Page:The journal of the Royal Geographic Society of London. Volume 34, 1864. (IA s572id13663720).pdf/271

Rh Lillburn several square miles covered with dense prickly scrub and bog-pine shrub, that would be almost impervious to fire, owing to the want of grass below to carry the flame along and through it. The Waiau River is a great hindrance to the traffic to and from this district. There is considerable risk in swimming cattle over, and as for sheep, they have all to be boated across. This disadvantage is compensated, I think, by the quiet so desirable in sheep-farming, and isolation from the contagion of epidemic disease. During the survey, while the stockowners on the east side of the Waiau were in the greatest dread of their flocks becoming contaminated by contact with a diseased flock in that district, those on the other side of the river had no apprehension from the same cause. Another advantage worth notice is, that the river and bush outline so fence in these runs, the one from the other, that the duties of shepherding the flocks are very considerably less than in open country. The small parklike patches on the west side of the Waiau, near its exit from the lakes, although apparently of little consequence from their smallness, are much valued by the stockowners for the paddock accommodation they furnish to the male portion of their flocks at certain seasons of the year. The clear at the base of Paddock Hill is peculiarly valuable for this purpose on account of its being bounded on the north side by the sluggish part of the Waiau, so that there is no difficulty in crossing and re-crossing that river at this place.

The remaining part of the Waiau District comprises 692·5 square miles of pastoral country, of which 429·5 belong to Otago, and 263 to Southland. The Southland portion lies between the Takitimo Mountains on the east, and the Waiau River on the west, and is south of the boundary line between the provinces. The Otago portion is wholly to the north of the same line, and embraces the Te Anau Downs, the Upper Oreti and Mararoa Valleys. The surface is diversified by the descending spurs of the Takitimo Mountains, by several extensive flats along the courses of the rivers, and of low undulating ridges over the Te Anau Downs. It is all very well grassed; blue tussock is the prevailing sort of grass, and oatgrass, anise, and other herbage is frequently met with. Excepting the higher parts of the Takitimo Mountains, a very considerable part of this country is under the elevation of 1000 feet above the sea-level. The Te Anau Downs may be stated as having a mean elevation of 1100 feet, and the Mararoa Valley rises to 2000 feet at Hamilton’s Station. Around the north side of the Te Anau Downs and Mararoa Valley the forest covers the spurs of the mountains, so that the pastoral country is almost all under the highest of the elevations just named; it therefore may all be considered as free from snow during the whole course