RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY

Hokitika Guardian, 21 November 1928, Page 3

RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY

OF THIS H FAD-WATERS OF THE OKURU, ACTOR AND HU HKD RIVERS, W E STL AND.

(From Chief Surveyor Mueller’s

Report, 1888)

On the 18th April last I left for the South hy the steamship “AVaipara,” and I landed at the Okuru River, from whence I purposed starting on my exploration journey. My object in undertaking the work was twofold—firstly, to complete the topographical survey of the Head-waters ol the three rivers, and lill up what was marked on our old maps as ‘‘'unexplored country;” and secondly, to settle the question about particular passes from the coast into the Lake Wanaka country. Jn 1868, while surveying a. township reserve at the mouth of the Okuru, a Maori known by the name of Wakatipu Jack, made his appearance at my camp, stating that lie had come across the Southern Alps (Dividing Range) somewhere at the head of the Okuru or one 01 its trit"t:iries a-nd had travelled down that river to the west coast. Aware that there was no practicable puss known to exist in that part of the Dividing Rrange ,but the Haast Pass, and that the mountain chain at the head of the Okuru, Turnbull and Waitoto was exceptionally high, I came, after severely cross-questioning the Maori, to the conclusion that lie must be mistaken as to the route he came—that he somehow must ha.c crossed at or near Haast Pass and then afterwards found his way across some spur into the Okuru, and travelled ituvn it to the conn. To this Maori incident I attached little value, and indeed, it escaped my memor.v until, some four or live years ago, Air Roberts, the Assistant Gcodesieal Surveyor, while engaged at tlie Trigonometrical survey of the Jackson Hay circuit, reported to me that he liar seen a low depression at the head ol the Okuru from one of the highest inland trigonometrical stations of that district. The construction of the Otago Central railway to the Wanaka Lake, and its ultimate extention to the West Coast was then greatly agitated, and I made up my mind to explore the Okuru head-waters ns soon as I had an opportunity of doing so, with the view of ascertaining whether .an easier route for a railway could not he found down the Okuru than the line proposed—namely, down the Haast Valley. The result of my exploration in this respect has been most satisfactory. A saving in construction of at least £'102.000 would ho effected, as T shall show further on, hy taking the line down the Okuru instead of the Haast.

To return to the journey, for about thirteen miles up the Okuru I could take pack horses, and by crossing am. re-crossing and slowly ploughing through heavy bush tracks cut hy tinlessee of the Okuru Run for the purpose of taking stock up and down the river, I readied Staircase Creek. From that point the swagging’ of camp equipment and provisions had to be done on men’s backs.

The Okuru river is very different from the other Jackson’s Bay district rivers; it >is well bounded, and its bed is defined and permanent. There are practically no sand-pits or shingle flats to be found in this river. From tho sea up through the first five or six miles of flat country the primeval forest is growing up to the water's edge, and there are no river encroachments upon the adjoining lands, as are so common in all the other rivers, which, as a rule, swing from side to side, and not infrequently convert half a mile or more of good settlement lands into absolute waste by stripping the vegetation and soil and changing the ground into barren shingle-beds. The Okuru, lias as stated a well fixed deep, and permanent, bed, and at only three places alone its whole length are its waters divided into two branches-or arms-and these also are running in well-de-fined channels, and their hanks dr not show the slightest signs of encroachment.

From -the point where the flat land ceases and the ranges close it: upon the river (where the railwaycrossing is marked on plan) lip to Princess Creek—a distance of about fourteen miles—the good agricultural lands on the hanks ol the Okuru vary from twenty to sixty chains in depth, and in many cases the mountain slopes are gentle enough to admit of their being cultivated. 3he soil is exceedingly good, generally of a brown chocolate colour, and varying in depth from 2ft to sft, AVe found it advisable in travelling up to ford the river five or six times in order to avoid climbing over or rounding small spurs projecting to the edge of the water; but there is really no difficulty in the way of taking a dray road of easy grade up either bank of the Okuru.

Before ascending to the head of the Okuru, I examined the Actor River. With the intention of running out tho Franklin Range to the head of the Actor, and returning by the Dividing Range and western slopes of Mount Salamis to the camp at the junction of the Okuru and Actoi IM\ers, I ascended Alount Olissa. After the second day’s travelling along that range, however. I found myself stuck up at Howe’s Knot by a tremendous gulch between it and Mount Franklin, and all attempts to cross that were in vain.

The portion of the range between Mount- Glissa and Howe’s Knob is a most remarkable one. The slope towards the Actor though very steep in

most places, may be climbed almost anywhere; but on the west—the Okuru and Franklin Creek side—it drops down almost perpendicular from 1,6(1. feet to 2,000 feet. On the slopes and on the top of Howe’s Knob, rocks ol enormous size—many of them as large as an ordinary four-roomed cottage—are found covering the whole of the surface. Owing to this, travelling along the range was exceedingly difficult— it meant either risky jumping from rock to rock, or laborious crawling through the tough scrub growing between and under these masses m detached rock. The southern slopes ol Mount Franklin, around by the two passes into the Turnbull and Young Rivers, and to opposite the two tarnshown on tin- west of Dragon Peak, below the dividing range, are very well grassed, and, though difficult to access now, will, f have no doubt, in years to come be put to profitable use as summer grazing-grounds. The pass info the Young River (a tributary ot the Makarora) is too high to bo ever of much use: the snow must, I believe, lie on it eight months of the year.

1 felt exceedingly disappointed that the impassible break between Howe’s Knob and Aloimt Franklin compelled me to abandon the contemplated circuit of the Franklin Range and the Dividing Ihui'io: hut I had the satisfaction of being able to obtain several sets of observations for the fixing of all permanent features. Under any circumstances I would not have been ajble to do much more than I had done, for while again descending into the Actor Valley the rain set in, and continued almost without intermission for four days, causing the rivers to run hank high, and putting a complete stop to everything in the shape of exploring. On the Ist A lay the {food had subsided, and we shifted camp to abreast Princess Crook, and on the 2nd we reached the to]) camp on the Okuru. From it f explored the Okuru headwaters and passes thereabouts. The pass, or more properly speaking, the saddle, by which the Maori AVakatipu Jack mast have crossed into Hostlane!. separates a small branch of the Blue River from a small creek running into the Okuru River. Tt is a purely ‘ ‘razor-buck” siddlc. not more thou 10ft wide on the top. and with sires dipping at an angle of 66 degrees lor about 1,600 foot into both the Hl”c River and the Okuru. In amendin' ths saddle a rope had to bo used and it is a puzzle to me how the Mann managed to get across it without some such lmlp; it seems most likely tb’>t he ascended the gentler slopes at the side cf this saddle, where the (Imw-' 1 vegetation gives every facility bn climbing and that Im made his <!<•- scent into the Okuru fr'uu a mint u least a thousand feet higher than the saddle itself. The altitude of Mm Maori saddle is t. 170 feet, and it co'd-l he pierced by a. tunnel not exceedin'' 20 chains in length at an altitude ol aibout 2.600 feet. The working up to it from the 'Blue river side is very easy, as far as I could see—the Bl”r river valley is a nice open one. and the hills slope gently into it; but Urn “get-away” fr'-m Urn Maori Sudd! • down the Okuru is very difficult, gd lories would require to be c"t into almost perpendicular rocky cli ft.s lor a mile and a half between the Saddle and the Princess Creek. The other saddle —Toosy s SaddD—leading into another branch of tl ,/ ' Blue river, is t-oo high, and hence useless for practical purposes, moreover, the head of that branch of the Blue river itself and as f->r dmv'i as f able to see from various points of observation. is very gorgy, !, i'd bound th'-ouirbont by steep rocky subdues. The dividing range at the sides of the Maori and Topsy Saddles rK>* to very great heights, and c >me of the peaks thereabouts are- visiiMe from the sea coast. Due of the mountain-tops especially. Mount Bertha (6.870 feet), offered a splendid opportunity of fixing the surrounding country. I* mm it the 'Open Bay Island, four miles off the mouth of the Okuru. is plainly visible, and the valley of that river is seen to extend, in almost a straight line, from the Drilling Range to tie 1 sea coast. At the very lu-ad of flic Okuru there are several grass flats, hut they are situated at such a height, and are so much shaded from the sun’s rays by Mounts Argos and Actor, as to make it certain that for many months in the year these flats must remain covered with snow.

T descended tho Okuru from the to” camp to tho junction of Princess Creelon the sth. May, and next morning commenced ascending that creek with the view of finding my way into tho Burke country. From the ranges up the Actor river a fairly good view of Princess Creek Valley was obtained, and the low depression between Mouni Citheron and Alount Victor seemed to indicate a possible pass; and my examination of that part ol the district confirmed tho correctness of my surmise, and proved tho existence of one c-if the easiest and best passes in the south. The ascent from the Okuru to it, and the descent into tho Burke from it by one of its small tributary creeks is quite gentle and the pass itself is a true pass, perfectly level on the top for about 60 chains with an average width of about. 20 chains. Its altitude is only 1.820 ft or about 3.1 lower than Haast Pass, and the \ogotntion on it consists of about 50 acres of swamp-grass and around the edges of that, black scrub and light birch trees.

Abreast the pass, to the west of it, and about half a mile from the top of Mount Victor, there is one of the most imposing mountain-gateways I have seen. The Victor Range at that spot is cleft in two down to a level only about 300 ft to 400 ft Higher thaii the pass 1 have been describing. The width at the bottom of this cleft- is about two chains. r lhc walls on both sides consists of solid rock rising to a

height of about 1,600 ft.. with an inclination very little removed from the perpendicular for the distance of the rock-walls from each other at thav height seems to be only 6 or 6 chains. From thence the -Mount Victor face continues to he steep to the very top ol that mount (6.319 ft high) whereas on the oilier side of the gateway the slope towards the top of .uount Medeon is gentler. This gateway leads into Kind's Creek, and is. I believe, impassable. I much regret 1 could not, owing to our getting short of provisions, afford to spend a day or two over a thorough examination of this wonderful freak of Nature. The descent of the Burke River was very arduous, it is a wild cataract'(following each other in quick succession, which makes travelling in the river-lied impossible. Being speedily desirous of examining the east or inland side of that river, I picked my way down along its western hank, which is very much steeper, and lienee more difficult than the eastern side; but I was compensated for the extra labour by being enabled to obtain a splendid view of the whole of the inland slopes, and to note special features of interest m connection with railway or road construction.

At the junction of Slrachan’s Creek with the Burke we found ourselves completely blocked. Strachan’s Creek is a lare creek tumbling down in a saccession of cataracts and waterfalls between perpendicular rock-walls from 100 f- to 160 ft in height. As the span from bank to bank was too great, and there was therefore not the slightest chance of effecting a crossing hy means of dropping a tree over the creek, we travelled up its southern side to an altitude-of about 1,830 feet before we were able to descend into the creekbed. and then, with the help of a few saplings which managed to rest on big \mg m the centre of the river, we effected a crossing. However, our troubles wore not over, for another branch of the same creek, equally rockhound, drove us up to the grass-line, where, at an altitude of 3600 ft-., we camped for the night. But even in the open, we found next morning we could not cross the creek and we had to follow it up to the very top of the spur 1.45614 high. From that point —marked K on the map—the range and slopes on the inland side ol the Burke, along which the railway-line will have to be taken, could lie seen to great advantage and after fixing the salient points we descended into the Haast Valley at a point near the junction of the Burke and the Haast.

The Burke River is one ol the most remarkable rivers in Westland, and the great canon it passes through between Siraehnn Creek and the Haast jun tion rivals many ol the 'nonius ( miens we read ol in the Rocky Mountains of Amorim. The Burke, between B'tiachall’s (‘reek and the Haast Junction falls about 10014: m a distance of barely l.i- miles, and runs between rock-walls from 21)0 to 30011 high—-rock-walls not perpendicular, hut absolutely undercut hy the wear and tear of ages, for the width of the river at the bottom is nowhere less tliaii 60ft whereas on the top there are several pi ayes where a !oi't or 12ft bridge would span the terrible chasm. To look down it makes one shudd f, r for the depth is so great that nothing hut a glimmer ol the tumbling and boiling waters can he seen now and then.

1 would strongly urge that a bridge rack be constructed up to this p'ace. to give tourists coming through th<‘ Maast Pass an opportunity of see’iig one of Nature’s grand works, the ! ke rif which is not to b<‘ met wiFli air--whore in New Zealand. (on- arrival at the Haast A alley brought mv exploration trip to an end not that I. had accomplished all 1 intended to. for I purposed also to examine the head-waters of the A\ ilkin. with a view of finding out whether there was a pass into the AVaiatoto river. Further oxploiation. however, was found to be impossible, for during tin' night succeeding our descent into tho Haast Valley a heavy lull ol snow took place, which proved to be the permanent winter coat, as it never again disappeared from the open grassland* on the mountain-tops. I therefore spent a few days in examining Urn Haast- Pass road, and then paid off and disbanded mv party.

Now, as regards the railway route: f„ 1881 .Mr AV. H. Clarke, an officer of the Public AVorks Department, under instructions from the Kngineer-in-Chiof. explored and reported- upon the best route for a railway from Lake A\ anak:: i-o the West Coast via Haast Pass. This report and plan is now before me. and 1 have shown the route indicated by Mr Clarke in red on the map accompanying this my report. Av ith tnc information about the country then at hand. T must say at the outset, that Air Clarke has recommended the host route that could be had—namely, across the Haast Pass and down the southern hank of the Haast rivet. With the data now available the route will have to he altered as shown in blue on my map—i.e.. after crossing tho Haast Pass the line will contour Hutchison’s Range, up the east side r ! the Burke, across Aiueller’s Pass, and thence down Princess Creek and the north side of the Okuru, across it. and on to Jackson’s Bay along the foot ot the coast ranges. From the Haast Pass. 1847 ft, high, to Mueller's Pass. 1820 ft. high, the line will practically run on a level, and with the exception of the first three miles near Haast Pass, where the country is rather broken by several small but "deep-rut ting creeks, the sideling is gentle, o' good standing ground, and ahsolutolv safe from slides, slips or avalanches From Alueller’s Pass, the line keeps along the southern slopes o’f Mounts Victor.and Nerger Ranges, with a faP of 1 in 50, which will land it-at Okuru River crossing where indicated on the map. at a place most suitable for bridging the river. From thence the route is perfectly easy and practically

level to Jackson’s Bay, crossing the Turnbull, AVaiatoto, and Arawata at good places for bridging, especially at the Arawata, where, al the spot indicated both banks are solid rock, with a rocky islet, as if placed there for bridge-abutment purposes. In the centre of the river. The length of the route marked out by Air Clarke from Haast Pass to the Okuru River cross-

ing is 45 miles ; the length of the ore from Haast Pass to the Okuru river crossing hy myself is 23 miles, or 17 miles less than the other. Allowing tor the construction of these 17 miles only an average of £6,000 per mile, a saving of £102,000 would be elrected by adoption of my route. But-there is this in addition: that hy the Haast Valley route the Burke River will have to he bridged, two to three miles ol steep rock faces and five bad bluffs will have to be passed, and some of the latter probably by driving tunnels through them ; whereas along my proposed route there are no such difficulties. The route 1 have sketched out will probably he heavier than 1 expect, hut there is certainly not one-fourth el the rock work plainly apparent on the. surface of the country that there is on the Haast Valley route. I have now only to add a lew remarks in regard to the geological tlormation of the country which 1 explored. In the Okuru Valley from the railway-crossing to the Actor junction, the formation is gneiss-strike N.F. dip (iO degrees east; two miles below Franklin’s Creek the high cliffs are entirely composed of it. One mile up the Actor, on the -Mount Glissa side, the gneiss formation merges into mieascliist—strike N.F.; dip 70 degrees southerly. At the head of the Actor River several quartz reel's (one of them jet-black quartz) crop out, which arc running north and south, cut tang Upline of strike and dip, and with hanging walls, soft easing, etc. 3he formation these reefs are enclosed in is a species of very close-grained groo schist. At a point half-way between upper camp Okuru. and the .Maori Saddle the rock is contorted selrst, strike N. ; dip 50 degrees E. In the Okuru river-bed from about a mile below the Actor junction to above Priness Creek there are to lie found boulders of granite, green slate, amt porphyry, mixed with quartz ami serpentine.’ Where they come from i cannot say, not having come across these rocks in site. At point D and point F, in Burke River valley, the lormajion is also schist rocic —strike* X.r..; dip 50 degrees E, at point; and stiil.e N.N.F..; dip 60 degrees It., at point It. The river at point E is lull of schist unci blue!, flinty, laminated, quartz At point 11. at Strachan’s Creek, down the Burke to junction with the Haast. •mil up to the Wills River, the schist ,urination continues, and I com theme np the Haast Pass road the Torlesse -lutes come in. CHR HARD MTELLER, Chief Surveyor.