NATIONAL PARK

Hokitika Guardian, 28 June 1930, Page 6

NATIONAL PARK

HUGE AREA IN SOUTH -

WESTLAND

(Crhistchurch Press.)

A huge national park in South Westland. including 14 peaks of oer 10,U0Uft and no fewer than 13 glaciers, among them the Franz Josef and' the Eox—this is the proposal which, chiefly through the efforts of tlie president of the New Zealand Alpine Club (Air Arthur I’. Harper), will shortly come before the Scenery Preservation Board. When the original area, embracing practically the whole watershed of the \Vaiho and Gallery rivers, was extended southwards to cover the Cook river watershed, Air Harper suggested to the Lands and Survey Department a further extension of 64,000 acres to include the whole watershed of the Katanga run river. With the support -if the Alpine Club, bis representations were favourably received and tliis area was also marked out for the reserve. “if the complete area is confirmed and authorised by the Scenery Preservation Board, it will form a block of unsurpassed grandeur 'for years to come and at the same time will not contain an acre of land lit for settlement or any marketable quantity of milling timber,” said Air Harper. “Knowing tlie ■ whole of this countiA intiinately. I say definitely that 1- know no other area, of its ffize which contains such varied ajitl at the is.nme time such magnificent scenery. As a- national playground, it will be unsurpassed for years to come. Although the northern portion of the reserve—tlie Franz Joseph and the Fox is—now well known and accessible to motor-traffic by a good road, tlie southern part is known only to few. Some details of it may therefore be interesting.”

THE COOK RIVER VALLEY

The Cook river bad three brandies, continued Air Harper. The north branch came from the Fox glacier and was well known. The middle branch was fed by the Balfour glacier which flowed from the western side of Alount Tasman and which, lying' in a narrow valley walled in by huge precipices,, was only accessible by a climb over Craigie range at a - point more than "OCi t.t. from sea-level. Tlie river route was impracticable since it descended through a fearsome end, be believed, 'impassable gorge. The first man. to visit this most remarkable valley was Air C. E. Douglas, who went alone in 4889, but tlie whole locality was not explored until Douglas an Afr Harper went there in 1894 for nearly two weeks.

“It is a wonderful place, little more than a narrow defile seven miles long practically filled by the Ualfour glaeier and shut in on the east of Blount Tasman, which rises almost in one precipice for 7500ft—'•the most stupendous face 1 have seen anywhere, Switzerland not excepted. The locality has not been visited by any party since our first explorations 36 years ago. There are signs of gold in the valley. The third or south branch of the Cook river, which comes from the La Perouse glacier, is of entirely different character. Douglas and 1 were the first up this river in 1804. after doing the Ualfour. The route lies through a very narrow 'and deep valley running south—so narrow that the sun can reach it only for an hour or so in the middle of the day. Tt is a difficult river to ascend. The first big obstacle is a bluff, to pass which necessitated “blazing” through the l-ii-sh to a height oif over 700 feet Trom which one could drop a stone into the river below. Then follows a long stretch of very large boulders. This part of the river, some four miles long, took Douglas and me four days to traverse, but after we had blazed a few tracks we halved the time.”

DEPOSITS OF ANCIENT GLACIER

Tilt* boulders bad been deposited by the ancient glacier which at one tune filled the whole valley. They were true “erratics.” Two specimens measured 113 ft high by 3S-ilt in circumference. and Io(iIt (.aneroid) high and S-lot't in circumference. Metween these two giants and the ordinary riverbed stones, they were of every size, jammed into the bottom of the valley in indescribable confusion. All ter passing thiis lour miles and valley turned to the east, and in about the same distance, over easier going, one reached the |,a Peronse glacier, a beautiful and graceful stream of ice fed, by the peaks adjoining Mt. Tasman. The upper part of the valley was magnificent, walled in on both sides by precipices, but especially fine on the south from ’’lt. Lyttle and Copland Peak. At its head were the grand “Massif” of La Peronse (10,101 ft), the steep ice slopes of Harper saddle, and huge cliffs of ”icks (St. David’s Dome) 10.101 ft. 1 b-ut I‘2 years after this visit Dr. K. Teichlemann, the Pev. IT. E. Newton, and guides made two trips up this valley, being the first actually to reach the glacier. They ascended Mt. Ln Peronse and crossed Harper safkTPto (lie Hooker glacier and the. Hermitage. This was the only expedition made into this valley since the first exploration. THE KAPANGAPUA REGION.

To the south of Cook river was the Karangarua, a large river draining tlie divide from La Pa rouse round to M.t. Prunner on the .Mueller glacier. Tts north branch was the Copland, traversed by Mr Douglas and Mr Harper in the early nineties, and now well

known as the route of the Copland Pass. Tlie middle and main (south) blanches were however, even finer in some respects, and again very little known. The Twain, or middle branch, came from Lite great Douglas! glacier, lying on the western .slopes of Alt. Sefton, and this river, like the Balfour, had an impassable gorge—at least Air Harper found it so when making the first exploration in 1894-95.

“The whole river is walled in on the south by stupendous cliffs, rising to cover 3000 ft sheer,” continued Air Harpeir. “The head basin is tlie weirdest place 1 have ever seen, surrounded bv precipices, bleak and barren, from which the roar of the ice avalanches from the Douglas glacier echo throughout the day. Dr. AlacIntosli Bell, the late director of our geological survey, and his party are the only ones to have followed this route, some 14 years after my exploration.. and liis official account of it confirms my original opinion that the place is unique in any alpine region. It was reached fmin the east, via Fyfe’is Pass, by Alessrs Fyfe and 'Graham, and that route is the best if anyone cares to risk being caught in difficult country by bad Weather. Otherwise the way lies via the south branch of the Knrangarua and over Douglas Pass —again a risky journey unless made with a strong party led by an experienced man who lias been told the best' lines to follow. After (he first few miles of fair going comes a very magnificent gorge, through which I know only one route; and •above that more fair going interspersed with big - boulders. This wonderful part of the proposed new reserve is ili'*Ynlt of access, lint well worth going into.

FINE BUSH SCENERY

“Afy exploration in 1894-5 was with a ALaori, and it took us 19 weeks. So plentiful were the birds that we almost ‘lived on the bush,’ and it always stands out in my memory as the gem of South Westland. At Christmas. 1928, 34 years later, I had the pleasure of leading a party consisting of my daughter, Rosamond, and Af.essrs AY iron, Lucas, and NVilliams, bv way of .Mueller glacier and Fvfe’s Pass, Into the Landsborough river, thence over the Knrangarua Pass, and down that river to habitation on the Const. This was the first transinsular crossing by this .route, and we found thnt.it was not the glamour of years -tliat had enhanced the wonderful scenery, but that reality fully ecm-il'ml by most cherished memories.

“This inadequate description will neHiaps convey an idea to all that +h«se two reserves contain of interest and grandeur, and also what an unspoilt playground they are for our venturesome youth of to-day and many to-morrows,” ended Air Harper. “A more prosaic inventory shows 14 or ]o

•vd-e nf over 10,000 ft, dozens of over "C-aft nnd no fewer than 13 first'•bi alnoiens including tlie Franz T oso f and Fox. Let us Impe the "“nm-fl will confirm the proposed reservation.”