EVENTFUL TRIP

Hokitika Guardian, 10 March 1930, Page 2

EVENTFUL TRIP

NELSON’S BACK COUNTRY

DAMAGE BY EARTHQUAKE

AUCKLAND, March 6

An eventful trip into the heart of an uninhabited region of Nelson Province devastated by the earthquake of last July has been completed by Mr E. McNair, of Epsom.

With two companions he visited the spot where the upper reaches of the Karamea river have been dammed by an immense montain-slide, and a new lake, several miles in extent, has been added to the map of New Zealand.

The party was the first to penetrate into this part of the back country from the east since the earthquake. Leaving upper Takaka with four pack-horses, they followed the course of the Takaka river toward Mount Arthdr (5800 ft), and, after considerable difficulties owing to the destruction of the track by landslides, they reached the top of Mount Arthur tableland, and established camp at the head of a pass leading down into the Karamea and Leslie valleys.

SCENE'S OF DESTRUCTION

“I have been into the country more than once during the last 20 years, and it appalled me to see the destruction wrought by the earthquake,” said Mr McNair. “The mountains surrounding us were stripped bare of their beautiful bush, and the track I cut down to the valley eight years ago was co.vered up under debits from slips, and a tangle of felled trees and rock. Ho make matters worse, it rained or snowed every other day, until the broken -country was nothing -better than a sea of mud.”

SIX MILES IN FOUR WEEKS

For 28 days the three men toiled to get horses into Leslie valley—a distance of ony six miles. Great fissures appeared across the path, and had to t>e filled in. To get the animals over, scores of giant trees and boulders were hauled our of the way, and each night the party had to eLmb the hill on to the tableland for food and shelter.

The difficulties of the descent had not been. foreseen and as the days went by food supplies diminished until it became necessary to depend almost entiiely upon fresh venison, of which there was a bountiful supply. To add to their trouoles the clay surface of many of the deep slips was found to consist of a thin crust through which the horses sank at frequent intervals.

EARTH TREMORS

During January the party > experienced a succession of earth tremors, “borne of the sliocks seemed to oe almost volcanic in nature,” said Mr McNair. “First comes the noise of the explosion; then you feel the terrific impact, and subsequent trembling may lust many seconds, The phenomenon dicl not appear to me to be the result of foldings and settlings of the earth layers, but pent up volcanic activity seeking an outlet, I am told tnat these concussions have been occurring ever since the great earthquake in July.”

MOUNTAIN-SIDE SLIPS

A scene of extraordinary desolation met the eye when the party reached The Bend, as the junction of the Leslie and Karamea rivers is called. Four miles below the junction the Karamea was dammed by the entire moun-tain-side, which had slipped across the gorge, and above the obstruction a lake had been formed, extending several miles up the valley. “We made our way down the shores of the lake to the dam,” said Mr McNair. “There we found that between 40 feet and 50 feet of the top portion of the dam had given away. All round us were trees with wet slime and driftwood caught in their branches showing how high the water had previously reached. , Even, now the water must be fully 300 ft deep above the dam. I cannot see that there is any further danger of the dam breaking,”.'he added. “The side which detached itself from the hill, and entered the gorge, is spread out wedge-shape and over it the water from the lake pours in a series of cascades for over a mile.”

MOUNTAINS DENUDED OF BUSH

Mr McNair described the journey to The Bend as “walking through a dead world.” The magnificent forest growth which covered the mountains had been completely killed and the country seemed to be utterly wrecked. To illustrate the difficulty of travel' through this devastated region, it has only to l>e mentioned that it took the party 28 days to cut the track into the Leslie valley. Three days were occupied in getting out.