Page:The journal of the Royal Geographic Society of London. Volume 34, 1864. (IA s572id13663720).pdf/317

Rh through steep ravines as low as 3000 feet above the sea-level, but from the extent of bare rock from their lower extremity and the position of their terminal moraines, I am inclined to think that in some seasons they must descend about 500 feet lower.

Above the boulder-rapid just mentioned, the fall of the stream is again comparatively slight for 10 or 12 miles, at which place the valley is crossed by a second moraine, but in this part of its course, besides the frequent occurrence of shallows, its channel is much obstructed by drift wood, which is frequently piled to a height of 10 feet by floods. In some parts of the valley the flat land, which is of good quality and above the highest floods, is nearly 2 miles in width. The forest which covers the flats is very open and free from underwood, and contains some fine timber-trees. Above the second boulder-rapid, the rounded shingle fills the valley from side to side, so that the useful land may be considered to terminate at that point, or about 18 miles from the south extremity of the Kakapo Lake.

After losing four days by continued rain, which I was surprised to find only caused a rise of a few feet in the river, we reached a stream which descends from the saddle at the source of the Greenstone River on the morning of the 1st October, being then a distance of 25 miles from the Kakapo Lake, although by the route we had come, following all the bends of the river, we must have travelled 40 miles, as it occupied us eighteen hours exclusive of all delays.

I may state that the rise of the valley to this point I estimate at 400 feet, and thus far there would be no heavy gradients to be overcome in the construction of a road. After following up the Pass Creek for a short distance, and with an easy climb of two hours, we reached the top of a bald hill on the west side of the Greenstone Valley, being, I have no doubt, the same from which Messrs. Kellar and Gun obtained their prospect of the western slope, when in search of new pastoral country. We encamped near to the top of the hill, which is over 3000 feet above the sea-level, and at least 1400 feet above the highest point of the Greenstone Valley, or, in other words, just so much higher than it was necessary for us to rise in order to strike the waters that flow to the East. The bed of the stream which descends to the westward from the saddle is very precipitous, but on both sides of it there are spurs which lead easily down to the Kakapo Valley. Two lakes occupy the bottom of the valley where the water turns, separated by a mossy flat; the water from the north-west, which is half a mile in extent, forming the Pass Creek, while that of the South Lake, which is 2 miles long and half a mile wide, forms the Greenstone River that flows to the Wakatipu Lake. From the top of the hill I obtained a view of a second and even deeper