Canterbury and Westland. 177 



CHAPTER II. 



Orogeaphical Features. 



Although in the first part I have given many details as to the physical 

 aspect of the Southern Alps, and the divergent chains branching off 

 from them in different directions, a short description of the principal 

 orographical features will be necessary to understand the superficial 

 configuration of mountains and valleys, by which the climate on both 

 sides of the Alps has been so remarkably modified. On looking at a 

 topographical map of Canterbury and Westland,* we observe that the 

 general direction of the longitudinal chain running from Mount 

 Holleston near the northern, to Mount Aspiring on the southern 

 boundary, is from north-east to south-west ; also, that it generally 

 consists of only one high central chain from which a number of ranges, 

 some of considerable length, branch off on the eastern side, whilst on 

 the western side, the outrunning ridges are so short that we can say 

 that here this lofty alpine mountain system falls precipitously towards 



• I was unable to give in the Geological map attached to this Report, the orographical features of 

 the country, as such an addition would have seriously interfered with its clearness. However, the 

 extent of the neve fields, and the size of the glaciers descending on both sides, together with the 

 general geological sections, will assist the reader to obtain an insight into the form, size, and other 

 peculiarities of the Southern Alps and their secondary ridges. In the course of the year 1868, I 

 finished my topographical work in the interior of the provinces of Canterbury and Westland and 

 prepared a map, the scale of which, 4 miles to 1 inch, has enabled me to give with a greater degree of 

 clearness than a smaller scale would have admitted, all the more remarkable features of these grand 

 alpine regions, a large extent of which had, previous to my explorations, never been trodden by the 

 foot of man. A copy of thi3 map, of which the original hangs in the Canterbury Museum, was sent 

 by me in 1869 to the Royal Geographical Society of London, and published on a smaller scale in their 

 Journal of 1870. 



The lower and middle courses of the rivers were all laid down by the Canterbury Survey Department, 

 the work of which generally ceased when the country was not available for pastoral purposes. From 

 thence all the principal rivers on the east coast, and some on the west coast, were chained by myself 

 or my assistants to their sources, generally issuing from glaciers. In conducting this survey I 

 repeatedly measured base lines, sometimes upon the glaciers themselves, to fix by triangulation the 



