MAKAROA NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 2 November 1929, Page 2

MAKAROA NOTES

COMING HOLIDAY TOURS. Mr M;ico (Wellington). is keenly interested in making an alpine expedition into the Southern Alps from "Wanaka, his objects being the ambitious ascent of several unclimbed peaks on the Main Divide. Mr Syme (Mt. Egmont Alpine Club) intends to attempt the ascent ‘of Mt. Self on from the Copeland. Valley. Several, parties of Dunedin v 'ladies will cross Haast Pass into Westland at Christmas. Another alpine attempt is to be made to resell the summit of Mt. Aspiring from Pembroke. Another expedition is also to be made to Mt. Tutoko, the giant, of the Sounds district. Mr Leach (Dunedin) formerly in the employ of the Wanaka Ferry Service may loose his eye" as a result of being struck by , a cricket' ball at practice. Thg.. seriousness of the accident may bb^j^dged--by the fact that the unfortunate, main was unconscious for severaF'Mays. • • WEST CO AST,ITEMS.

750 acres of freehold'land in the Haast Valley was sold privately recently. The Minister of Public Works will visit Okuru in February, also a Public Works Engineer to inspect and report on thte Jackson’sßay-Okuru road and harbour scheme. Large; sypplies of whitebait are entering -the Westland rivers. A sniall’. whitebait

canning , factory has commenced operations at. Okuru. A v^vy 1 successful stock .and land sale was conduced last

week at Okuru by Dalgety ! and Go

300 acres of good dairying"'land was • sold on account of a deceased estate at £4 an acre. A large grazing run and other leases comprising 34,000

acres of ‘the same estate also changed

hands. W. D. and P. Nolan purchased the lot thereby adding to their present extensive holdings of y five

runs and large areas of freehold and leasehold property. Several hundred head of fat Hereford cattle also

riiarmod hands at very high, prices mostly going to northern buyers, none less than a nine-day drive distant, A line of horses realised high figures while farm implements found a ready sale locally. This is the first stock sale to take place at Okuru. LANTERN LECTURES. Following a lecture given before the Canterbury mountaineering • and tramping clubs in Christchurch, Mr Eric James journeyed to Wellington and gave an address before members of the Tararua Tramping Club ' arid itbers interested, the subject being •'‘The wonderful scenic around the Great Southern Lakes’;

the Haast Pass track jo South Wristland, and the remote and ’ beautiful regions in Western Otago. The'lecturers remarks also included the Copeland Pass track and the Fox CJlaeiqr and surrounding . districts. Mr Arthur Harper, President of the New Zealand Alpine Club introduced the speaker. He stated although Mr James'was a professional he was also in amateur and was very keen..- to explore new country and had dopq much to collect and preserve old records and to make known, the, beauty spots to be found in every mile within, that remote and little knpwn. region. Before a large attendance Mr James vividly described a large and fascinating territory, illustrating wjth : a large and splendid collection of lantern slides. At the close of the. address Mr Von Haast (Wellington), son of the late Sir Julius Haast., rose to inquire) if , the speaker could give them time and cost' of an official conducted tramping tour by the club’s members embracing the Haast route from Lake Wanaka. and returning via Copeland Pass to the Hermitage. The speaker stated :he could assure the Club they would be well treated by all members of the White p.jStar organisation who would undertake to land them at Wanaka within twenty-four hours from the -.time they leave Wellington'' aitr reasonable excursion rates. He further. .offered to asist the Secretary to arrange the itinerary and other necessary arrangements. The President (Mr Harper) further urged the Club to seriously consider the offer made by Mr James and he assured, them they would find no finer scenery inany other part of the Dominion. Mr Harper then briefly gave lfis experiences in that locality manv yearns ago. Several prominent£fh&jrtsjrs of the Alpine Club were present at the invitation of the Tramping Club and after a hearty vote of thanks . was given to the lecturer for his instructive and interesting address all adjourned to a dainty supper served by the ladies. A similar lecture was also arranged in Wanganui under the auspices of the Ruapehu Ski Club which was well and widely attended, including 40 members of the Mount Egmont Alpine Club who journeyed from Hawera to be present upon the invitation of the former Club. Following the lantern lecture for which,;jUr. James was thanked, the members of the two Clubs withdrew for supper where speeches were heard from several members, commenting upon the great ideals and advantages gained by those following open air sports and recreations and also commenting upon the healthy feeling and filie type of man and womanhood to he found in these and kindred clubs.: ! . . During the same week Mr .Tamos addressed the Automobile Association in Christchurch on which occasion he urged the association to concentrate its activities for the early commencement of the great Haast Pass section of the Gre ait Otago-Wes Hand Road thereby completing one of the grandest motor tours" to’ be found anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere. A further lantern lecture was given the following evening at Oninaru under the auspices of the Wqituki Boys High School.