LAKE ADELAIDE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10060, 30 January 1909, Page 4

LAKE ADELAIDE.

A NEGLECTED BEAUTY SPOT. \Written for the Oamaru Mail by A. U. Gifford.) PAJiX 11. The Amphitheatre. We appear now to be in an amphitheatre much smaller but even more perfect than the one we have left. Lake Adelaide is absolutely hidden from view, and the smaller lake with its tiny companion appears to be completely walled in by a symmetrical oval barrier of precipices surmounted by neve from which frequent avalanches tumble in feathery streams on to the snowy taluses below. Above the iakdet is a beautiful grass and mosscovercd liat bright with liowers and strewn with craggy blocks as large as houses. Then a long snow tains slopes up to the cliffs uf the cuddle, which are surmounted by a cornice of snow. The top of the saditle forming the western wall of our amphitheatre- is art undulating line guard* ed at its ziorihein end by a bold dark cliff surmounted by a gently-curving snow-ii'.-Id, the whole bhaped like the nose of a sl'.-eping giant. The southern boundary is a ifv.vr and far less imposing rocky buttresi. The remaining walls ol this giant's ci'.-cvv.um are far iiirhor. rising to live or .-fx th'/usand feet a!>ove the sen. The ji nilteni is part of the- same great- mountain which lornus the wc.-tvru wall of Lake Adelaide, and i* wuni bv ice into similar

f >ri!.s. Tiie perch-, d block:- resting in all t ilia of pre«-ar:ous positions are probably H'.-i reiii.s et tiie ancient glaciers, but masses bv iroet ami sun which

; ;id 'iow.'i on the enow diuing spring and Ivit in their pre.-eiu strange positiie sti-jw incited from around tat in. The- southern wali has more recta niuixs rugged and shows o.»mparali\fly rv cent scars from which huge Uock> have- fallen. Several of these

ilkh .-ticw the slope? below have been ivnt in twain by the ;ali. The eastern t-nd i» ihe most imposing of all. for it cMiLaiits "t pari of the great wall of Lake Adelaide though appearing from our pucition to belong entirely to the i:p[er amphitheatre. Kut of greater interest even than the i- the '(uesjion whether there is any pi>acib.e route into the Clcddau Val-

.-.y. It is nearly tour in the afternoon ■a ::eu we first roach this spot, and so far toy uit- to atU-niDt a serious climb, as we

hav*.- to return to *mv camp at the foot of tit»* lake and the last quarter of a mile i vi'-iic reaching it- is over the Moraine, which it is dangerous to cross, in the; dark. Ih'j sadd!»: appears imscaleable, but more t-» ihi- left a possible way of reaching the neve ap; i'iii>. T«> ;_vt a ncar.-r view we • i'jss tiie snow directly under the saddle and reach a kdge that runs obliquely upwards. The ascent is easy for 200 feet, paitly up rocky watercourses, partly over .-now. From tins vantage j>oint we scan the i»i*-eper cliffs alxjvc, and they look none t«>o promising. Then having" taken photographs of th..- highest snow slopes reached we make a hurried descent and r«_;race ./ia- long track round the iake. fiii- western side appears to afford a siii'ii-r mute, but from the distance we

cannot lie sure of its practicability. Numerous "Rissy lodges cross horizontally til - ae-smoothed granite slopes above the ciitfs. K.it the i edges are not continuous, and tun* is too short- to risk being blocked hallway. There is no doubt- however that a. track coiild easily 1 -e formed a long- thatside which, besides diminishing the dis tame, would do away with -some unnecc-s----saiy climbing, as we should not- then need to descend at the head of the hike before reaching- the hanging vai'iey. Climbing. Our camp is clearly too far away, so we move to a beautiful spot at. the head of tiie hike and wait anxiously for a fine day. On I-'riciay. January Bth, it appears to have come, for when we rise at 4 a.m. it- is i-L'--ar. though l-itt-crly cokl. Cndcterrtd by a few Hakes of snow which ilutter down as we boi! the billy, we make an early start for the snddle. but at Die same time the snow comes clov.n in earnest. We take shelter for half an hour under a rock Inside the outlet of the lakelet 450 feet above Lake Adelaide. As the snowfall increases we see it- is hopeless to attempt the pass, but take a ruu up the first- thousand feet of the rocky sp'ir to the right. We meet with no dillii culties, and it- appears quite easy to reach : by this route the great snowtield above. Hut the snow is thickening all the time, so we return to_ c-amp wet through at 11 a.m.. and at 0.00 p.m. enjoy our second meal of porridge. Xext morning we are again up early and start for the saddle at 8.50. After passing the sc-cond lakelet in lite amphitheatre we tackle the cliti's on the left, following the same ridge as K-toiv. Tt is not long before the difficulties begin. The other three are oood climbers. and it is S'mii ileal- that what may lie a safe pass ■ or them is not ev.-n a possible one f"r me. So at 10.00 at 4000 ft above the sea , I wi.-h theni good luck and good-bye in ease they ; ,re > uii'v«d'iil in reaching Mil-f-.rd. Then seeking shade under a large r.;ck 1 anxiously wat.-h their n.-ccnt. For tnree hours aiuia half i ,-ee them hanging an-i s!o-.viv ntAv.srds. In that ; time _lhey rise barely 150 feet. S,;ddeniy ' -'ian. 1:1_- towards the -a-.idl- I notice new i the lut.rntnj and it seems now quite | ; oss;;ee to find a ivav to the t-.n. near j :ti- i-ft h..r.ii • <,ra-r "i the cirque. ; quarter an hour's shows : that this route at ail events "mwms noj ,su.:ii niti-s as th-- way th« . vv« trvin.'. A c tv brings them j hick. and alter a light luneh we irv the i new r- ace in the .-ml i-: the afternoon. ! In more ,f, fm an h-.ur we aiv all J .-Eniidini: on •,!:•- nanow Miow-iovered ridge c'o.; :-!>ig >har;ily «>:i ea.-h .-ide. which t t ie ('!• dd.au from Moraine | Cr-'-;:. | Tits Yie.v from the Saddle. ; '1 he view i.- suneih. I In tin- east the S jakeh-r- <_.? li..- amph.ith. atre lie lOOOt't !*•- i low. whilst .111 the we.-*, it anpoars quite I • ;.sy to throw a ,|..ite t-. strike the f!«lI dau \ a:ley 2003 ft heneath us. On the ■ oe,- i:::nd. tile peaks on wiiich we have I g;i/ed [-,,[■ (if,,,.,, days stand out in truer j tion when s-en from tiie higher j level. Oti the other the Cleddau Willey rutis north-west- into Milford Hound, whose •waters wind darkly amongst the familiar in--untain.-. The Mitre stands out clear and complete on the left, whilst on the right the glaciers on Pembroke show up well atiove the rocks of liarren Peak. More to the west the Lawremiv l'eak.s and several of the -monarchs of the Arthur '. alley assert iiieir pre-eminence by rising right above the nearer summits. More directly beneath us in the C'leddau Val--lay the bush looks like a green carpet with the river winding through it- as a silver streak. A peep is afforded into each of the valleys of its tributary streams. Close beside lie to the south is another saddle, and we speculate as to what lies beyond it —whether a valley leading to Lake Marian or to the Upper Ilollyford. Two of our party who explored the C'leddau last year examine with interest from a new point of view the scenes of some exciting climbs. Attempts to Descend. The great question now arises, ''ls .'t possible to get down? - ' A glance over the forbidding cliffs is almost a sufficient answer. It were easy to reach the bottom in a quarter of a minute, but not all in one piece. Xo way is apparent of getting down alive. If we coiild set foot on the talus slope 2000 ft beneath ns it would be an easy walk to Sutherland's. The others are reluctant to give up the hope. From the point we stand on we cannot see the wall directly below. There may be, though it does not seem likely, 60iue ledges which would afford a foothold. It will take some hours to find out, and it is 6 t».m. So having drunk in the glorious view, and taken some photographs of it, two of us return to camp and prepare an evening meal, the usual allowance being doubled in honor of our having looked down on Milford. The others" siav to make a further examination of the precipices, and it is 10.40 when they return to camp excited by the possibility of suc-iv-ss. They have managed to get down 700 feet, and are eager for another try. So again in the morning we are up betimes. Realising from the description of the evening adventures that the descent, if practicable at all, is strictly reserved for the young and active, I again bid the others good-bye, arranging to wait one day in case the*- return before setting off down the valley by myself. I keenly regret not being able to accompany them, but as it turns out, I -lave rather the best of the bargain. It is a glorious day, ancj no one could wish for more beautiful surroundings. But the heat is extreme, and the ih>or climbers with their hands torn byrocks and lawyers, find their work under the blazing snn more exhausting than in the cool of the evening. Moreover, .discouragement meets them when they discover that the ledge they reached ends

in au overhanging cliff, and despite a careful search, no alternative route presents itself. Thus it happens that before dark we are all together again, enjoying the "duff"' that I have prepared. At least one of our party is still by no means convinced that descent is impossible, given fair weather and sufficient time. But of' our three weeks, three days alone remain, so we decide to strike camp at daybreak. The Route from Wakatipu to Milford. If the one cliff which bars the way could be negotiated a direct route, peculiarly rich in scenic beauties, would be open from Kinloch to Milford. The valley of the Kouteburn, and the magnificent panorama of the Harris Saddle are already well known. The deep and beautiful valley which the Hollyford has cut for itself along the junction between the schist and the granite, clothed as it is with virgin forest, would soon be as familiar and as highly appreciated as the valleys of the Clinton and Arthur. But the chief attraction of the whole route would be the alpine scenery round Lake Adelaide, which reminds one of the glories of Mount Cook. One precipice is the only obstacle in the way of opening up this most attractive route. Hints. A few hints may prove useful to any who follow ill our steps before a track is opened. The urst is not to expect too much from the huts in the Hollyford V alley. Junction camp given in some maps is not a hut at all, but a place where a tent unce stood. The first and only hut on the route we followed is three mile.- below the junction of the Routeburn aiul Greenstone tracks. It was once a one-roomed hut, but- now is in a sad state of disrepair: the door and chimney and several large portions of the walls and roof have long since disappeared, and one of the two bunks i.as sunk to the ground in a state of collapse. But. even

:>s it is it can afford some very welcome shelter to the storm-stayed traveller, and we hope the provisions we left in the camp <»von will afford a pleasant surprise to some weary wayfarer. The river, when not in flood can be forded opposite the hut. Kntering the water where the steps are cut we carried our swags over dry, the water reaching barely to our waists. Having found the journey up the valley of the Moraine creek so rough we came to the conclusion that the other side of the cataract might very well ue better and could hardly be worse. Coming home, therefore, we struck out an entirely new route, and avoided some of the chief difficulties we had previously encountered. We returned from our furthest camp to the Old Hut in one day of 12J[ hours, including a short interval for lunch, which shows how near the lake is to civilisation. The journey up occupied parts of four days and took 28 hours. But we went up in wet weather with heavy swags and came down in dry with light ones. The easiest route appears t-o be this. Cross the Hollyford opposite the Hut, make straight for the Moraine Creek under the mountain side. Cross it below the cataract and keep on its left or northern bank to Tent Flat. From there follow the right bank and the steep tributary stream which leads on to the grassy terraces at the north-east corner of the lake. The route to the head is then apparent. When a track is made it will be as easy to walk from Kinloch to Lake Adelaide as it is now from Te Anau to Milford, and even at present we heartily recommend the trip to those who oelight to leave the beaten track, and can enjoy a really rough scramble amongst- rocks and hush. To the geologist or botanist Lake Adelaide is one of the most interesting corners of great Nature's workshop, and every lover of mountain scenery will carry from it recollections which will delight his mind's eye for many years to come.