NATIONAL PARK

Hokitika Guardian, 22 May 1930, Page 7

NATIONAL PARK

WESTLAND GLACIERS

PROPOSAL BIPBESSES;TOURISTS

•• * •'.* . ' ■ 'V\ ‘ Itj 1 • ■ • Members of the Christchurch party winch visited the Fox and'Franz Josef Glaciers .last/week were prp.oundly impressed with the wisdom of -tile-proposal that the/whole area from Waiho to, the Karangarua river, a distance of 30 miles,' should be constituted ja; National Park. This area includes liotli of the glaciers and thousands of. „acfes... of the most luxuriant native bushi As a holiday resort it is becoming, ,;more and more popular, and now that the road from Hokitika to AVehekahas been put in such', excellent order it is easily accessible; to all/tourists. The main South Westland road is being continued some miles south of W.eheka, and will ultimately joined,with a road •which being/made from Otago through the . Haast pass. The district will then be within 24 hours’ journey of. both Canterbury -and Otago. In the early days, it was urged that the Copeland valley should be declared & snnetuary. The birds in this"area were pies tifijb about 20 or 30 years ago, but thoj hove'largely died out. Tn the bush near Waiho there are to be found th° tni, bell-bird, prey-Avn/Rler, fantail wood pigeon, bush warbler, kaka, ard returning after some years’ absence the parakoot;::;. ..the ./traverse oft this ares wan made s 'by the. party in /Hcayy'rain, nnrUAnlv a '%w pigeons iU?ejre seen in the dripping,bush.

BUSH. AND HILL SCENERY ■ •;>, r- -

The-17 miles foor;! Waiho .tp- Webeka which Could be included in the Park give , pijpb'abfy the most-; magnificent views ofdvush and mountains, in South Westlankl./The road, winds .over three hills— Wa.ikukupjijj and, Cooks —readijsg/a height of 130p,.feet on/the last.'Everywhere by the Roadside a mokt growth, of.,ferns,..,and native fimsk, while from the .yudfeys the taller/trisga, some, of, them ip.ld,and, bare of ,Teav,e. ; s.f reach high up tHp< slopes' of the • RifLf The views fromthe, hilltops are yaried, with ; of the Alp,f- and the seps. A hundred minor waterfalls jjspriri’g out 'from, the hillsides in rniijy feather, and the sight and sound >of^jiese/caps the -hgautv of the whole. of. either.- sipe,thik!rpnd.is already this the whole jfirfeb, .ff‘om 'hiiltd’ps should -.-a sanctuary and- a ha- *. tional The Ml|v Highways Board has spv- / eral gan|;k oh/meW ak work iorj^the fpns The- brid<jfp, oyer once formidable even- to’ the seryft?|.-pars now assures.' the passage, of the/fightest. ve*Weles. Clearwater, creek i&fs£bn ,tp be bridged; and before' long/; even'the smallest'creeks and springbe safely spanned. The road is :jn • fair . '• ■•' •' 4>S 4--' /

/ondition, and here, too, improvements are being made which should be a great oncouragcmelnt to motorist to tour in the glacier district. .

FINE ROAD FROM HOKITIKA

The approach to the area is made by car from Hokitika over a distance of

f t miles to the ’Waiho gorge. Alter improvements extending over five years the road is now as -smooth as most highways in Christchurch! At one time difficult and narrow, it now admits tfi passage of two cars abreast. Most of the creeks have now been bridged, the bridges over McDonald’s and Redjack’s creeks having been completed in the last two months. Not only is there ample hush and lull scenery, but there a'e very fine views about Lakes lanthe Wahnpo. and Mapourika, reflecting the mountain peaks to the south. Throe mile's from Harilinri is Mount Hercules the most beautiful part on the early part of the trip. The slopes are hung with ferns, and the view evt-uuls far ' iwn the Wntaroa Wley to Lake Rot.okino. There is another particularly fine •panorama five nubos from Hokitika t'ann the Rimn Hill, Avliieh overlooks the fertile land of the Tvokat.ahi valley the ha'-h-i of f] )e Hokitika river, and tho Hohohu range.

RELICS OF GOLD-RUSH DAYS.

Here, oil every side, an 1 again at Ross, are piles of toliiligs Horn tne old gold-rusn drtytfj how overgrown with weeds and utOMS. Passing through Ross it is difficult to believe that this rusted town/cf 250 inhabitants once held no few-./than 15,000 miners in the d?ys fol lug the Hokitika rush. Throghout cho trip ,there are constantly historical interests such as this to add to the natural beauty of the region. Further on, for instance, one may see the tiny shack where a Scotsman and a Chinaman lived together for 35 years, and were so attached that each provided lor leaving his fortune at death to the other. Mint creek is so named from a prolific growth of mint about bs 1 an r ' c ' Nowhere else in the district has mint been found.

Black swans-, grey ducks, and ;b)ack teal ducks make good shooting on Lake Mapourika and ,lanthe, but they find few hunters beyond the neighbouring residents. In Lake Mapourika, Mount Cook, and Mount Tasman are reflected in the water An a perfect setting of bush and-ferns. The first view of the Heeler comes two miles from the -hostel just over the Thtare bridge. In the latter part of the: trip, other alpine peaks are constantly in view, all brilliantly vvhite and fresh with snow. The whole journey from Hokitika is constantly interesting and constantly beautiful; and it leads to an .area of the richest bush and the most exhilarating scenery in the South Island; ■