NEW ZEALAND ALPS

Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 72

NEW ZEALAND ALPS

MOUNT COOK AND OTHER WONDERS. At the Y.M.C.A. Rooms on Thursday evening Mr H. Coxhead, of the Mount Cook Company, gave an interesting description, illustrated by lantern slides and moving pictures, of an ascent of Mount Sefton, a winter ascent of Mount Cook, and winter sports at the Hermitage. The lecture was held under the auspices of the Chamber' of Commerce and the Otago Expansion League, and Mr W. B. Steel, of the latter body, presided. The hall was well filled. The chairman said he was pleased to see so many people interested, in their own country Mr Coxhead said that when one spoke of the Mount Cook district one thought only of Mount Cook, but the district was a vast area of peaks and glaciers, with Mount Cook as the main attraction. Access to the locality was easy. It was within 24 hours of Wellington and within 12 hours of Christchurch. As for Dunedin, a person laaving the city in the morning was at the Hermitage for dinner. The first portion of the programme was occupied with moving pictures of winter sports at and "near the Hermitage and further afield. The performances of' the ski-ing parties were much appreciated, their fortunes, as well as their misfortunes, being followed with some amusement. The weather, even in winter time, said the lecturer, was not as cold as many people imagined. Travellers went there with heavy clothing, prepared for the worst, but some of it they found they could reasonably discard. Lantern slides brought before the audience the hazards in climbing Sebastopol, “ a small peak, on which beginners often commence.” The trials of a lady and a guide who ascended the peak were watched with close attention. Their footing was sure, though it sometimes appeared precarious, and at last they were at the top, where they found a magnificent view looking up the Tasman Glacier. This was one of the short trips which could be undertaken by visitors. It was a common practice, Mr Coxhead said, for tourists, instead of returning to Timaru, to proceed to Queenstown, and then on to Dunedin. The climb of Mount Sefton, which was accomplished last year by Mr K. Parker, of Dunedin, and party, showed the intrepid climbers at several stages on the way up and then on the top. Mr .Wigley’s winter ascent of Mount Cook in 1923 was an undertaking of daring. It was not usual, the lecturer remarked, to attempt ~ the ascent in the winter, and it was for that reason that Mr Wigley undertook it. In winter the days were short, and there was more chance of bad weather. But the climber’s venture, with Guides Milne and Morrell,

was successfully carried through, notwithstanding exceedingly trying conditions on the Haast Ridge, especially with soft snow and the hard ice encountered above the summit rock, and from the top the trio enjoyed a view which, for the extent of its grandeur, had few equals in the world. The return to the Hermitage, with its many comforts and its wonderful chef, was made without mishap. The evening was most enjoyable, and the lecturer succeeded in bringing before his audience the delights, the wonders, and the dangers of the Hermitage and its unique surroundings. On the motion of the chairman a warm vote of thanks was accorded Messrs Coxhead and Richards for an entertainment that was full of instruction and pleasure.