Early explorersslowto ventureinland

MOSTofthe emigrantswho arrived in Otagoin 1848 were artisans andtradespeople whoseinterests did notextend beyondthe originalblock Forthem, thehazardousand uncertain joys of exploration held no attraction,and for almost adecade after the establishmentofDunedin they remained ignorant of the resources andthe configuration of thehinterland.

Anyadventurous spirit which might once have promptedthem to leaveScotlandseemedtohave been crushedduringthe voyage out. By farthe greaterpartof theprovincialexploration was carriedout by surveyors, sheep farmersand gold-diggers rather than by thepioneersthemselves.

In pointoftime, and of importance,Otago’s first explorerwas Edward Shortland, ProtectorofAborigines, who in 1843-44 setout to studythe southern Māori. Although he did notventure farfrom the coast, Mr Shortlandnevertheless collected much useful material aboutthe interior,whichhe reproducedinhis journal.

Closetohis footsteps came FrederickTuckett,DrMunro, andJ.WBarnicoat,who were searchingfor land suitable for theproposed Scottishsettlement.

From theOtago Harbourthey travelledoverthe hillstonorth Taieri, across theplain, down the Taieritoits mouth, andalong the coasttothe Molyneux.Ontheir return,theywalkedoverthe Tokomairiro Plain, past Waihola, and, once again, down theTaieri to itsmouth. Throughoutthis overland trip,the weatherwas bitterly cold; in themornings the travellersusedtoawake stiff and whitewithhoarfrost,their shoes frozen hard.AfterMrTuckett’s expedition, no explorationwas carriedout until1846, when Charles Kettle arrivedtodirect thesurveyofthe Otago block. In 1847 he climbedMaungaatua, from whichhecould see theeastern edge of Central Otago stretchingtothe Strath Taieriplain. Forthe first time,

European eyes had gazed upon theundulatinggrassydowns and rugged hillsofthe interior Such wasthe extent to which theprovincehad been explored by 1848, andevenaslateas1852 no-one had ventured more than 30 miles inland west of Dunedin. In thefollowing year,however,a mannamed NathanialChalmers persuaded aMāori to guidehim throughOtago to Canterbury by an inland route. Towardsthe endof1853 they setoffupthe Mataura andoverthe hillstothe Nevisand theKawarau,which they crossedbymeans of the naturalbridge. Living on eels and ducks, andwearing sandalsmade from flaxand cabbagetrees, they made their waytoWānakaand Hawea, whereMrChalmerswas so overcomewithexhaustionhe couldgonofurther.

Although no report of this remarkableexpeditionwas publishedatthe time,itmust have givenaconsiderable impetustoexploration,for shortly afterwards there were signs,especiallyamong prospectiverunholders, of

Mounting Interest In This Region

Of thesheep farmers oneofthe best knownwas J. Chubbin who, in 1856; setout with aparty in search of good sheepcountry near Wakatipu.Theparty had to spendthree days forcingits way through miles of speargrass and matagouri. Upon arriving at the lake they setfire to this tangled vegetation,accumulated during thecenturies, andsofierce was theblaze that they had to take refuge in thewater

In thesameyearasMrChubbin’s expedition, J. T. Thomson was appointedchief surveyor,and with hisarrival thescientific survey of theprovincewas undertaken. Hefound the newsettlementfractiousand discontented,asituationwhich he felt couldbestberemediedby theopeningupofthe hinterland. ThusinNovember1857heset outoverthe HorseRangefrom NorthOtago to theShagValley, andthe ManiototoPlain, theIda Valley,and theManuherikia The followingmonth he went from theWaitakioverthe hillsto theUpper Lindis.Reachingthe summitofGrandview,hesaw belowthe dark blue waters and whitegravelshoresofHawea, andtothe west Wānaka, with itslongnarrow arms thrust into theencirclingsnow-tipped mountains.

No soonerhad thereportofMr Thomson’s extensiveexplorations been published than thewhole area wastaken up by sheep farmers. Among thesemen, possibly thebestknown and most successful were W. G. Rees andN.von Tunzelmann who, towardsthe endof1859, set outfor Wakatipu from Oamaru by wayofWānaka. No-one had yetapproachedWakatipu from this direction, buteven thedifficultiesofthe journey up theCardrona, througha growth of pricklyscrub,did notdeter thesemen. Once they had climbedtothe crestofthe CrownRangetheyfeltthattheir efforts hadnot been in vain, for amagnificentpanoramagreeted their eyes. After descendingto thelake, they paddledalong thedeepbluewatersona raft made of driftwood untilthey couldsee in thedistanceKinloch andGlenorchyFlats. On their return,theyfollowedthe usual procedureofsetting firetothe vegetation,but they had to hurry to getthe Shotover betweenthem andthe flames.

Messrs Rees andvon Tunzelmann were but twoamong many who, by 1861, had explored most of thegrazingcountry to theeastofthe sprawling mountain ranges. Notuntil the discoveryofgolddid theadvance to themountains begin.

In January1863 P. Q. Caples went up theDartValley and alongthe southbranchofthe Routeburntothe snow andice around Lake Harris. By cutting steps with ashoveland following channels in theice,hecrossed thesaddle anddescendedto ariver whichhenamed the

Hollyford. Unfortunately, although he came within afew miles of theocean,the loneliness of theregionoppressed him so much that he turnedback. Mr Caples’solitaryattempt was followed by an expeditiontothe West Coastunder theleadership of Dr Hector.About thesame time,too,MrHaast travelled through thePass whichnow bearshis name. By theend of the’60s, therefore, theprovincial geographical patternwas well knowninits essentials.The work of exploration,begun in an elementary waybythe Māori andwhalersand continued by surveyors, sheepfarmers, gold diggers andscientists, had revealed assets whichwithin thebrief span of 20 yearshad revolutionised theprovinciallife.

Almostthe only remaining field in whichfurther exploration wasrequired was that embracingthe fiords district of theWestCoast.The coastlinehad been familiar to mariners formanyyears,but little wasknown of thecountry that laybetweenthe sea andthe lakesbeyondwhatDrHector andafew venturesometravellers had reported Twonames that will always be associated with theregionare thoseofQuintonMcKinnon and Donald Sutherland.Bothled adventurouslives, andthe names of both arecommemorated in the nomenclature ofthe district Mr McKinnon’s in theMcKinnon Pass andMrSutherland’sinthe Sutherland Falls.

Mr McKinnon is sometimes credited with beingthe first mantoreach anyfiordfrom theTeAnaudirection, but this statementisopento considerabledoubt

Donald Sutherland settledat MilfordSound,probablyin1876, afterspendingsomeyears golddigging andfighting in theMāori Wars.Itwas in 1886 that he and John Mackay commencedto explore thePoseidonand Arthur rivers anddiscoveredthe now widely knownSutherlandFalls.

On February15, 1882, the first cargo of frozen mutton was shipped from Port Chalmers to London on the Dunedin Thesheepwereslaughtered atTotaraEstate, south of Oamaru, and each morning 240 sheep carcasses went by the first train to Port Chalmers, wheretheywerefrozeninthe ship’s hold.Altogether,5000 frozen carcasses were shipped to London,and theentire cargo arrived unspoilt

On August 22, 1871, New Zealand’sfirst dairyfactory co-operative, theOtago Peninsula Cheese FactoryCo Ltd, wasformed at Springfield farm on Otago Peninsula by John Mathieson and seven others. It is recognised as the NewZealand dairy industry’s earliest link with the cooperativeprinciple, the basis of its futuredevelopment.