56 
SPENCER’S JOURNAL 
May 6, Monday . Left Warp Bay at 6 a.m. Our route west 
and south-west along Cockburn Channel to north of Breck¬ 
nock Peninsula, then out into open, and rough sea into 
Canal Ocasion 1 (Point Miguel). At south-east end of this 
point, a very narrow and sudden turn due east to Point 
Pyramid, this stretch of water reminding one of Scotch High¬ 
lands, but with snow mountains behind. Beech woods with 
autumn tints. East, and then round north end of Georgiana 2 
Island, between Brecknock and Basket Islands, and so into 
Desolate Bay and Whaleboat Sound. Crossing the former, 
caught the swell from the open ocean to the south. Then 
along north of Stewart Island with Mt. Stewart (2,800 ft.), 
and on to Engano, a little cove on north of Londonderry 
Island, where we anchored for the night. 
May 7, Tuesday . Started at 6 a.m. along channel between 
O’Brien Island on the north and Londonderry Island on the 
south. Saw what looked like a ‘hanging valley’ on London¬ 
derry. Then east to the north of Timbales and Darwin and 
Chair Islands, and into North-West Channel (Plates V, VI) 
between mainland and Gordon Island. Scenery fine and inter¬ 
esting. To the north were the Darwin Ranges (4—6,000 ft.), 
from which a succession of great glaciers came down to the 
sea-level from enormous snow and ice fields. One glacier 
at least two miles broad at top, and must have been nearly 
half a mile wide where it entered the sea in a valley. Colour 
of glaciers very wonderful, whitish and azure, cerulean blue, 
often suffused with a delicate pink, and slashed through with 
great vertical cuts of deep rich ultramarine. The ice face, 
from top to bottom, absolutely pure and clean, without a 
vestige of the dirt that covers the terminal faces of most New 
Zealand glaciers. On the south side of the channel were 
ranges of high mountains and Romanche Bay. Romanche 
1 Western end of Brecknock Peninsula. 
2 To west of Basket Island. 
