Hence to the Greenstone the route followed was over flat or undulating open ground, with the exception of a slight descent through bush, which led us down to the Greenstone Valley by a cleared horse track.

The valley from this point, for half a mile down and fourteen miles up, is open, with the exception of a short distance about ten miles from the south end of M’Kellar’s, where the timber reaches to the river banks.

From the foot of M’Kellar’s Lake to the head, the bush grows close to the water’s edge; but pack-horses can be taken up to the head, partly through the lakes and partly over a cleared and cut track. Beyond the head, however, horses cannot proceed.

The day after reaching the upper end of M’Kellar’s Lake, I despatched two men with the horses for a fresh supply of provisions, and set the others to build a rough log hut in the bush, wherein to leave such stores as we could not carry, and to serve to sleep in as occasion might require.

On the 10th, we again started, crossing a soft flat and slight mossy rise, ten and a half miles in total length, between M’Kellar’s Lake and another about a mile long, whence the Pass Creek takes its rise.

From the head of this lake we followed the cleared track of Dr. Hector, which leads by a steep ascent through stunted moss-covered bush to a bare hill, and thence by a long steep descent to the mouth of the Pass Creek.

Seeing the impossibility of making a road on this side of the creek followed (west) owing to the high precipice which rises abruptly from the bed of the creek, and, from a general view obtained of the other side, that a similar impediment did not exist, I determined to clear a track up the east side, on my return, for the purpose of examining it more carefully.

On the 12th, we camped on a shingle flat, about eighteen miles from M’Kellar’s; the country travelled over from the Pass Creek mouth (eight miles) being flat, and densely covered with timber.

During the night we experienced a severe thunderstorm, the rain falling in torrents; and by the afternoon of next day, the 13th, after sixteen hours’ rain, the Hollyford had risen six feet, and flooded us out. We shifted camp into the bush, with some difficulty.

From here, I sent back the rest of the men to M’Kellar’s, to assist in bringing forward the provisions expected by the men already despatched.

During the three days they were away it was so wet and foggy that I was unable to make any examination of the country.

The men having returned, we proceeded down the river on the 19th, after leaving 20 lbs. flour at our last camping place.

On arriving at the point of the Hollyford marked as a ford on the tracing forwarded to me, we made an attempt to cross, but found the river too high. After several unsuccessful trials made at different apparently good fording places when the river is low, and attempts to throw a tree across a narrow gorge at the rapids, we succeeded in finding an easy fording place a few miles below the marked ford referred to.

On the 21st, at midday, having crossed the river, we again got Hector’s track, which we followed, when discernible, until we reached the head of Lake M’Kerrow early on the afternoon of the 23rd.

Up to this date we had only five or six good days. On the 24th and 25th it blew a hurricane from the north, with heavy squalls, accompanied by hail.

On the 27th I sent back two men to return with provisions until they should meet us, and with two others, paddled down the lake to Martin’s Bay in a canoe which we had dug out during the storm.

We found no traces of any human beings but a camping place of the party that left Queenstown before us, and the boat of the “Pride” high and dry alongside of it.

On the 29th we again reached the head of the lake, and after shooting as many pigeons as would keep us for several days, we started for our return on 1st December.

The day being fine, we advanced rapidly, although the swags were heavy.

The next day, after ten hours’ travelling during incessant rain, and the men being pretty well knocked up, we reached the ford which we crossed with difficulty, as the river was considerably higher than when we had forded it before, and the current set against us. One man was carried off his legs, and nearly taken down.

We were fortunate in getting across when we did, as the water did not fall for some days, and we had only enough provisions for one meal.

The day following, 3rd December, after a walk of four hours, and travelling a distance of five miles, we reached our cache of flour, much exhausted. Rains incessantly.

4th December.—Still rains.

5th December.—Started early, and after twelve hours’ travelling, including rests, reached the head of M’Kellar’s Lake. Raining nearly all day. The men arrived with the horses half an hour after us.

On the 6th we shifted camp to the head of the small lake, from which Pass Creek derives its head waters; and on the two following days were engaged clearing a track round the west coast of the lake, and the east side of Pass Creek. I found, on examination, that a road could be made this way, although considerable outlay would be necessary to construct an efficient one.

On the 9th we shifted camp to a point nine miles from M’Kellar’s Lake, down the Greenstone, and pitched the tent next day at the lower end of the open valley.

The 11th, 12th, and 13th were devoted to examining the gorge between our camp and the mouth of the river, and blazing and clearing a track through it.

Difficulties would be experienced in making a road this way, owing to the steepness of the face of the ranges in places, and several large landslips.

As there was no means of getting to Queenstown from the Greenstone mouth, we returned to the open valley and reached Von Tunzelmann’s, after a day and a half easy travelling; from there, next day (the 16th), we arrived at Queenstown, and the men and horses reached the camp at the Woolshed on the 20th.

The difficulties that lie in the way of constructing a road between the Greenstone mouth and M’Kerrow’s Lake, are as follows:—Eight to nine miles of a rugged country, covered with timber, which lies between the point where the track to Von Tunzelmann’s and the Greenstone mouth meet, and the open terrace two miles from the Greenstone mouth.

The road by this gorge would necessarily attain a considerable altitude, as in many places the slopes of the ranges descend to the river almost perpendicularly for some hundreds of feet.

A great proportion, however, of the length of this section would be over flat terraces covered with bush of an open description.

From the upper portion of the termination of the bush to the foot of M’Kellar’s Lake, a distance of sixteen or seventeen miles, a dray could be taken now almost anywhere, a few creek approaches being almost all that is required to make a good road.

Round M’Kellar’s Lake (west side) a sideling would require to be cut, as also round the lake at the head of Pass Creek.

As the ground is soft and mossy between the two lakes, the road would require to be of permanent make.

The next difficulty would occur between the head of Pass Creek and its junction with the Hollyford; a descent of about one thousand feet must here be made in a few miles.

On examination, I found that the spurs running down on the east side to the Hollyford, were not too steep nor too narrow to prevent a serpentine course.