A Trip to Sound LAND.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 49, 3 March 1894, Page 7

A Trip to Sound LAND.

WITH THE POSTAL delkgat.es. Hew Zealand’s Colonial Treasurer and Postmaster-General, the Hon. J. Gv Ward, is a strong 1 advocate of intercolonial reciprocity, and is so in other matters than those relating to trade and commerce. As the colony s representative at several Postal Conferences on the other side he has experienced Australian hospitality and courtesy, and he doubtless determined to return the compliment when opportunity ottered. Thus it came to pass that when the Union Co.’s Rotomahana arrived at the Blutt from Melbourne on Thursday, 22nd March, the contingent of her passengers en route to the Postal Conference to be opened in Wellington next week received a cordial welcome from Mr Ward, and shortly afterwards found themselves and their belongings transferred to the Government steamer Hinomoa, which was Avaiting to convey them to Stewart Island and the West Coast Sounds.

The following is a list of the Australian visitors and other members of the official party : From Ncav South Wales Mrs Kidd (Avife of the Hon. J. Kidd, Post-master-General), Miss Kidd, Mr S. H. Lambton (Secretary of the Postal Department), Miss Lambton, Mr P. B. Walker (Superintendent of Electric Telegraphs), Miss Walker and Mr Davies.

From Victoria —Hon. Agar Wynne (Postmaster-General), Mr Jas. Smibert (Deputy - Postmaster - General), Miss Smibert, Mr W. Warren (Secretary of the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company), Mrs Warren, and the Misses Warren. From South Australia —Hon. Dr. Cockburn (Minister for Education) and Sir Charles Todd (PostmasterGeneral). From Queensland —Hon. W. Horatio Wilson (Postmaster-General), Mrs and Miss Wilson, Mr John McDonnell (Under- Secretary of the Post Office and Superintendent of Telegraphs).

From Western Australia —-Hon. R. A. Sholl (Postmaster-General), Miss Slioll, Hon. H. D. Parker (Colonial Secretary), Misses Parker (2). The New Zealand party included the Hon. J. G. Ward (Colonial Treasurer and Postmaster - General), Mrs and Miss Ward, Mr W. Gray (Secretary and Superintendent of Post and Telegraph Departments), Mrs Gray ; Mr F. Hyde (private secretary), and Mr Crow (assistant private secretary). Among those who accepted invitations to accompany the delegates were the Hon. H. Feldwick, M.L.C., Messrs D. Pinkerton, W. Earnshaw, A. Morrison, and T. McKenzie, M.H.R.’s, Mr A. Raeside (Mayor of Invercargill), Mr T. Green (Chairman of the County Council), and sevei'al other gentlemen.

The Hinemoa left at four p.m., and, making a quick run to Stewart Island, her passengers were soon feasting their eyes on the beauties of Patterson’s Inlet, and were loud in their praises of its lovely wood-clad nooks and islets. Half Moon Bay was next visited, the steamer going to within a short distance of Oban, some of whose inhabitants treated those on board to a salute with flags and handkerchiefs. The steamer was then headed seaward, and the township, with its faintly-heard cow bells, quickly faded from view in the gloaming. The moon soon after shed its mild radiance on the waters by way of rivalling the artificial flashes which here light the sailor on his way over the unstable element. The first came from Dog Island lighthouse, just off the Bluff. It is a stone building, of great height, as the Island is low. It was first lit on August 1, 1865. The lantern is of the catadioptric order, there being sixteen lamps, in bunches of four. It cost £10,840 and , is stated to be the most expensive lighthouse in New Zealand. Ahead, the Centre Island

light shone out from the entrance to Foveaux Strait. The structure is of timber, and the light shows white and red. It was lit on Sept. 1, 1878, and cost £5,785. There are three men, Mr Johnston being the head keeper. After passing Centre Island, the next friendly beacon to be seen was that from Puysegur Point. This is the most south-AA r esterly point in New Zealand, and a recent visitor states that the lighthouse is a splendid one. The light is of the first order dioptric, and was opened on March 1, 1879. The cost was £9958, and as vessels from Australia and the United Kingdom make the laud here, it is of great service to mariners. There are three men in charge, Mr P. Boyle being the head keeper. When the Hinemoa left the Blutt the weather was delightfully fine, but the unofficial Captain Edwins and Clement Wragges on board predicted a change, and about midnight rain and Avind set in. About 7 a.m. on Friday, the steamed into Dusky Sound, and anchored close to Wet Jacket Arm. After lunch, the Hinemoa slipped into Breaksea Sound, Avhich is connected with Dusky, and from it reached the open sea. Doubtful and Thomson Sounds were next visited, and as the w eather Avas still uufaA r ourable, it Avas decided to anchor in the last-named Sound. While lying here of the passengers Avent ashore and secured a number of ferns and other floral spoils. Fishing, A r ocal and instrumental music, and other amusements Avere also indulged in, and Avith all determined to make the best of things, the time passed pleasantly enough despite the rain. About 2 a.m. on Saturday anchor Avas Aveighed, and Avhen the early risers of the party got on deck they found the vessel no longer hemmed in among verdureclad heights, but at sea, and nearing IVI ilford Sound, the grandest of all

the “ green-walled enclosures of deepest waters that run inland among the surrounding mountains for eight to twenty miles in their winding course —to nowhere.” The steamer entered Milford at 8 a.m., and for several hours thereafter the deck was occupied by eager sightseers. Then it was that the face of Captain Fairchild, most kindly and considerate of skippers, brightened. “ I never had worse weather, or more people on board, before,” he had remarked early in the cruise, but the evident delight of the company now convinced him that they had forgotten everything else in the grandeur of their surroundings, and he was satisfied. In one respect the rain played a kindly part, enabling as it did the various waterfalls in the Sound to be seen in their loveliest aspects. Many of the smaller ones looked for all the world like ribbons clinging to the sides of the rocky corridor through which the steamer glided. Stirling Falls presented a line picture, but w r ere soon forgotten when the chief glory of the Sound—the Bowen Falls —came in view. The steamer anchored near them, but not too near, for the spray flies far out from the shore. Emerging from one of the lower levels of the Barren Ranges, a mass of water dashes down the mountain side until intercepted, some seventy feet below, by an outstanding ledge. From this it rebounds high in the air, meeting the ever-descending flow, and then rolling onward, fleece-hued. into the water, 470 feet below. Here, too, are to be seen many magnificent mountain peaks standing in majestic solitude — some visible from top to base, others looming shadow}- like through intervening cloud and mist. At the head of the Sound, on a small piece of level ground between the Oleddau and Arthur rivers, stands the house built for the accommodation of tourists by the Sounds pioneer, Mr D Sutherland. It is the least picturesque part of the but at the same time the most accessible, and from it runs the track to Lake Ada and the wonderful Sutherland Falls, about 17 miles distant. Soon after the steamer’s whistle is blown Sutherland and his step-son came aboard, and

received the Milford mail—one letter. Sutherland,-who is Just what a guide and pioneer should be —sturdy, deepchested, and strong—say's that when ho gets a paper it is frequently four or five months old. Think of that, ye dsvellers in towns, who grumble consumedly if you miss your journal for a day. Some of the passengers take Sutherland to task for the bad weather, but he rattles off statistics to show that there are more rainy days in the principal cities in New Zealand in a year than at Milford, although the total rainfall is less. “Is the climate healthy ?” he is asked. “ Healthy !” he responds. “ Why, I used to be awfully bothered with rheumatism, but since coming here I haven’t had a twinge of it; and as for colds. I only get them Avhen I go to Dunedin or Invercargill.’’ Sutherland keeps a few sheep and cows, and will probably add to his stock, for the hist unm-of-war that called there was short of supplies, and would have bought quantities of beef and mutton had any been obtainable. At three p.m. Sutherland’s boat came off for him, and the Hinemoa steamed out to sea, homeward bound. Finding the weather still rough outside, Capt. Fairchild, ever solicitous for the comfort of his passengers, ran into Greorge Sound, and at eight p.m. dropped anchor at the head of this beautiful inland sea —the one, by the way, in which th« regattas in connection with the Union Company’s excursions are held. The journey was resumed early on Sunday morning, and as the weather promised better things, Capt. Fairchild determined to run through the Sounds again, and allow the visitors to be-

come better acquainted with their varied charms. As it happened, nearly every meal on board was eaten while the steamer floated over the calm waters of the Sounds, and this caused one of the Australian party to remark that it was the most accommodating part of the world he had ever been in—a Sound turned up at every meal hour. Small wonder, seeing thei'e are thirteen of them in a coast line of about 100 miles. If he had said that the captain was accommodating he would have been nearer the mark. That veteran, by the way, has been 30 years in the Grovernment service, 17 of these in the Hinemoa, has visited the Sounds over fifty times, and is familiar with every turn and corner of these unique waterways. Incidentally it may be mentioned that the Australian contingent of the company, while keenly susceptible, like every one else, to the supremely beautiful nature of the scenery, were unstinted in their admiration of the wonderful softness and purity of the air, which in their case was doubly welcome after the heat of the other side. At one p.m. the steamer brought up in a lovely solitude called Beach Harbour, at the head of Breaksea Sound. The rain had ceased some time before, and th* sun shone out, making the scene one of exquisite beauty. The spirit of peace appeared to brood over the place, and it seemed almost a pity to disturb its sylvan quietude. The boats were soon got out, and nearly everybody landed —to return with ferns and other trophies. One party were enchanted with the discovery of a pretty little waterfall, and another by that of a delightful natural fern house. Two of the explorers experienced a sad disappointment. “We are probably the first who have ever walked here,” said one as they plunged to their knees through moss and fern, when, lo ! before themjlay an empty kerosene tin. Too bad ! The Columbus-like feeling that had filled their breasts quickly evaporated, and they at once subsided into ordinary mortals. The excursionists haring returned to the steamer, one of them produced a piece of quartz thickly studded with gold. It was damp as though just picked up. He caused some excitement with his “ find,” but was strangely hazy as to the locality in which it was obtained, and finally «onfessed that Soundland was not its home. At four p.m. a start was made for Dusky Sound, with the

weather still bright and pleasant—a delightful change after two days of almost incessant rain. While passing through Dusky Captain Fairchild, going slightly out of his course, gave the company a view of the place visited by Captain Cook 120 years ago, during his second voyage to the Antipodes in the Resolution. He had lost sight of her sister ship (the Adventure), and determined to visit New Zealand to look for her and to “ refresh his people,” who had been over 100 days at sea. The place is a regular snuggery, reached by a narrow channel through which it seemed impossible for the steamer to pass without touching the trees on either side. One of the party declared that he could see the very trees to which the yards of Captain Cook’s ship were fastened —it is a fact, however, that the stumps of the trees cut by his men were visible in 1862. As the aspect of the place has changed but little since 1776, save that the natives have disappeared, the following extracts from Cook’s Voyages will be of interest: —“On the 26th of Match the Resolution entered Dusky Bay, but with much caution, as they were all ignorant of its soundings, Captain Cook, in his former voyage having only discovered and named it. After running about two leagues up the bay, and passing several of the islets which lay in it, they brought to and hoisted out two boats, one of which was sent away with an officer round the point on the port side to look for anchorage. This he found and signified the same by signal. They then followed with the •hip, and anchored in fifty fathoms of water, so near the shore as to reach it with a hawser. The country appeared beautiful and pleasing. The islands at the entrance were shaded with evergreens, and covered with woods, and exhibited a delightful prospect. The rocky shores were enlivened with flocks of aquatic birds, and the whole country resounded with the wild notes of the feathered songsters. The men caught great numbers of fish, which eagerly took the bait, and their first meal upon fish seemed the most delightful they ever made. Their situation was admirable for obtaining food and water. The ship’s yards were locked in the branches of the trees, and near their stern ran a delightful stream of fresh water. They made preparations to set up the astronomer’s observatory, and the forge for making all necessary observations and repairing the ship. On the 28th some of the officers went on a shooting expedition, and discovered some of the inhabitants, and shortly after a canoe filled with natives came within musket shot of the ship. Some of them afterward ventured on board. When the officers first shot at the ducks in the vicinity the natives in different parts of the woods set up a hideous noise.” The Resolution remained here till 11th of ■May, and soon after leaving fell in with her sister vessel, the Adventurer. The Hinemoa cleared Dusky soon after six p.m. on Sunday, and reached the Bluff at seven a.m. on Monday. “ What kind of weather have you had here ?” inquired Capt. Fairchild as the steamer came alongside. “ Rain for thirty-six hours,” was the response ; “ what kind of weather did you have, captain P” “ Well,” he slowly responded, “it nearly rained once or twice !” And he didn’t wink the other eye, either. So ended the trip to the Western Wonderland. It was one of rare enjoyment, and doubtless all on board the Hinemoa will endorse with emphasis the words of a former visitor —“We shall neverforgetthoseglorious Sounds and the stormy seas that guard them.” It should be added that Mr and Mrs Ward, from first to last, spared no effort to promote the pleasure of their guests. The Australian contingent left for Invercargill soon after per special train, calling en route at the Ocean Beach freezing works, and after a

short stay at Invercargill, where they were shown the principal places of interest nnder the guidance of His Worship the Mayor, they went on to the Lakes.