44 Historical JS^otes on tlw 



JOUEXEY TO THE "WaTTAET, LAKE WaNAEA, AND THE "WEST COAST, 



1862-3. 



Starting in the beginning; of December, 1862, instead of going again 

 through Burke's Pass and the Mackenzie Country, I selected this time 

 another road, which would make me acquainted with a considerable 

 portion of the boundary line between the two provinces. My first 

 station was Timaru. where I made an examination of the coast line of 

 this interesting locality, and its neighbourhood, and then proceeding to 

 the "Waitaki, I crossed this river at the lower ferry, and passed along 

 its southern banks for a considerable distance, examining the geological 

 features as I went along. They were, as I could observe, identical 

 with those on the Northern or Canterbury side, the valley running 

 across the different formations, which were striking nearly south-west 

 and north-east. On December the 7th we reached the Ahuriri plains, 

 evidently an old lake bed, after the retreat of the huge glacier into the 

 Mackenzie Country, and now filled with alluvium. From here a 

 magnificent view was obtained of the Southern Alps and their out- 

 running spurs still deeply covered with snow. After crossing the 

 Ahuriri river, we passed over the downs, mostly morainic accumulations, 

 to Lake Ohau, and keeping on its western shores, we reached Mr. 

 McKuen's Btation, from which we started on December 15th for the 

 Hopkins. That river, when visiting it in the previous late autumn, 

 was very different from what I now found it. Winter was then coming 

 on, the snow of the preceding season had already, in the lower regions, 

 disappeared before the powerful sun of the summer months, and con- 

 sequently the water in the river was near its lowest level, as during the 

 nights hard frosts had usually set in, and even the freshets in the river 

 during the rainy weather, experienced when returning to Lake Ohau, 

 were insignificant when compared with the usual size of the river in the 

 spring season. Now in the middle of December large masses of snow 

 still filled most of the depressions in the ranges. The river itself was 

 high even during fine weather, and owing to the almost continuous 

 ram in the higher ranges near its sources, was so swollen that it was 

 often impassable even on horseback. The smaller tributaries too, 

 which in winter were scarcely knee deep, were now rapid, angry- 

 looking torrents, which often offered great difficulties in crossing. The 

 fall of avalanches, endangering the lives of travellers, was still going 

 on in the higher portions of the valley, which was now ornamented by 

 a rich and varied vegetation in full blossom. The aroma of many of the 

 flowering shrubs was really exquisite, and sometimes almost over- 



