Page:Gillespies Beach Beginnings • Alexander (2010).pdf/15

 Early settlers at Mikonui south of Ross reported on the dangers crossing this river when in flood. Further south, travellers would have encountered the swift-flowing Wanganui river and bluff. The next big obstacle was the Whataroa river which I know from childhood years was an awesome sight following torrential downpours. Onward to the Poerua river and round the Saltwater lagoon to skirt Abut Head before reaching the hazards of soft sands near the Okarito lagoon. Just beyond lay the rip-roaring settlement of Okarito which had arisen so quickly out of nothing because of the gold strikes in the area. How many days did this journey take and where did he linger? Who knows? The weather and the state of the rivers would have been deciding factors. Usually it was necessary to journey inland to find the best place to cross the biggest rivers, before returning again to the sea coast.

We know that Laurence ended up at Gillespie’s Beach so from Okarito south he would have negotiated Kohuamatua Bluff, the 3-mile lagoon, Blanchard’s Bluff, and on towards the 5-mile where miners were working in some considerable numbers, and where there was quite a large settlement. Whether he also worked here has not been established but it is recorded that his travelling wasn’t over. The obstacle of the glacier-fed Waiho river and the Omoeroa Bluff lay ahead. The Waikukupa river could also be an awesome sight when in full flood. Obstacles not high-lighted were the numerous creeks and streams which could become dangerous torrents in wet weather. The last hurdles were Galway Point and Gillespie’s Point before reaching Gillespie’s Beach. These geographical features are mere names and fail to convey the difficulty of the terrain and the dangers inherent on this coastal route.

It is also recorded that Laurence went on to the Bruce Bay area, a well-documented paper-chase after a non-existent rich strike in 1865. South of Gillespie’s lay the dangerous Otorokua Point, the milky snow-fed Cook river and Cook Bluff all of which would become familiar landmarks during a life-time’s residence at