Geological Survey of Canterbury. 55 



and arrived at the junction of the Burke on the evening of February 

 the 25th. Showery weather had set in, but fortunately the rivers 

 only rose slightly, so that, although their fording was not without 

 difficulty, and we had to travel continually through the rain, we 

 arrived at our starting point, the Makarora bush, on the evening of 

 March 2nd, having been nearly six weeks absent. Being all in rags, 

 nearly shoeless, and without any provisions, we returned next 

 day to Mr. Thompson's station on Lake Wanaka, where we remained 

 for a week to recruit our strength. During this time, I sent to Mr. 

 Wilkin's station for fresh supplies, and wrote a report* on the 

 successful issue of my journey to the Provincial Government, which 

 was published in the Canterbury newspapers of April 1st. 



On March 12th we started again to the head of the ]ake, and 

 ascending the Makarora for about ten miles, I devoted several days to 

 an examination of the geological structure of the ranges on both sides 

 of the valley, and to ascertain what its prospects as a payable gold- 

 field would be in the future. Gold was traced in this as well as in the 

 valley of the Wilkin, which I explored next ; but in such inconsider- 

 able quantities, that its extraction could not well pay the miners — a 

 conclusion which practical trials in the next few years have fully 

 confirmed. The Wilkin is a large stream, the glacier sources of 

 which are situated on the northern flanks of the Glacier dome. For 

 the first »ten miles the river-bed is broad, with small grassy fiats on 

 its banks. The view up the river is very grand, as two remarkable 

 peaks, Mount Kakapo and Mount Kuri form the background of this 

 glorious panorama. Frowning cliffs and steep snowslopes constitute 

 their abrupt sides, and small glaciers radiate from them towards the 

 valley. Gradually the banks approach nearer to each other, and the 

 mountain slopes show conspicuously how deeply the rocks have been 

 cut into by the huge glaciers during the Great Glacier period of New 

 Zealand. The river-bed now assuming sometimes the character of a 

 rocky gorge, we had to wend our way through dense forest, still 

 clothing the steep terraced mountain sides, where we found snug 

 camping ground, unabated rain keeping us twice for two days from 

 continuing our journey. The last of these rainfalls, occurring on the 

 21st and 22nd of March, was one of the heaviest downpours I ever 

 experienced. The river at our feet was an angry roaring torrent, and 



* Discovery of a favourable pass to the sea, above Lake Wanalra : By Dr. J. Haast, Provincial 

 Geologist. 



