Geological Survey of Canterbury, 99 



glacier, we stood at last before that glorious panorama. The 

 contrast between the ever restless sea — the gigantic waves coming and 

 going without intermission — and the quiet watershed of Lake Okarita, 

 with its numerons islands, surrounded by luxuriant forest, was most 

 striking. Above the forest plains rose low hillocks, alsc^ clothed with 

 the same intensely green West Coast vegetation, over which the 

 Southern Alps appeared a mass of snow, ice, rock, and forest. As far 

 as the eye could reach, mountain appeared behind mountain, all clad 

 in their white garments, with which they are covered during the whole 

 year almost entirely, becoming apparently lower until they appeared 

 only as small points over the sea horizon — half cloud, half ghost, as a 

 modern philosopher has said so well. But what struck me more than 

 anything was the low position reached by an enormous glacier, de- 

 scending north of Mount Cook from the ranges, and appearing between 

 the wooded hillocks at the foot of the Alps ; forming with its pure 

 unsullied ice, broken in numberless seracs, a most remarkable and 

 striking contrast to the surrounding landscape. The sun being near 

 his setting, new changes were every moment effected ; the shades grew 

 longer and darker, and whilst the lower portion already lay in a deep 

 purple shade, the summits were still shining with an intense rosy hue. 

 Turning towards the sea, the same contrast of colours was exhibited, 

 the sea being deep blue, whilst the sky was of such a deep crimson and 

 orange colour, that if we could see it faithfully rendered by an artist, 

 we should consider it highly exaggerated. But the beauty of the 

 magnificent scene did not fade away even after the glorious orb of 

 day had disappeared, because, as the night advanced, the full moon 

 threw her soft silver light over the v. hole picture, and lake and sea, 

 forest and snowy giants still were visible, but assuming, apparently, 

 other dimensions, shapes, and colours. It was late at night before I 

 could leave this glorious view, and my heart swelled with such a pure 

 delight as only the contemplation of nature can offer to her admirers. 



After a beautiful calm night, we found the whole country covered by 

 hoar-frost, the minimum thermometer marking 29 ° 20', or nearly 3 ° 

 below freezing point ; but a cloudless sunny day followed, and I never 

 got tired of admiring the wonderful landscape before me, the solitude 

 of which appeared less severe when observing numerous horses feeding 

 peacefully among the high grass in the foreground, a strange sight at 

 the West Coast, where the uniform forest vegetation is totally unfit to 

 preserve the life of that useful animal. The presence of so many 

 horses indicated that a great number of diggers had their head-quarters 



