A WEEK ON THE TARARUAS.

Shannon News, 17 March 1925, Page 4

A WEEK ON THE TARARUAS.

With the interest revived in the Tararuas by recent events it is timely to recall that for the past 25 years the mountains at Levin’s door have been the subject of exploration by local residents, while before that they were traversed, by the Maoris and surveyors. The first ascent of Mt. Dundas — after the surveyors—wajs made by Messrs Lancaster and France, of Levin, and we publish below their account of the journey as published in Levin on February 7, 1900. Later, in February, 1909, Messrs Lancaster and Adkin ,made the first crossing of the Tararuas to Masterton. Commenting on the fact the Wairarapa Age of that day remarked: “Surely some of. our mountaineers .on this side will be disposed to follow the lead given them from Levin and conquer the Tararuas, exploring the western as well as the eastern side of the ranges. Some day no. doubt these will be well trodden pathways between Masterton and Levin, now that two pioneers have shown that the trip across is practicable.’’

The account of the ascent of Dundas in 1900 was as follows; Messrs Ernest S. Lancaster and Hi. B. France, who have just spent a. holiday climbing the mountain peaks at the back oi Levin, supply us with the following interesting account of their trip:— ' , Leaving the new Gladstone Road, the rotne lay up the valley of the Ufiau. For several miles the river flows through a deep defile at. times confined between high rocky walls, watenvprn and polished to a great height, showing the great volume of water which rushes through the gorges at; flood time. Some pretty pools overhung by ferns and rocks were met witn which would handsomely repay a photographer’s visit. A glorious cattle hunt wound up the first day’s journey, a mob of six being met with in tile river bed, one heifer being brought to book. The first night out was spent in camp on a spur on the other side of Waiopeliu. A start was made at six next morning and after a stiff climb to the top of a high range covered with tawherq and the usual mountain scrub it was found that there was still a deep wide valley to cross which-lay between us and tiie Tararuas proper. On reaching the bottom a fair sized river was found flowing northward Which turns out to be the Mangahap. The second camp was pitched up the side of Mt. Dundas in tiie last of the birch hush where three days and nights were spent waiting for a favourable opportunity, The bush gets smaller and smaller up the side of the mountain, dwindling from 12 and 10 feet high to eight, then six, in even graduations, all thick and bushy, making it a matter of difficulty to get through it When it got shoulder high it was impossible to make much, progress and a day was spent cutting a, track which made the final ascent much 6aS i er , The ’gradual diminution in size of the trees up the mountain is a feature there. They vary from no higher than the boot top near the summit to knee deep lower down, then waist high, until they (become ordinary bush. The varieties. ofi tne mountain ate unknown on the flat. Several beautiful flowering jshrubs were met with. As morning broke fine, a start was made at daylight and the view was a magnificent one as it gradually unfolded itself. The bold curve of tne coast norm wards with the mouths bl the Rungitikei and Turakina riveis was a striking feature. Every detail on the Levin flat oo(uld be seen distinctly, and also the country to> as far as Paekakariki, the hilly country on the East Coast, and a glimpse of the Forty Mile Bush and the country near Mauriceville. The view on this side was not so good on account of clouds. The railway whistle oould be heard on both sides of the ranges. There is a small trig firmly planted on the top of Mt. Dundas. The centre pole has been shivered by the lightning, the iron guys evidently saving the rest. Three names were carved on the trig; 3. Mitchell, Fred Dorset and W. Knox, tiie first bearing the date of 1873, While we were adding two more names a lffist enveloped the mountain, leaving nothing visible but tiie pinnacle of rock on- which we stood and making the task of keep the spur back to to tne camp a work of difficulty. There is a spring about 200 Icet from the summit from winch tide billy was filled The smoke of the fire on which it. was boiled being seen frqfit Levin, insect life was numerous right to tne summit, butterflies and grasshoppers, and the oaminon blowflies being just as numerous as on the flat. There were also many pretty flowers growing among the mosses. t ~ The actual travelling time to the summit from the Gladstone road was 19 hours, the return journey taking iu hours. A look out was kept for tiie big Ihk® which is supposed to be up among 1) e mountains, but nothing was seen oi it.