Ascent of Mount Dennan in March, 1909

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ASCENT OF MOUNT DENNAN IN MARCH, 1909 The following account was published inity of Kaitoke Station), but only with in the Appendices to the Journals of the great difficulty. The Otaki people are anxious to open up. a track to the House of Representatives, C.8, 1909. It top, from their side, and our range- party is published in Tramping and Mountain- wished to get an idea of the character eering by permission of the Government of the country for track-making not only on this side, but also on the other Printer. slope of the watershed, as far as a rapid survey would allow them. The author, James Cowan (1870- 1943), was born at Pakuranga, Auck- The distance in a straight line from land. His family later moved to the the Forks (which is a little under 900 Waikato where they farmed land. The ft. above sea-level) to Mount Hector is land was near the border with the King between six and seven miles; the route Country. Cowan mixed with the Maori we traversed would be about ten miles people and as a result in later life had to the dip in the range-top between an intimate knowledge of the Maori Mounts Dennan and Hector. From the language and lore. He trained as a jour- junction of the three streams at the nalist with the Auckland Sun and later Forks a long leading ridge trends up to worked in that capacity for the Depart- Dennan and Hector. We followed this ment of Tourist and Health Resorts. ridge all the way up to Dennan, passing through the bush, and emerging In his capacity as a journalist, Cowan on the tussock slopes where snow lies wrote the following account. The trip in the winter; then our party went on was made to assess the cost of making to the high saddle between the two a track to Mount Hector and the tourist mountains. potential. The first mile or so of the route was I beg to report that, acting on your an ascent through partly cleared and instructions, I went up to Otaki with burnt bush, then we struck into the Mr. W. H. Field, M.P., last Friday, bush by a blazed track which kept to and made the ascent of the Tararua the summit of the narrow ridge. The Mountains from the north-western side. upper Otaki River was on our left hand in order to examine the character of and the Waiotauru on our right. This the proposed route from the Otaki ridge was in the form of a rough triangle Gorge to the summit of Mount Hector. with its apex at the Forks. The forest which covers it from the limit of the At Otaki Gorge we were joined by cleared land up to the alpine-vegetation Mr. D. R. Mills and five other settlers, line is exceedingly dense. There was and on Friday evening arrived at the no cleared path, but only a "blased" Forks, near the termination of the pre- track. In many places hard to find and sent horse-track, about fourteen miles difficult to follow because of the unfrom Otaki Township. The Forks is at dergrowth and fallen trees. In some the junction of the Otaki, Waitatapia, places there were very steep "pincshes" and Waiotauru Rivers, which descend to climb, but for the most part it was rapidly from the mountains through deep a gradual and regular ascent to the and narrow gorges. Here our party snow line, where the alpine up grass bepitched camp, and began the exploration gan, and where the grade became sharof the route to the top of the range per as the peaks were We as soon as it was light enough to move passed through about approached. four miles of on Saturday morning. bush as we climbed from the junction Mount Hector, 5,016 ft., is the second- of North the rivers. First there was the usual highest peak in the Tararua Mountains. palms and Island forest, fine tree-ferns with the mixed The Mitre, 5,154 ft., north of Mount very and other Holdsworth, is the highest peak of the tropical-looking mountain-forest plants; then the lower range: Holdsworth is 4,835 ft. Hector growth of rata, rimu, can be reached from the south-eastern miro, diminished totara, tawai, etc.; then the trees side (the nearest way is from the vic- dwarf totara in belt size and until clumps we reached of the fagus trees of low wide-branched form, forest, with a bare rock face here and spreading so close to the ground that there. we had to stoop down to pass under their boughs (snow evidently lies on We had come all his way without them heavily every winter); next thickets crossing any stream, for we had taken of wiry mountainbroom and koromiko the crest of the spur; but just at the and other alpine scrub growing very edge of the snow line two of our party close and thick; then the snow-grass, by prospecting down the side of the tussock, and alpine-flower belt, extend- gully, found a small spring. ing all along the summit of the range. In the lower parts of the forest the From the top of the first steep snownikau palm is very plentiful, and it grass hill above the alpine scrub it was seems to thrive lower down in the now easier going, or, at any rate, cleargorge even out in the open, away er, although the grade became steep. from the shelter of forest-trees. This is We now climbed to the top of Mount rather remarkable, as the nikau usually Dennah. The upper slopes of this peak requires the shade and protection of had to be crossed before we could the undisturbed bush. Ferns, including reach Hector. At the trig station on the beautiful Todea superba, were in Dennah I remained, while Mr. Field abundance on the ridge. It was too late and the others went on over the flat in the season to see any of the ranun- top of the next ridge and on to the culus family in bloom on the snow slopes of Hector. They ascended some country belt, but mountain daisies were way, but had then to return in order numerous, and also one or two kinds to reach camp again by dark. Dennan is of gentians, pretty white flowers with a very sharp-topped peak; but it is delicate blue lines or pencillings, resemb- several hundred feet lower than the ling flowers I have seen on the slopes next ridge, which is marked "Flat Top" of Mount Tongariro. on the survey maps, and which is the most conspicuous object in the range Bird life was not plentiful in the as one looks up the Otaki Valley. bush. There was abundance of miro and We now had very grand views of the other trees, on the berries of which the surrounding country: looking west there pigeons feed, but the birds would prob- was the great round-backed mountain ably not be seen in numbers until about Kapakapanui (3,615 ft.), the traditional May, when the berries are ripe. There "Lightning Mountain" of fatal omen of were a few kakas, and we heard and the Ngatitoa Tribe; then the sea and saw two or three makomakos (bell- Kapiti Island; a little southward was birds), tuis, and riroriros, but otherwise Cook Strait and the mountains of the the forest was a very silent one. South Island. Northward there was range after range of sharp blue mountains. Emerging from the alpine scrub and Away some miles north of us there was climbing up a steep face covered with the double pointed mountain which the snow-grass, mountain-flax, and dwarf Maoris say is the tino of the range. koromiko, we were able to see some- that is, the exact place from which thing of the mountain country around the " mountains take their name. "Taraus. It was extremely wild and broken, rua' means "Two Peaks"; it is to this quite as wild as any country in the part. that the Maori name is said to northern part of the South Island be- particularly apply. In a straight line fore the true Alps are reached, and, north of our viewpoint on Mount Denexcept for the snow-grass tops of the nan lay Mount Crawford, 4,795 ft. mountains, reminding me very much From the slopes of Mount Hector the of the heart of the Urewera Country. Hutt Valley and Wellington Harbour From the central ridge that was still were seen, and in the south-east the plains of the more than a thousand feet above us, been for the bush Wairarapa. fires in Had it not there stretched on either side of our below-the settlers' summer the valleys ridge a series of other spurs, tussock- fires-the view would have burning-off been yellow and brown on their upper parts, more extensive, for it is said much then thickly forested as they sloped mont and Ruapehu can be that Egaway to the north and north-west. They from Mount Dennan on a easily clear seen were just like great ribs; the precipitonday. sided main range was the spine. Be- A remarkable and important feature tween each sharp rib there was a deep about the high snow-grass saddle on the seemingly impenetrable gorge, filled range-top between Mounts Dennan and with smokey blue; the sides of these Hector is that there is, as reported were by gorges mostly thickly clothed with the members of the party, a series of small lakes or tarns of excellent drink- nine miles; the grade would be easy ing water. There are a score or more until the upper slopes of Mount Denof these lakelets lying in the dip be- nan were reached, when it would become tween "Flat Top" and Hector, about about as steep as that of the horse- 4,500 ft. above sea-level. The tarns are track which leads up to the Saddle on quite close to each other, but are at Ben Lomond, Lake Wakatipu. varying levels. They evidently never dry up, and they are not stagnant; there is A foot-track could be cleared first an outlet, and they are, no doubt, fed to the upper edge of the bush. This the by springs from the upper part of settlers who were with us considered Mount Hector. The presence of these could be done at little expense; some little lakes and ponds adds consider- of them considered that the expenditure ably to the possible value of the place of $200 would give a riding-track right as a resort for travellers, for the saddle up to Mount Dennan. would make a very good summer camping place. There is no wood just here Mr. Mills and some of the other for cooking, but enough to boil the Ctaki Gorge settlers think that by billy could be taken from the edge of irg up the Forks along the Waio- gothe scrub below. A camping ground tairu Crect (the southern tributary of such as this, so close to the mountain- the Otaki for two miles or a little less, top, would be a place of magnificent and then striking up the next ridge to possibilities for the artist, and for those that which we traversed, an even better, who love wild mountain scenery. or, at any rate, a shorter, route to the fod of Mount Dennan could be ob- The top of the watershed was reached taired. It would no doubt shorten the at about noon; the journey had occu- bride-track work required, for a ridingpied about seven hours from the Forks track now goes up along the Waiocamp. Leaving the slopes of Mount Den- aurut for some distance above the Forks nan again at about 3 o'clock, and halt- to Sieridan's clearing; but it seemed ing half an hour for a billy of after- to me that it would have the disadnoon tea where we had had lunch on vantaje of ending in a very precipitous the way up at the edge of the alpine face a the north-western side of Denbush, we returned to camp, reaching nan, where the track would require to the edge of the timber just before dusk, be cut out of the mountain-side, and and the Forks at 7 o'clock. The whole would be liable to be carried away by journey, about twenty miles of walking the meting of the snow. The settlers and climbing, took about fourteen hours intend exploring this spur up to the including rests. main rige. What is required, however, is a projer survey of these two suggested route from the Forks. As the result of the expedition and from what I saw of the country, I am The tcal distance from Otaki Railof opinion that this is a trip that could way-statig to the summit of the Taravery well be added to our tourist routes. rua Rang by way of the Forks and the To a large extent it is of local import- route whch we followed is approxiance, concerning chiefly the Otaki dis- mately tenty-two miles. The vehicletrict, but there is a good deal of in- road is IOW being completed the terest for visitors in and about Otaki Otaki Goge, so that it will up and Waikanae, and there is very good shortly be fishing in the streams; and a mountain possible t drive up to the Forks, which excursion of this sort would be an ad- will then e reached in about two hours ditional and important attraction. The from therailway. scenery is So fine that it deserves to be made more accessible. At present the ascent as we made it is too severe to be undertaken except by those used to BITUARY NOTICE the bush and to rough hill-climbing; and a good bushman-guide would be necessary. From my observations, I This plt was set aside for the think a horse-track could be made from the Forks right up to Mount Dehnan; articlespromised there are no gullies to cross, and only by Pat Liss and two or three steep places where sidelings would be necessary, until the snow-line Stee Moynihan. R.I.P. is reached. The length of the horsetrack required would be, say, eight to