Canterbury and Westland. 203 



thirteen miles. Lake Ohau, ten miles long, and averaging three 

 miles in breadth, is a picturesque sheet of water lying 1837 feet 

 above the sea level. Whilst the Ben Ohau range rises so abruptly 

 from its eastern banks that it is impossible to pass along it on 

 horseback, the mountains on the western side are distant from 

 half a mile to two miles from its western shores, the intervening space 

 being filled with gradually rising morainic accumulations forming 

 terraced grounds reposing against the mountain sides. On both sides 

 small groves of beech forest heighten the charm of the beautiful 

 scenery ; moreover, the water of the lake is perfectly clear, forming in 

 calm weather a broad mirror for the serrated mountains along its banks. 

 Here, also, several portions of the lake, which once stood at a higher 

 altitude, have become isolated by the lowering of the waters to their 

 present level, and now form lagoons amongst the morainic accumu- 

 lations. Lake Ohau is the recipient of the River Hopkins, formed by 

 the junction of the Dobson with the former, five miles above the 

 northern end of the lake. They are both of glacier origin, the 

 Dobson or eastern branch deriving its waters from the south-eastern 

 slopes of the Moorhouse and the south-western slopes of the Sealy 

 range ; the Hopkins from the south-western flanks of the Moorhouse 

 range, and the southern slopes of Mount Holmes. The Dobson has a 

 south-by-east course ; the Hopkins, a general south course, running 

 south-west for the first, due south for the middle, and south-east for 

 the latter portion. They are both about 24 miles long. In the middle 

 portion, their beds are repeatedly narrowed by huge morainic 

 accumulations, through which they have cut a channel of a gorge-like 

 character, after which they enlarge considerably, and flow over broad 

 shingle-beds. Before reaching their glacier sources, the valleys of 

 both rivers narrow considerably, and assume the character of wild 

 rocky gorges, so that in this respect they resemble most of the valleys 

 in the Swiss and Tyrolese Alps, leading up to the glaciers. Where 

 the Ohau enters the lake, the same extensive swampy delta has been 

 formed as we observe at the head of the two other Mackenzie Country 

 lakes. As pointed out in the first chapter, the valleys of both main 

 branches of the Ohau river possess an additional charm by their lower 

 regions being densely wooded with beech forest. Although their 

 tributaries, even in fine weather, are sometimes very difficult to cross 

 on foot, they have only very short courses. 



I have already repeatedly alluded to the peculiar physical features 

 all our alpine rivers, namely — that they generally possess numerous 



