Extracts.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 554, 24 February 1858, Page 3

Extracts.

THE NOfcTHteßr^A^tf JftT&BifOß ;': ;Is&}s^&,.JW: OTAGO. v (Protathe Witmui; Jan. SO.) addr^sed ito. his .Honor the. Superintendent, baVbSen^^^ publication:--;-, jX:'>" - Xsnryey .of: ; the an^;iirterior'idistricts;;of' this province, in whiefr -I ;hav#be^ii'; CngSged^ddrmg^these last f^^j^^^^^[j^'.j^\^^j^^your .iEdConor such circumstances; as iiiay be'deeiiaed of public interest. I ;, J-;lerfV D^edm^^etb:' os&ber'last ¥$-JpQttiC)faij^j?Bj near whicb is the prominent Station of Mihiwaka, whose latitude Vas'to HJe -carefully , Jtt -ariii anpther. prominent. posftion^^ lbef L^brth|n^ybquhaa^^ o£ trtiiei province were> ; by .■■. their^^ ;ascertamed differfettdejof latitude^ to -form the foaSis -of:'operations. f&iXgqtiti fChSt%i^ ,|m \|(^e¥al daysi so' tliat t could hot return to,and start from head-quarters till the 14th October. -On that day I proceeded on the survey, accompanied by two pack-horses carrying tent and equipments, with one month'sprovisions for bur party-cbnsisting of three persons. ; Fr£mthe" last mentioned date to the 29th October, I w&,s, engaged oh the seacoast and Lower Waitaki. I then proceeded \^outf7o mifes :ania^to yievr the I'e^tUireßo^ the Upper 'Waitafei country, so as to enable me to judge of what arrangements- would be necessary for their surVey. ;. Ltheri;returned tb'the country librd<ei*ihg on the, sea^tcrossing, in various directions the Lb^er Waitaki Plains and the Kakanui and Otepopo Do^ns. This fine portion Of the1 province" being fully occupied hy stobkowiwrs^ laiid;; generally Well Knbyvn, 'needs -'"no description at this -present time.. ; On the 9th November I prbeeeded from Gtepopb^andcrossed the HprsW.' Range-to Shag Riyer, by ayejry rugged arid difficult route oyer,-Range Peak. : I then proceeded towards Highlay Hill; where observations had to be taken. We were here detained by' broken arid stormy weather for, three days, after Which I struck for the.Taieri Lake and the Plains of the Upper Taieri, generally known as Napier's Plains. -'=On Sarriyihg5 at Flat Hill these fine pjtairisfcanae in yiew; with the lake, about two miles long and one 'broad; ht their nearer 'extreme.. They appjarfed to stretch about 40 iii'iles ahdVsouth, ancl 25 miles east, andywest, bounded on the north by the lofty and bold KurowTMouhtairis, on the •westby the long^l#w-lyihg Rbiighrfdge/.ahii "on ithe south hy' the high and rounded Rbcfe ahii Pillar Mountains. After visiting the lake we crossed the plains in a! N. W. 'direction, travelling 6ver good pasture, arid: oh .'the 16th November we passed into thelda Valley by an easy entrance situated at the N. W. corner of the Upper Taieri Plains. This "valley we fbUrid' to 1 carry good grass over its area of about 30 miles long, and 7 broad. On'the same day we arrived at the Valley of 'the Mahuherikiaj a cohsidiferabie tributary of the Clutha. This river takes its rise in the high ranges that, form the southern boundary of the Waitaki Valley, and after a course of about 50 niilißS it joins the Clutha'at the northern extreme of the Umbrella Mduhtains. Finding the grasses bf the valley"unr burnt, we kept a.coui^e aldng the fops of the BlackstbheHills till I had examined the same.down to the ,Clutha. We found the grasses in the valley generatlly good, tod at the lower extreme superior. The Valley of the •Matiuhenkia. lesiiiinated to extend 40 to'4s miles N. and S., and 12 to 15 miles E; and W. The western side of the valley is bounded by M^h ranges, ye% ah opening through them, accessible -apparently by draysj was observed by a depression from whence a small rivulet called the Dunistan flows. This' sdhde Optiihg- I; afterwards viewed Trom the Plains of the Upper Clutha; where it seemed equally easy of | access, a^id where it leads directly towards the Wanaka arid Iliaw^a Lakes. , From,the hills near the southern extreme of the Manuherikia Valley I got observations of the JByre and other southern mountains; also the Slate Ranges, distant fifteen miles, from whence I Tiad y^aii -view.cd. the country I was now traversing. Having conipleted the suryey s??^^ part of the district we struck intending to.cross', the Ta,ieri sr, but oh arriving there we found, it swollen with the late rain 3 and melting

I snow, and. it was running so rapid and , 'turbid that, not being acquainted with the ; jibcUliarities of the bed, 1 'considered it unsafe, to yeh^ure ,to ford ; it j. so, turning northwards, we re-entered the Shag River and Waikowaite districts by the north of the lake. To. the end of November we ' were occupied with these districts, when I returned to Dunedin for a few days. From the time we started till pur return;; we had experienced' very unfavourable weather, so much, sb; that after being wet : all day,, in crossing the swollen creeks and making our way through high wet grass and scrub, we had frequently to on ,the ; wet ground at night; and the "operations of the "survey were not less frustrated by the almost constant obscuration of- the hill-tops by clouds and hazy '• feather. ; After toiling'-to the 'top of a hill.l had often to. watch for tours to get I an observation, or had to return disap- i pointed. | ,-' :i I started ;%iain frm t)unedih on the j 7th of December, and. overtook my party '. at Otepopo, where we loaded the two pack horses with'•' five weeks' provisions^ and pursued our journeyftp the Waitaki.. We arrived^ at' the Pass^'that leadk-into the i Upper Waitaki Plains on the 14th, from whence we made -fqrythe head of the • AhuririTßjver, hearTyfrch; a pass; into the ', j Upper Clutha country was reported by ; \ the Mabries to exist. ,6n entering the | gorge of the mountains We. soon came j upon a harrow, biili easy valley leading j westward ; so we pursued the same to its j head; at which we arrived on the 16th. jWe camped here for half a day, so as to | enable me to ascend one of the high mountains in the vicinity, from whence I ■ might connect my w;ork in the Northern { districts with prominent objects .in the ; interior. This service was effected on ; Long Slip Mountain, a .position which I commands a view of all the Waitaki and I Upper Clutha country, and I here, ob- ; that from the head of the pass to which we had attained a route of nearly . ;as easy travel was continued through a ; valley leading southerly to what I took to be the Wanaka Plains. " From Long : Slip Mountain, while the east, south, and i west aspects disclosed extensive plains and y downs covered with pasture, the north was occupied by the rugged and lofty. ! region of the Southern Alps—abounding in precipitous, slopes and: sharp snowy ; peaks, so numerous and so similar that a treat difficulty occurred as to which should c the 'objectsl of trigonometrical observation. -iWhen—wo...-ctarted from the valley the thermometer stood at 85 degrees; wcin one hour's climbing stood on the snow and cooled our parched lips with mouthfuls of the frozen element. On the 17th, we crossed over a neck not exceeding 50 feet high into the valley ! seen yesterday, and pursuing our course down a beautiful stream and well-wooded valley called the Lindis.for half a day, we 1 turned westward, and. ascended one of the spurs of Black Knob Mountain, on which we/camped at night near the snow line. We pursued the ascent next morning, i hoping at every eminence to gain a view of the interior lakes, but were many times disappointed, till at about noon, having attained to the Black Knob summit, the mountains abruptly terminated, disclosing a magnificent view. At our feet was the Hawea lake, deep, blue, and narrow, surrounded by extensive forests, reaching from the show line to the white gravelly shores; "and about ..five miles ,we^tw,ard cr lay the Wanaka lake, more open, but broken witli promontories and islets, and having the peculiarity marked in all the Maori sketches of a long narrow eastern arm. Excepting on the southerly shores these lakes were observed to be hemmed in by bold find Idfty mountains, those round Hawea being coyered by timber; but around Waiiaka ; the timber is more sparingly distributed. From these lakes issue the feeders of the Clutha river, now seen meandering' first'easterly, then southerly, till joined by the waters of the Wakatip, after which it flows easterly between the Umbrella and Dtmstan raises. „..., The plains of the Upper Clutha appear to stretch sixty miles north.and southland thirty miles east and west, having a high i mountain in the midst which I named , Pisa, lis it carries on its summit a huge j leaning rock, remarkably like the campa- I nile of Pisa. The Hawea lake is about | twelve miles long and two broad; the Wanaka ten niiles long andy three broad. Before leaving Black. Krfob mountain, I changed its name in my field book to the more eUphoheous title of Grand view. From Grandview mountain we struck to the south, along the ranges, approaching

the Clutha (now being in high flood and unfdrdable) within half-a-mile; and after; fixing by observation all prominent fea-1 tures we returned to, the Ahuriri on the; 22nd. The upper plains of the Clutha I found to be covered with superior grass; ■ but timber w;as scarce, excepting on the, lakes and portions of the river where, islands exist. From the Ahuriri river we passed to the Ohau lake,,froiri whence one of the feeders of the Waitaki river flows. This lake1 is about ten miles long and two broad, and is surrounded by high mountains on; all sides but the south. The head of the , Ohau lake" cannot be more than twentyfive or thirty miles distant from Jackson's Bay ori the West;;CJoast, and the most, practicable route; to the west appears to be. from it, over a gbrge on the Snowy Ranges. On its western banks, is abundance of timber. From the Ohau lake I made for the, Pukaki lake, crossing the Ohau tributary; of the Waitaki river, now in full flood,; after 'somey^a^h||pr a practicable ford. [ I left the pack-holsls here, they not being . able to cross, and took advantage of the comforts of Mr. Fraser's warrie, while en§aged' in the survey to the north of the hau. river. The Pukaki lake I found to be about six miles long and two broad. •The waters, of the' lake are very opaque, • and have a milky appearance. It is to the waters of this lake that Waitaki river owes its white colour, a peculiarity not possessed by any of the rivers of the Otago province, and to this circumstance is owing many of the dangers encountered in fording it. The river that issues from the Pukaki lake is the main stream.of the Waitaki, and I judged it at this season to be unfordable at any place; arid in this conclusion was also confirmed by the settlers, two of them having'nearly lost their lives in it. At the head of the Pukaki lake .a marsh extends for two or three miles, then a desert of sand about two miles in breadth reaching to the base of Mount Cook. The desert was reported by Mr. Fraser's shepherd to abound in quicksands. Through the desert flows the upper feeder of the Pukaki lake, a river divided into many branches, and charged with yellowish white detritus brought down from the centre of the Southern Alps.. I proceeded along the southern shores of the Pukaki lake with my horse as far as the country would permit, then, leaving it secured, I went on foot several miles above the lake to a point commanding a perfect view of the. valley bf^the Pukaki and the mountains . enclosing- the same. Mount Oool=, tko.mjinflroh.of soutbern~niouut/i,:.— 7 was full in view, distaaf^about 25 miles, and towering 13,000 feet above the sea, was clothed in snow from its tapering peak to its base, and, supported as it is by rugged and precipitous sides, surrounded by desert and utterly barren mountains and valleys/its appearance, however calculated to excite the admiration of the lovers of the picturesque, possessed with its magnificence so much of the appalling and forbidding in its barren dreary wildness, that most visitors would unconsciously turn aside and relieve the eye with the more tame and rounded grassy downs to be seen stretching for many miles in the direction frotn whence they had approached. Having completed the survey of the plains of the Upper Waitaki, which stretch fromvtKe main stream about 30 miles north and south, and 20 miles east and west, and bear generally inferior pasturage, I proceeded tq the West Kurow Ranges, intending to cross them into the Taieri country. Here, being at a high elevation, we were detained for three days by a snow storm, after which we vbroke camp, and proceeded to the head of the range, when we found the country so rough- and intersected by deep ravines as riot to be traversable by our horses, unshod and foot-worn as. Jhey were. We therefore returned to Otepopo/" and, taking more provisions, I revisited the Taieri lake, crossed the Taieri river—now a small stream —and obtained the observations on the Rock and Pillar Range that I formerly had been disappointed in obtaining. Having effected this service, on the 15th inst. I returned towards Dunedin. After the maps are completed, I will of course be.able to give more detailed and satisfactory information than can be pretended to at present. In mentioning the; extent of pasture lately gone over, I can only furnish your Honor with an approximate estimate as follows: — j Waikmiaiti and Shag 1 River Country. 400 sq. milee I 4 Otepopo, Kakanui and Lower Waitaki ...... 800 I 4 Upper Taieri ....^ 1200 „ 3 5 Ida Burn 200 „ 3 5 Maiiuhirikia 500 „ 8 5 Upper Waitaki 600 „ 2 4 Upper Clutha.. 1200 „ 3 4

The districts marked 1 are fully occupied, those marked 2 partially, and those marked 3 are unoccupied; those marked 4 possess timber, and those marked 5 are without timber. We found good coal at the head of Shag Valley, and indications in many of the valleys of the Kakanui and Kurow Mountains. The formations in the interior are principally traps and schists containing no indications of mineral wealth. The upper plains of Waitaki possess good land carriage to the Port of Omaroo, and the Upper Taieri, Ida Burn, Manuhirikia, and Upper; Clutha Districts may by some improve--ment be put in easy communication with the Kartigi Beach. The Upper Clutha: plains, I am led to believe, also have easyaccess to New River by the Wakatip Lake \ and Upper Mataura. Considering that there is so large an ex-. tent of available pasture now unoccupied, principally owing to the want of easy; access, I would respectfully suggest that a - pioneer corps of road-makers would do '1 much to assist the first settlers in opening! the country and in developing that highly \ valuable branch of colonial industry, viz., \ the pastoral interest: It is scarcely fair to \ the one or two enterprising and energetic individuals that open up a new country to have the burden of forming the roads for others to reap the advantage thereof, while at the same time the property that they invest in so direct and rapid a manner tends to advance the population of the i Province in their progress to wealth and prosperity. •' With assurances of the most respectful consideration, I remain, dear sir, yours faithfully, J,. T. Thomson. Survey. Office, Dunedin, 20th Jan. 1858. P.S—We found remnants of the Moa in every direction, exhibited in its bones. These were found most abundantly in the vicinity of bush, but were everywhere in a very decayed condition. In a few years more these will have disappeared. The least decayed bones that I have found were in the Valley of the Waiau, where extensive forests exist. So fresh were the bones in that district that I had even some hopes of seeing the live bird. - The'districts that I have gone over lately were remarkably destitute of living creatures, excepting near the Taieri Lake, where wild pig-s arid dog-s abound. We came across nothing but a few rats, one or two quails, one or two wood-hens, and -fWo^i'oj,. hawks, and smaller birds. 1 he repprtecr"VYidißKw~r-«i _u_ not detect, and time did not permit our ascertaining the existence of the Lake Beaver, and the small family of Maories who are said to have fled from Waitaki and taken refuge here at the time Raupera made his attack on the southern settlements. • During our last journey the weather proved on the whole exceedingly fine, and favourable to our operations.