BROWNING PASS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 March 1931, Page 2

BROWNING PASS

'—— §W' CROSSED BY WOMEN. su. fe ' 41 fed A'. NIGHT SPENT IN THE OPEN. ml: ■ g&: MS •. What is believed to be the first party 'of women 'to cross Browning 'Zi'L Pass on the divide between the West Coast and Canterbury arrived in Christchurch on Wednesday evening with jftC; some men who also made the trip, epf The whole party comprised Mrs \Val- ||| lace, Misses Marshall and Sherriff, Kgs'. Guide N. Karnbach, Messrs F. Curlyf' tain, A. Msharry, A. W°°lhouse of Kokatalii, and M. Davidson of Hokifeb. tika, West Coast. The party left Jvokatahi at 8 a.m. on Monday, and the' first stage was p? one of nineteen miles to the Pyramid, on the West Coast side of the mounfp. tains. They arrived at the Pyramid hut at 5 pirn., and spent the night gd. there, leaving on Tuesday morning for ||jj: th e sixteen-mile tramp over the Pass. liA/'.iJEvickily, fine weather was experienced §|\>4i tbe time, and there was little trouhie with the lording of streams, there being only eight crossings of any size on the section. Good weather was the rule on the Tuesday and a stop was made in the bush overnight oposite the Glenthorne station. On Wed'nceday th e party arrived at the station, and then motored into Christchurch.

One night was spent in the open, but the other at the Pyramid hut, which is of stone and iron, and can accommodate twelve persons . The track was found in places to be fairly overgrown but it was quite clearly defined, and was considered to require very little to open it up. Theji the average person could make the trip with little trouble, though some experience in fording streams and travelling through bush would Be of assistance.

Apart/from the fact that the crossing wa,s the first in which women took part, it was also believed to be the first of anj' size since the tragedy of two years ago, when two boys were caught in stormy weather and drowned in a mountain torrent.

The Pass is thirty-five miles east from Hokitika, and is 4815 feet in height. On th e Canterbury side there is a trip down the valley of the Wilberforce to t ll c Glenthorne station, and then a trio bv road to? the Coleridge station. The Pass was one of the oldtime routes used by the Maoris in crossing the divide on war-like and trading expeditions for the valuable greenstone, and is through the heart of the mountains with diverse and magnificent scenery. In rainy ' weather there are numerous mountain torrents rushing down the steep mountain

.sides which are covered on the western side with snow fields and on the eastern side are rugged and fitroaked with ribbons of snow.