BEAUTIFUL WESTLAND.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 June 1925, Page 4

BEAUTIFUL WESTLAND.

A VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS

Front an article by .Mr Ray J. Baker of Honolulu, photographer, published in the Honolulu Star, April, lU'-’.j.) (Concluded.) WAIHO GORGE. It was a eomfortablo place. this Witiho Gorge Hotel with its rural -urronudings, and it reflected f°°, the spirit of its proprietors, the Graham Brothers. They are men of splendid physique, tall, broad shouldered, handsome. Both are seasoned mountaineers. They had muscles of steel. Once during my stay 1 saw a couple of Kodakcrs struggle with a long heavy carpenter’s lader, making an effort to gain a vantage point at the top of a tall stump nearby. One of these giants seized the ladder out ol their hands and placed it against the tree as though it might have been a piece of matchwood. It illustrated .c. it, ..r tlm man. but one bail

the strength of the man. mu one mu. to learn in other ways of their hue spirit, their generous hearts, and splendid hospitality. Matty days l li, me red at Waiho Gorge and an equal number of days I was exhilarated by the glorious Alpine surroundings. The morning alter my arrival [ was attracted tv a commotion in a little room located near the main hotel building. 1 went to have a look and found cobbler work going on, The thie.v s Jed shoes worn hy the visitors who go up on the ice were undergoing repairs, One of the guides was dividing his time between hammering huh nails in the sides and lilting shoes to the feet of visitors who came. The floor was littered with shoes of all sizes, from tiny little ones to shoes big enough for lho feet of giants. The ladies who had been lifted with the huge lumbering shoes stood about the object, of ridicule, scorn or laughter of those not yet so adorned. I httrricdlv selected a pair, slung them over' mv shoulder and set out with our party, 'for it had her that seven of us were to make a quick trip to wliat was known as Defiance lint and return that day. 1 was glad that 1 started in the rubber soled hiking shoes that I was accustomed to wear, for while the thick soles and hob nails went well mi the ire they were awkward to walk in over the throe or so miles that intervened. Wo started at a good gait and crossed almost immediately the stream formed hy the melting snow and ice ol the glacier. The water was greyish white I rum the silt carried down and was nearly ice cold.

Mountain trail. Across thv other side the trail billowed along through the hush. a marvellous growth of forest, tern and foliage. It was a good I rail, perhaps often dripping wet. bill at this time dry. and tin l walking was good. About, two and a half miles of walking took us to tin 1 junction of u side trail, following which lor about a hituilrocl yards we came to a dainty little pool known ns Brier's l’ool. Standing mi the hank of this quiet water it was possible to get the first, t calls comprehensive view ol tin 1 glaeiei. Hidden it way in the clouds were the upper reaches, the great snow fields where the ice has its origin. A tremendous ssall nl mountains on eithei side kept lhe stream in hounds. Down and down it (lowed, uulil il end'd nl the terminal moraine before us. 'I his briefly was the scene before us. In the pool was il- inverted image. W ill the reader try to imagine it We pushed un. A hi lie lurtlier v.e I came I I the first, hul. where sunn 1 of K ... banged shoe-. We all had a cup of ha. readjusted our paths, and " started up ovr flic terminal moraine. , This consisted ol sand, gravel and , linuld is formed from the rocks above carried down and deposited by Hie . glacier. The terminal moraine was perhaps B>:! It H t.r mere in height and at Ica-i 100 yards wide. il e\- , tended nearly across the lace ol tee glacier, which was a mile, more or less, in width, lluee on to the ice, the wisdom ol the hob nailed shoes hvaue- a jiua retu. liny prevuied slipping. Over lhe ice v.e went. pa- i: - ing her:, and I here area- covered wit l. Boulders being laivi d doe. n on H'" ice. then over a hummock of ice and into a vnllev beyond, along lhe side of a crevasse many feet wide and lb or .TO feet deep. BACK TO THE ICE. We left the ice for a while, billowing along the side and doing some of the climbing on the rocks, then mice more to the lee. Little rivulets ol water, clear as i ry.-lnl and ice old. flowed on top. sometimes flowing a long distance, and at other times suddenly lasing themselves into an iee cavern, which seemed to have no hottom. Mere i revasses. some of which mode one shudder in contemplate what could happen it one 1 oil inin them, then a straight go across the iee and up a sleep hank on the other side of the glacier and we were at Defiance Hut. We had come some miles over til' l ho. We were glad to find this comfortable place lo rest. D was framed with wood, covered with corrugated iron, lined inside with a durable coaled fabric, and fitted with simple hut comfortable lmme made beds and furniture. There were two rooms, tin open fire place, a. kerosene si eve and an abundance of bread and other toed. Our little party dined sumptuously, rested and returned to the lower country that night, hut as f returned again a. few days later and remained several days at Delianee Hut. nfny wo here a record some ol the highlights of that wonderful experience ? BALANCING If O UI, D E 8.. A short distance from the hut. balanced against the hillside, was a huge boulder. Larger than any cottage, it had l.ec-n deposited there some time during the ages flint are gone. Scrambling upon this we wore enabled to igct a view" of the glacier hath up and down. Below, the ice stream seemed to swirl and eddy like flowing water. Flow, of course it actually did. but with lesser rate, being from two to 10 feet per day with its source high up—probably at an elevation ot . OOCO feet, the terminal race almost ] reached the forest, just a few hundred I feet higher than the sea. Above us . the snow fields in which the ico lh>w j had its origin were invisible. lhe ice j stream came down through the channel of the gorge. In places the rock | 1:0(1 was steep enough and rough j enough to produce a cataract effect, in other places the bed was smoother | and the ice flow more even. At a distance that seemed a mere stone s throw away was a corrugated surtace j that resembled grandmother's wash- | hoard. When we examined this area j later it was found that the corrugations were hummocks of he with crevasses between 40 feet deep. HALF BAY S CLIMB. An area particularly clean. blue white in color fascinated Us. It was covered with ice pinnacles, and inina- | rets apparently a few leet high. This interesting location that Ireckoncd u> required a hah a day of climbing to reach and the ice lovms were 60 feet high. But if the forms first visible were tinge, there still remained snrtll ones not to he seen until one reached the spot. There were tee caverns big enough to hold a man. and forms of fantastic shapes. Tn the crevasses, looking back or down into the ice. there were the most delicate and beautiful shades of blue imaginable.

A word of tribute must be paid to h the splendid spirit and willing co- w operation of the young men who ttc- t companied me. They were David and 1 Fred, iho guides, and Bill, the elec- ti trieian. These boys entered into the v spirit of tlie occasion, just as though a they had not been there a hundred u times before. They carried cine came- t ran and packs that weighed 100 I pounds, as though they were nothing. 1 Without, their aid the expedition of i which T write would have been ini- ; possible. I CLIMB GRANITE WALLS. I On 11 io last morning our little pa fly i had an early breakfast and nssemb- ■ led lo climb the granite wall back to the hut. It was a climb only bn seasoned hikers. To scale this wall meant a keen lookout for rolling rocks, hanging on the tlm roots of shrubs, and often haul himself up band over hand. It also meant a superb view over the glittering snow fields which tunned the soutxe of the and the granite packs beyond. The great or ini to wall opposite the hut prevented nn early sunrise. (Tunis, ion. haugi ... .......i thrmton showers.

jug low scented to tnreaten .-non.;,-. The morning did not seem especially promising. Imt undaunted we worked our wav up the wall to the plateau „r shelf which has been named the Flower Garden. Quite winded, we threw ourselves down and rested, then looking round, made note -ol the beauty about us. The lillies were gone. It was too lute in the season fur them, hut the daisies were there in rintuus profusion. Thev were magniiirienl flowers, several inches in diameter, delicate white petals and brilliant, yellow centre. Over a wall nearby came thundering down the Finer Fritz waterfall, hundreds of IVct in height, pouring its volume of water down on to lhe glacier. All over the wall on each side of the fall were growing the beautiful daisies We had just been looking 111. Below us the fiver of iee silently flowed, sluwl.v of course, but nevertheless in motion. We eould set its entire course, from its soiue; 1 to t„ its terminal moraine, miles below. THE GLACIER. 1 Ho it had been through the ages ot the past and so it will no doubt c ultima. 1 through the ages In come. It. 1 illustrate! s> clearly the workings ol the great natural forces that have ' moulded the surface of our ghJ.e. Il furnished. I believe, the finest object ’ lesson in glut ini action the ' world L olfords. The clouds began to liH. the ' sunlight streamed in, revealing tbe glittering snowliehh; and the gianib ' peaks. It furnished lor us one ol those rare occasions that come all bill ’ tr. > si liken ti many but one m a lifetime and to others never at all. R

was a spectacle so bewildering in il* magnificence, flail it left us speechless. It was a scone of purity and chastity. (,f undelilemcut, ol spiritual appeal. Tls ether.i! qualities and I raiiM end uilal beaut v were to me without parallel and without equal. The memory of Franz Josef shall live for me till life shall 1 iio more.