier ill a food box ut out of a petrol tin. Sleeping bags and a ground sheet were r.sed at night.

A’FRA' SMALL GENERAL EXPENSES Altogether the trip was a splendid one and the cost was trivial, ‘being a matter of but £3 a piece for general expenses. This, of course, excludes the amount -pent on cycle repairs, T! e whole party were most enthusiastic about the expedition. ‘ It should not be missed by anyone capable of making the trip," said one of them to the reporter. "It is necessary, of course, to have a good strong roadster cycle fitted with the best of tyres and tubes, a complete set of tools, a repair outfit, and as many of the smaller spare parts as it is convenient to carry. J would like to emphasise the fact that on this journey one could not wish for better roads, and the month of February generally furnishes the best weather.

"The i»eople of Canterbury don’t know they’re born." concluded the enthusiastic tourist. "Here at their very back door is one of the beauty spots of the world and I don’tsuppose

me in a hundred, or perhaps a thousind has seen it. The trip is a great me, highly instructive and education,l, ’and I would go again to-morrow if f could spare the time.”—Lyttelton Times.