✨ Geographical Data and Survey Report
APPENDIX (B).
ALTITUDES ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE SEA.
| Location | Feet |
|---|---|
| Flagstaff | 2190 |
| Boulder Hill | 1790 |
| Saddle Hill Peak | 1565 |
| Do. Trigonometrical Station | 1414 |
| Serogge’s Hill | 1160 |
| Stone on Rock and Pillar Mountain | 4614 |
| Do. on Plain below | 906 |
| Kaikorai Hill | 1098 |
| Gledknow | 992 |
| Taieri Ferry Hill | 707 |
| Tokomairiro Gorge Hill | 1332 |
| Tokomairiro Plain—Cargill’s Barn | 66 |
| Mount Misery | 1098 |
| Maungatua | 2985 |
| Waitahuna Hill | 2256 |
| Mount Stuart | 1433 |
| Lammerlaw | 3820 |
| Soura Hill | 3415 |
| Roughridge Peak | 3879 |
| Warepa Trigonometrical Station | 650 |
| Warepa Hill | 1252 |
| Rocky Dome (Kaihiku) | 1750 |
| Wisp Hill (Catlin’s River) | 2257 |
| Slopedown Range (cairn) | 2131 |
| Tautuku Hill | 2190 |
| Bleak Hill | 2182 |
| Slopedown Hill | 1891 |
| Otaraia (cairn) | 1233 |
| Kuriwao Peak | 2110 |
| Steel’s Accommodation House (near Popotunoa) | 432 |
| Wairuna Peak | 1726 |
| Landslip Hill | 1091 |
| Conical Hill (Pomahaka) | 1183 |
| Spy Law | 2222 |
| Dusky Hill (do.) | 2180 |
| Wart Hill (do.) | 2648 |
| Wendon | 2840 |
| Black Umbrella (do.) | 3580 |
| White Comb (do.) | 5083 |
| Mount Benger | 3652 |
| Obelisk | 5607 |
| Rocky Mount | 6350 |
| Tapanui Summit | 3350 |
| Waikaia Hill | 1345 |
| Brough’s Station | 520 |
| Glenkenich Valley | 440 |
| Burning Plain | 899 |
| Anise Hill | 743 |
Note.—From the data given in the foregoing reports, the natural divisions of the surveyed districts appear to be as follows:
| Division | Square Miles |
|---|---|
| Forest | 1329 |
| Pasture | 12,516 |
| Swamp | 144 |
| Barren | 1309 |
| Lakes | 109 |
Total 15,407 square miles.
The country adjacent to the West Coast remains unsurveyed and is estimated to comprise 11,233 square miles; the whole area of the Province being 26,640 square miles, or 17,049,600 acres. The unsurveyed districts have not yet been penetrated by any parties known to the writer of this, but a general idea of them may be gained from the following extract from the New Zealand Pilot:—
A view of the surrounding country from the summit of one of the mountains bordering on the coast, of from 4000 to 5000 feet elevation, is perhaps one of the most grand and magnificent spectacles it is possible to imagine, and standing on such an elevation, rising over the south side of Caswell’s Sound, Cook’s description of this region was forcibly called to mind. He says—a prospect more rude and craggy is rarely to be met with, for inland appeared to be nothing but the summits of mountains of a stupendous height and consisting of rocks that are totally barren and naked, except where they are covered with snow. We could only compare the scene around us as far as the eye could reach—north to Milford Sound, south to Dusky Bay, and eastward inland for a distance of 60 miles—to a vast area of mountains, of every possible variety of shape and ruggedness. The clouds and mists floated far beneath us, and the harbour appeared no more than an insignificant stream.
The writer of this has viewed the eastern slopes of these ranges of mountains from Foveaux Straits as far northwards as latitude 43° 30' S.—1st, from Centre Hill, in the Waiau District. The tops of the ranges conformed to the above description of the celebrated navigator; and the lower hills, slopes, and valleys, stretching down to the mouth of the Waiau River, appeared to be covered with forest.
2nd, from Grandview Mountain, in the Upper Clutha district. Here the ranges were equally lofty and covered with snow, but the forest in a great measure had disappeared; the lower slopes and valleys being mostly covered with natural grass.
3rdly, from Benmore, in the Waitaki district, from whence the loftiest ranges of the Southern Alps were in full view. Here, Mount Cook, 12,460 feet in altitude, in the middle of summer, was covered with snow down to the level of 6000 feet above the sea; below this level the slopes and spurs were covered with coarse grass, and the deep valleys with forest or scrub.
Nearly the whole of the unsurveyed districts have been already applied for, for pastoral purposes.
J. T. THOMSON, Chief Surveyor.
Survey Office, Dunedin, 10th August 1859.
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Otago Provincial Gazette 1859, No 91
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
🎓 Altitudes of Various Locations Above Sea Level
🎓 Education, Culture & ScienceAltitude, Survey, Geographic Data, New Zealand
- J. T. Thomson, Chief Surveyor
🎓 Natural Divisions of Surveyed Districts
🎓 Education, Culture & ScienceSurvey, Natural Divisions, Geographic Data, New Zealand
- J. T. Thomson, Chief Surveyor
🎓 Description of Unsurveyed Districts
🎓 Education, Culture & ScienceSurvey, Geographic Description, New Zealand, Unsurveyed Districts
- J. T. Thomson, Chief Surveyor