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2. "Explorations in the Te Anau District,”
The journey was made by himself and three other gentlemen in January of this year, from the north fiord of Lake Te Anau to Bligh Sound and back. He claimed that this was the first time the journey had been completed by Europeans. In illustration of his narrative Mr. Gifford exhibited collections of very excellent photographs which he secured en route. Numerous points of interest in connection with the journey were dwelt upon by the speaker. At one stage, he said, the streams were found to be of a chocolate colour, due to some growth in their beds. The Kareni Falls were remarkable for the exceedingly narrow space into which the river was compressed in making its plunge. Another fall to the westward was described as being notable for its extreme beauty. The lowest level of the summit of the pass was 3,700 ft. On its westward side the travelling was much easier than on the Lake Te Anau side. A creek in one valley was remarkable for the large number of pot-holes which it contained. They were of all sizes. Some were as much as 10 ft. across and 8 ft. deep, while all had the stones in them which had made them. A long and narrow cañon and a river which disappeared underground were among other wonders encountered. For a quarter of a mile from the place where the river was lost to sight it could be heard roaring underfoot, but afterwards the sound diminished, and was ultimately lost. At one point the party saw thousands upon thousands of caterpillars climbing from the ground to the branches of shrubs by means of lines of their own making. The kea parrots threatened the travellers as they made their way through the mountainous country. Numbers of blue-duck were seen, and many penguins in Bligh Sound. Only two rabbits were noticed, one on the very summit of the pass and the other on the shore of the sound. The mountain flowers were profuse and very beautiful. There was much less snow about than usual. A great deal of rain fell, and on the return journey the weather was particularly bad. It was found that the food and effects which had to be carried could not
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be kept at less than 1 owt. per man, and in consequence every part of the track taken had to be covered three times.
Mr. Harding suggested that if Mr. Gifford's paper was published he should illustrate it by means of some of the very beautiful photographs which he had taken.
Sir James Hector thanked the author for his address, which had been prepared at his special request, on very short notice. The toils, dangers, and hardships of such an exploration were most graphically described, and were easily recognised by early explorers, though known to but few modern tourists. The beautiful but appalling character of the scenery of this wonderful district of New Zealand was also excellently illustrated by the author's photographs, taken under great difficulties. The same country had been partially explored in 1863 by himself (Sir J. Hector), but he had chiefly followed the mountain-tops and avoided the valleys. At the time of the first visit of the Admiralty survey-ship “Acheron” in 1950 there was a considerable Maori camp at the head of Bligh Sound. The natives were not seen, but their fires were found, and several mats and other articles obtained. In 1863 he himself followed up this flat valley on an old trail for some distance, the Maoris he had with him telling him that it led through to the Te Anau Lake and to Milford Sound, but most probably the trail, which was soon lost, led over the mountains, and did not follow the rugged valley and pass which the author and his party had discovered.*
Mr. Hudson said the caterpillars seen by Mr. Gifford would be geometers. They had probably been frightened by a strong wind, and let themselves down from the shrubs, and were ascending again when the travellers saw them.
Mr. Tregear said there was no occasion for Mr. Gifford to apologize that his narrative was not scientific. It was the duty of the Society to encourage exploration, and he was sure that Mr. Gifford's account of his party's journey was highly interesting.
[Footnote] * Owing to the rapids and scattered fragments of rocks it was not possible to examine the river beyond two miles from its mouth, when the “Acheron” party came on the fresh footmarks of some natives, who were heard making their escape through the thick underwood. These people, as far as we could learn, belong to a small, isolated, and almost unknown tribe.—Notes by Captain Stokes, H.M.S. “Acheron,” published in the “New Zealand Pilot.”