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and to several of my colleagues in the Government service, my only doubt being as to the exact place, at which such a route would terminate on the coast. A statement, which I had heard, that Messrs. M’Kellar and Gunn had seen the waters of Milford Sound, inclined me, though it was rather against my own theoretical views, to expect it to lead towards that point; but my examination of the valley of the Cleddau River, at the head of Milford Sound, had quite precluded any hope of a low pass in that direction. However, the view I had from Skipper’s Range, above the east shore of Kakapo* Lake, enabled me at once to recognise the proper line of route as lying up the valley of the Kakapo River; and further, from the Maories we met on the Coast, I learnt that, by travelling in that direction, several parties of natives had in former days migrated to the settlements on the southern part of the island. I therefore at once made arrangements for crossing the mountains and proceeding to Dunedin for the purpose of communicating with Government, according to my promise, before the expiry of five months from the time the Expedition started. Accordingly, on the 23rd September, I left the yacht under the care of the skipper, at its anchorage at Wart Point, with instructions to return to Gravel Cove, and from there to make an examination of the Waiau Valley during my absence.

I took three men across the mountains with me, one of whom was Mr Hutchinson, the owner of the yacht, and whose great desire to see the West Coast had induced him to ship as one of the hands.

Mr Hutchinson is well-known as one of the earliest and most experienced settlers in the Province, and one who has worked hard to develop its resources as lessee both of coal mines and lime stone quarries, and it gives me pleasure to acknowledge, that I have been much indebted to his shrewd and practical remarks respecting the capabilities of the country.

Having learnt from the Maories that they had been up the river in a canoe, and that the cutter’s crew (mentioned in the narrative), had also taken a boat up for some distance, I wished to ascertain how far it was navigable, and with this view was accompanied for the first day and a half by the Skipper and another extra hand in the little dingy that we built in Milford Sound. By this arrangement the walking party were relieved of their swags for a good distance, but as the river is full of shallow rapids we did not save very much by it.

The river has a width of from 80 to 100 yards, and winds through a valley which, for the first six miles, averages one mile in width and trends S.S.E. from the lake. At that distance from its mouth, it receives a branch 60 yards in width that forms the outlet of the Wawahiwak Lake* of the Maories, a place that they visit periodically to catch eels. Only the position of this lake is shown in the accompanying map, for as yet I have not ascertained its exact shape.

Up to this point, which is about seven miles by the windings of the river, there occur nine rapids, at only one of which, however, it was necessary to unload the boat, the others being overcome by dragging it for a short distance over the stones without removing its load. The above distance was accomplished in four hours. The banks of the river are elevated twenty to thirty feet, and consist of stratified beds of clay, sand, and alluvial silt, the latter having often a depth of twelve feet. The flats, which are well timbered, slope gently back to the base of the mountains, where they are slightly swampy in some places; but this is owing, not to the want of sufficient fall for natural drainage, but to the small streams being occasionally blocked by the falling of trees across their channels during floods.

The upper part of the Kakapo River, and its tributary the Wawahiwuk meet from almost opposite directions, the former draining the southern and the latter the northern extremity, of a longitudinal valley which extends for about forty miles with a general direction from north to south, having the Bryneira Mountains on the east and the Darran Mountains and Skipper’s Range on the west; the drainage being effected between the two latter mountain groups through the Kakapo Lake. The shallows become more frequent and formidable above the junction of the two streams, and the valley is for a short distance narrowed by a range of low hills which project from the mountains on the south as if it were the remains of a barrier that had at one time closed the present outlet of the large valley.

These hills, however, cause no obstruction, the river passing through them with an even channel, unbroken by falls or rocky ledges, and having flats or sloping banks on either side.

At a distance, in a straight line, of ten miles from the mouth of the river, where we arrived early on the second day, the channel was obstructed by the immense boulders of an ancient moraine, causing a violent rapid about half-a-mile in length, so that from this point I sent back the dingy. At this place we found a boat’s painter left attached to a tree, so that the party of the cutter seem also to have brought their boat thus far.

They appear to have established several large camps along the river, in each of which they had remained for some time, but as I

• Lake M’Kerrow on the official maps.
  † Hollyford River.

• Lake Alabaster on the official maps.