The First Crossing of the Southern Alps of New Zealand Author(S): Edward A
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The First Crossing of the Southern Alps of New Zealand Author(s): Edward A. Fitz Gerald Source: The Geographical Journal, Vol. 7, No. 5 (May, 1896), pp. 483-499 Published by: geographicalj Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1773992 Accessed: 24-06-2016 18:50 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Wiley, The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Geographical Journal This content downloaded from 137.99.31.134 on Fri, 24 Jun 2016 18:50:23 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms THE FIRST CROSSING OF THE SOUTHERN ALPS OF NEW ZEALAND. 483 :fixed by observation; 200 miles further west the dead reckoning agreed within half a mile of the longitude obtained by an occultation observed by Mr. Littledale, and compiled by Mr. Coles; and at Shushal, near the Ladak frontier, where the survey terminated, there was, after a traverse of 1700 miles, only a difference of 1J mile between Mr. Littledale's position and that given by the Trignometrical Survey of India. We not only have to thank Mr. Littledale for an extremely interesting evening, but for the valuable scientific work done for geography, and I am sure you will all join in a cordial vote of thanks. NOTE ON MR. ST. GEORGE LITTLEDALE'S MAP.-The instruments used by Mr. St. G. Littledale for making his route survey and fixing positions by astronomical observations were-a 6-inch sextant, a 3-inch theodolite, a telescope by Ross, hypsometric apparatus, three aneroids, a clinometer, and a prismatic compass. All bearings were taken with the prismatic compass on a tripod, and the distances were arrived at by pacing the caravan with a stop-watch. Forty-three observa- tions of north and south stars for latitude have been employed for correcting positions, and the longitude of station 107 has been fixed by an occultation of the star and y Capricorni by the moon. The accuracy of the traverse survey was *confirmed in a remarkable degree by the astronomical observations. THE FIRST CROSSING OF THE SOUTHERN ALPS OF NEW ZEALAND.* By EDWARD A. FITZ GERALD. THE South Island of New Zealand, as you all know, is long and narrow, some 500 miles in length by about 100 to 150 miles in width. It lies in a north-easterly direction at about the same distance from the equator as Italy or the Black Sea, so that the mountain ranges might be likened to the Caucasus in respect of latitude. The climate is, however, much milder; snow very seldom falls in Christchurch or Wellington even during the winter months. The whole of my work was confined between the districts of Canterbury and Westland, and the principal object of my visit was, if possible, to discover some feasible tourist route over which horses could be taken from the arid plains of the Mackenzie country to the west coast, so marvellously beautiful with its nearly tropical vegetation and its great glaciers flowing down almost to the sea. There would also be a practical use for such a road, as it would open up to the gold- diggers an easy path whereby they could get their supplies, and at the same time send their produce to the great towns on the east coast. Up to the present day they have had to rely on pack-horses led along the beach, nearly 100 miles from Hokitika-a toilsome journey even under favourable circumstances, but after a great rain, when the rivers are in flood, there being no bridges, one is obliged to stop and wait perhaps a fortnight for fine weather. As the rainfall of the west coast varies from 120 to 150 inches a year, it can be easily understood how * Paper read at the Royal Geographical Society, January 27, 1896. Map, p. 576. This content downloaded from 137.99.31.134 on Fri, 24 Jun 2016 18:50:23 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 484 THE FIRST CROSSING OF THE SOUTHERN ALPS OF NEW ZEALAND. difficult it is to use this route. In the old days, when there was the great gold rush to the west coast, travellers sometimes availed themselves of the primitive method of buying some dilapidated and condemned schooner, and taking her round from one of the east coast ports to beach her on the shore, for there are no harbours on the west coast, and the surf rolling in from the great South Pacific Ocean is too heavy to permit of freight being landed by boats. The New Zealand Government have for a long time recognized the importance of finding such a passage. With this end in view, they have repeatedly sent survey parties up all the main valleys of the west coast, but with indifferent success. Mr. Douglas came nearest to finding such a route; he went up part of the Copland valley, down which I descended from my pass; but he branched off up the Strauchon glacier towards Baker's saddle, and met with impassable precipices. On his return he published an article in the New Zealand Government Survey Report, in which he said that, unless long tunnels were built under the glaciers, no passage could be made. Had he gone up what he himself named the Douglas valley, he would have no doubt met with better success, and I should not be reading this paper to-night. I came up to my first camp in the mountains from Christchurch by way of Lake Pukaki, stopping near a small galvanized iron building called the Hermitage, set up for an hotel near the terminal face of the Hooker glacier by a company then bankrupt. The inn being closed, we had to pitch our tent beside it, and to rely entirely upon the provisions which I had brought with me, partly from Christchurch and partly from England. There is a kind of a track over which it is possible to get carts for some 50 miles from Pukaki, where the road stops, as far as the Hermitage. Bad luck overtook us on the way: the breaking of one of our axles forced us to bring all our supplies packed on the backs of horses, a task that occupied about three days. My idea was to climb all the surrounding high peaks, and thus get a thorough knowledge of the country. I was so fortunate as to have with me Mattias Zurbriggen, foremost amongst Swiss guides, who had just returned with Sir Martin Conway from his famous Indian expedition, the exploration of the Karakoram Himalayas. As to the Alpine climb- ing part of my expedition, I will not dwell here on our many difficulties and obstacles, nor on our hardships from want of provisions and porter- age, as it is almost impossible to find in New Zealand a man who will trust himself upon a glacier. It suffices to say that on January, 29, 1895, we scaled Mount Sealy (8631 feet) after four weeks of continuous rain. Next we reached the summits of Mount Tasman (11,475 feet), the second highest mountain in the colony, Mount Haidinger (10,107 feet), and the Silberhorn (10,250 feet); and finally, on February 15, after many attempts, we attained the topmost point of Mount Sefton (10,359 feet), the Matterhorn of the New Zealand This content downloaded from 137.99.31.134 on Fri, 24 Jun 2016 18:50:23 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms FIRST CROSSING OF THE SOUTHERN ALPS OF NEW ZEALAND. 485 Alps. It was from this peak that I first saw a passage by which it seemed feasible to cross the ranges to the west coast, and a few days later, on February 19, we made an expedition up the Hooker glacier in order to choose what might appear to be the best route. During the succeeding ten days, the weather being extremely un- settled, I spent some time making smaller expeditions about the various creeks and gorges of the Hooker and Tasman valleys. On these excursions I noticed several small growths of the obtuse-leaved Fagus Clibortioides (the white birch of the settlers). This I found growing in many spots along the Tasman valley-indeed, almost up to the terminal moraine of -: ;; * - -d ' E- i, ---- . -.'.:.-..: .r . :-L_, the Aciophylla Colensoi (the "wild Spaniards" of the settlers) growing in deuse thorny masses, and forming an almost impenetrable barrier to our advance. Another conspicuou, type of Umbellifera is the Ligusticum Haasti, covering the hillsides with its delicate feathery leaves. On the lower slopes of Sefton, great beds of the Banunculus Lyalli, the "shep- herd's lily" of the settlers, flourish luxuriantly at an altitude of 4500 feet, the great orbicular cup-shaped leaves filled with morning dew. Several species of Dracophyllums were conspicuous, among which I note the D. uniflorun, which abounded around the Hermitage, and the No. Y.-MAY, 1896.] 2 L This content downloaded from 137.99.31.134 on Fri, 24 Jun 2016 18:50:23 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 486 FIRST CROSSING OF THE SOUTHERN ALPS OF NEW ZEALAND.