SECOND ASCENT OF RUAPEHU. SOURCES OF THE WHANGAEHU AND WAIKATO RIVERS.
Curious parterres--Supposed source of Whangaehu--A gigantic lava
bed--A steep bluff--The Horseshoe Fall--The Bridal Veil Fall--The
Twin Falls--A dreary region--Ice caves--Source of the Waikato--The
descent--Our camp on the desert.
Having satisfied myself as to the geological formation of the Kaimanawa
Mountains, I next determined to trace up the Whangaehu and Waikato
Rivers to their source in Ruapehu. Striking our camp at Mamanui, we
took a south-westerly course for some distance, until we struck the
Whangaehu River, which we found winding across the desert in the form
of a wide, rushing stream. Once on the opposite side, we were again
fairly on the Onetapu Desert, and we shaped our course in the direction
of the eastern side of Ruapehu, where a tremendous ravine seemed to
lead right into the very heart of the mountain.
When passing over some portions of the great scoria plain, we found
all of the plants and shrubs peculiar to the region growing together
with dwarf trees, but all so artistically dispersed by the hand of
Nature as to appear like miniature gardens, with winding walks that
formed a perfect labyrinth. In fact, so beautifully and carefully
designed were some of these parterres, that it was almost impossible
to believe that they had not been artificially formed. Every species
of plant that we had hitherto found in the district grew in them, with
a vast variety of shrubs we had not before observed, while the scoria
winding about the clumps of vegetation was so even as to appear as if
it had been artificially rolled down.
The Whangaehu River, which takes its rise in the eastern side of
Ruapehu, is one of the largest streams in the colony. Bursting forth
high up in the snows of the mountain, it crosses the desert in an
easterly direction, and then, with the fall of the country, takes a
swift bend towards the south in its course to the coast, where it joins
the sea, in a distance of about sixty miles from its source. From the
point where it issues from the mountain, and for many miles as it
winds through the plains, its waters are rendered perfectly white from
the enormous amount of alum with which they are charged. We had been
informed by the natives at Tokanu that the source of this river rose
in an enormous black rock, or dark bluff, which forms a conspicuous
feature near the eastern base of the mountain, and it was therefore
towards this point we directed our course.
The whole of this side of Ruapehu appeared singularly rugged, and
above the deep gorges the enormous bluffs and precipices seemed to
mount one above the other to the glacier-crowned peaks above. We
struck into a boulder-strewn ravine, and, after following this along
for a considerable distance, we found that it brought us to the dark
mass of rocks which the natives had indicated to us. It was, however,
clear at once that the true source of the river was a long distance up
the mountain from this point. The dark rocks, which were nothing more
than enormous outcrops of lava, formed the portals, or entrance, as it
were, to a still deeper gorge, which led further into the mountain,
and which looked as weird and as dismal as anything Dante or Doré had
ever created. When we had got fairly into this tremendous chasm, a
most curious sight presented itself. Below our feet was the bed of
the ravine, strewn with boulders of all sizes, which lay scattered
about in endless confusion, as if hurled from the heights above by
the hands of mountain giants. On our left rose an immense lava wall,
over 100 feet in height, and on our right, rising from the bed of the
ravine, was a wide stratum of alluvial drift, composed of sand and
water-worn boulders. Resting on this stratum, just as it had cooled,
was a lava stream, about 200 feet in perpendicular height, as sharp
and as clear in all its proportions as if it had been cast out but
yesterday from the fiery craters of the mountain. Dark, bright, and
shining with a metallic lustre, it looked like a solid wall of bronze
built by Cyclopean hands, the stupendous jagged ridge which crowned
it resembling the rampart of an embattled fortress. This appeared to
be one of the grandest specimens of a trachytic lava bed to be found
in any part of the world, and it formed one of the most interesting
geological phenomena I had ever beheld. Looking at this stupendous
mass, one could fairly realize how widespread and how tremendous in
its proportions must have been the volcanic action of Ruapehu. The
stream of lava which had formed this great deposit had evidently come
from one of the many central craters of the mountain, and had rolled
down in a molten stream for a distance of several miles, until it had
gradually cooled into its present form. When gazing up at this singular
monument, it could be seen that there was not a single flaw in its
whole surface to mar the general outline of its colossal proportions.
Here and there from the hard metallic surface, which shone like
bronze by some powerful agency difficult to comprehend, blocks of the
adamantine rock had fallen into the ravine below, but even every line
of their surface was as sharp and as angular as if they had been just
wrought into form under our eyes.
[Illustration: GREAT TRACHYTIC LAVA BED.]
When we had travelled a considerable distance up to the head of this
wild gorge, we found it impossible to get out of it except by the
way we had come, so we headed back again, and climbed, with great
difficulty and at considerable risk, up the enormous bluff forming the
entrance to the gorge, the sharp edges of the lava being particularly
rough on our hands. Once at the summit of the bluff, we gained a long
spur which formed the top of the great bed of lava we had examined
in the ravine below, and which was here about 600 yards in width, as
evidenced by the rugged outcrops of black rock that rose above the
surface of the ground on every side. Travelling for a short distance
up this steep ridge, we descended a rocky precipice to the right into
another weird gorge, where the milky waters of the Whangaehu came
bounding in a rapid descent over boulders and rocky precipices. We
crossed the river at this point, and we kept the stream on our left for
a considerable distance up the mountain.
When we had followed up this ravine for a long distance we came to
another scoria spur, mounting upwards towards the mountain. About two
miles up this the ravine widened out, with high lava walls on either
side, while right in the centre rose a high ridge of lava, which ended
in steep, sloping ridges of fine scoria. The great snow peaks beyond
now came into full view, and at a height of 5300 feet the ravine opened
out on our left, and over the flat terrace above a large waterfall fell
from a height of 150 feet over a semicircular precipice into a deep,
rocky basin, and, as the vast volume of water poured on to the great
rocks beneath, it resounded through the ravine like the echo of distant
thunder. We named this the "Horseshoe Fall" from the shape of the
precipice over which the water fell.
From the Horseshoe Fall we mounted still higher up a very steep ascent
on to a flat-topped scoria spur, which immediately to the right
descended into a rugged ravine over a sheer precipice of 400 feet,
while to the left of the ridge, which we followed up, rolled the
Whangaehu, at a depth of about 300 feet in the gorge below, and beyond
which the giant form of one of the principal spurs of the mountain,
built up of scoria and layers of lava, rose to a height of about 1000
feet above us. We were now high up in the mountain, and the cold wind
from the snow-crowned glacier above swept over us with a chilly blast,
while the colossal walls of rock, towering above on every side, cast
their weird shadows around, and blocked out every ray of sunlight.
We climbed for about three miles further up the dreary scoria spurs,
the monotonous appearance of which was only relieved by the fantastic
outcrops of lava rock, which jutted up above the surface in every
direction, as if still hot and quaking with subterranean heat. One of
the most remarkable features about these fantastic outcrops of lava
was that time and the devastating effects of the elements to which
they must have been subjected for hundreds, nay, thousands, of years,
appeared to have left no traces upon them, the hard, metallic-looking
surface of the rock being as sharp in outline as if it had but just got
cool from the terrific heat of the stupendous fires, which had left
their impress in every direction over the face of the mountain. Not a
sign of vegetation was to be seen anywhere. We could not even get a
glimpse of the country around, as the windings of the enormous gorge
had led us, as it were, into the very heart of the mountain, and had
surrounded us with its high, rugged walls. As we climbed still further
to the glacier-crowned heights above us, the appearance of this wild
ravine became still more desolate; rugged, craggy boulders of black
rock were scattered about the slopes in every direction, and we had to
climb over huge masses of rock that barred our pathway. Thick icicles
now covered the ground, hung in festoons from the rocks, and bedecked
the high precipices in the form of a glittering fringe, while the snow
was not only on the heights above, but in the deep ravines beneath us.
In the distance we could hear the loud roaring of a cataract, and,
as we pressed on, the sound of the falling water resounded louder
and louder, and at an altitude of 6250 feet another waterfall, far
larger and more beautiful than the one we had previously discovered,
burst into view. We had hoped that this would prove the source of
the river, as it was now late in the day, and it was clear that we
would not have much more time for climbing if we wished to gain our
camp before nightfall. We soon found, however, that the great gorge
still wound into the mountain for 1000 feet above, and that the true
source of the river was yet further ahead. We took our first rest at
this stage, and gazed in admiration at the leaping volume of water in
front of us. Here, on our right, rose a gigantic bluff of lava and
conglomerated rock, while round this frowning point and coursing down
the steep incline of the gorge, up which we were ascending, swept the
white waters of the Whangaehu, until the whole volume, concentrated
into a narrow rocky channel, burst over a precipice with a fall of 300
feet into the rocky gorge below. This was one of the most beautiful
and unique cascades I had ever seen. All around the craggy rocks were
white with a deposit of alum from the spray of the fall, while the
water, of a milky hue, poured over the precipice in a continuous frothy
stream, which appeared by its whiteness like folds of delicate lace.
This beautiful cascade had not the sparkle and glitter of ordinary
waterfalls, but a soft, milky appearance different to anything I had
ever beheld before. The big, circular, rock-bound basin, into which the
water fell, was decorated around its sides with fantastic clusters of
icicles, all of the same milky whiteness, and mingling as they did with
the still whiter snow, they served to complete one of the most singular
and attractive features of this weird ravine. We named this the "Bridal
Veil Fall" on account of its peculiar lace-like appearance.
[Illustration: THE BRIDAL VEIL FALL.]
Leaving the Bridal Veil Fall to dart over its echoing rocks, we struck
up the steep, precipitous ridge ahead, where we could still see the
white waters of the river coming down, as it were, from the very summit
of the mountain. Here the whole surroundings had a most wild and
romantic appearance, and we seemed to have entered a dismal solitude
where there was no sound but the rushing of waters as they dashed over
the rocky precipices, or rolled among the stupendous boulders which lay
scattered about the winding channels of the deep ravines. We pushed on
as fast as we could over an enormous outcrop of lava, and when we had
reached 6750 feet fresh wonders still seemed to call us onward. At this
elevation we discovered two cascades falling over a steep, bluff-like
precipice, and only at a short distance apart from each other. These
two shoots of water, which appeared to be of the same proportions, fell
from a height of about 100 feet into the ravine below, and then dashed
onward to leap over the precipice of the Bridal Veil. All around the
rocks were resplendent with icicles, and with the white coating of
alum appeared like alabaster. We named these the "Twin Waterfalls" on
account of their singular resemblance to each other.
From this point of the great ravine we again mounted up precipitous
rocks and lava ridges, one of which we had to climb hand over hand for
a height of fifty feet. The river now, as far as we could discern,
appeared to pour out of the snow as it came down in a rapid torrent
through a precipitous ravine, along the side of which we crawled with
difficulty. As we mounted higher the stupendous rocks, over which we
had to make our way, were piled about in the most intricate confusion,
and in one place we had to pass over an outcrop of trachytic rock which
was broken into angular pieces, as sharp as flint, and fractured in
every direction, as if it had been subjected at some period to the
force of a terrific explosion. It required great care to get over this
difficult point, as there was only room enough to crawl along between
the wall of rock on one side, and a precipice of 200 feet on the other,
which fell with a sheer descent into a big, circular, ice-bound pool,
into which the milky waters of the Whangaehu poured in the form of
foaming cascades. Here, around on every side, rose steep precipices,
great buttresses of black lava mounted up in the form of stupendous
bluffs that supported, as it were, the rampart-like heights above,
while right in front of us, and towering to an altitude of over 1000
feet, was a glacier slope crowned with craggy peaks, which stood out
in bold relief against the sky. This rugged locality was one of the
most singular of the whole mountain. No region could be wilder or more
desolate in appearance. There was nothing but the blue heavens above to
relieve the frigid glare of the ice, the cold glitter of the snows, and
the dreary tints of the frowning fire-scorched rocks. We now seemed to
be in a new world, where solitude reigned supreme, and where Nature,
casting aside her most radiant charms, looked stern and awe-inspiring
in her mantle of ice and snow.
Right under the snowy glacier above us were wide, yawning apertures,
arched at the top, and framed, as it were, with ice, in the form of
rude portals, through which the white waters of the river burst in
a continuous stream. These were ice caves. Climbing over the rough
boulders, and then descending into a rocky channel, where the water
mounted over our knees, we entered the largest of these singular
structures, when a wonderful sight met the gaze. We found ourselves in
a cave of some 200 feet in circumference, whose sides of black volcanic
rock were sheeted with ice, and festooned with icicles, all grandly and
marvellously designed. At the further end from where we entered was a
wide, cavernous opening, so dark that the waters of the river, as they
burst out of it in a foaming, eddying stream down the centre of the
cave in which we stood, looked doubly white, in comparison with the
black void out of which they came. We were now right under the enormous
glacier that covered the summit of the mountain, and the roof of the
cave was formed of a mass of frozen snow, which had been fashioned
by some singular law of Nature into oval-shaped depressions of about
two feet in height, and a foot and a half broad, all of one uniform
size, and so beautifully, and so mathematically precise in outline,
as to resemble the quaint designs of a Moorish temple; while, from
all the central points to which the edges of these singular designs
converged, a long single icicle hung down several inches in diameter at
its base, perfectly round and smooth and clear, tapering off towards
its end with a point as sharp as a needle. High up on our left, in the
walls of the cave, were two apertures like the slanting windows of a
dungeon, through which the light streamed, giving a soft, mysterious
halo to the whole scene, which looked weird and indescribably curious.
We had brought candles with us, and lighting them, we pressed forward
to explore the deep cavern beyond, but to do so we had to climb over
sharp, slippery rocks, which were covered with a coating of ice, as
if they had been glazed with glass, while the white waters streaming
beneath us fell into a deep, eddying pool. We managed, after some
difficulty, to cross the stream in the second cave, and to penetrate
a considerable distance along the treacherous rocks into the very
centre, as it were, of the great mountain; but, just as we were winding
along a kind of subterranean passage, which looked like a short cut
into eternity, our lights went out, owing to the water falling from
above, and, as we could hear nothing but rushing waters ahead, we,
with some difficulty, beat a retreat into the first cave, which looked
like a fairy palace in comparison with the dark cavern we had just
left. These caves were at an altitude of 7000 feet above the level of
the sea, and we were now at the true source of the remarkable river.
Wherever the water poured over the rocks it left a white deposit, and
when we tasted it, it produced a marked astringent feeling upon the
tongue, leaving a strong taste of alum, sulphur, and iron, with all
of which ingredients, especially the two former, it appeared to be
strongly impregnated.[51]
It is a remarkable and interesting geographical fact that the waters
which form the source of the Waikato River burst from the sides of
Ruapehu, within a short distance of the Whangaehu, and at almost the
same altitude. Both streams run almost parallel to each other for a
long distance from their source, and then, as they reach the desert,
they gradually diverge and divide the two great watersheds of this
portion of the country, the Waikato flowing to the north into Lake
Taupo, and the Whangaehu to join the sea in the south. There is, I
believe, no place in the world where two great rivers may be seen
rising at an altitude of over 7000 feet in the sides of a glacier-clad
mountain, and rolling for miles, side by side, down its rugged slopes,
the waters of the one of alabaster whiteness, and the waters of the
other as pure and as limpid as crystal, and each forming the dividing
waters of an area of country of nearly 100 miles in length.
It had taken us nine hours to reach the ice caves, and as it was
now late in the day we began to descend with all haste, in order,
if possible, to reach the point where we had left our horses before
nightfall.
As the sun went down the wind blew with a freezing blast, and as
we descended precipice after precipice, and ridge after ridge, and
the tints of evening crept gradually over the dismal sides of the
mountains, our course appeared long beyond measure. When we got near
to the immense mass of lava we had beheld in wonder in the morning,
the shades of night overtook us, and it was with great difficulty we
could pick our way over the rough boulders of the dark, weird gorge,
which now looked like Dante's Inferno with the fires put out. We again
struck the waters of the Whangaehu, and shining as they did like a
white streak in the darkness, we were enabled to follow them up until
we came to our camp.
We soon had our tent erected under the lee of a cluster of scrub,
which served to protect us from the fury of the wind, which now swept
in strong blasts across the scoria plains. Our camping-place was as
near as possible in the centre of the desert, and at a point which
indicated an elevation of 3000 feet above the level of the sea. It
might, in fact, be considered as the highest point of the great central
table-land, for it was here that the watershed divided, and flowed on
the one hand to the north, and on the other to the south, as previously
described. A drink of tea and a biscuit formed our only meal, and then
we lay down to pass one of the roughest and most uncomfortable nights
we had ever experienced. About midnight a great storm of wind swept
over the plains, and dark clouds gathered over the heavens, and the
rain continued to descend in torrents throughout the night. Fortunately
for us, the few straggling bushes around served to break the force of
the blast, otherwise everything would have been blown away.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 51: Near to this point, on the summit of the mountain, there
is a lake formed by an extinct crater, filled by subterranean springs,
and it is likely that the Whangaehu may in some way be connected with
it. It is, however, clear that there must, of necessity, be strong
subterranean springs in this portion of the mountain, to account for
the large volume of water forming the source of this river, as likewise
extensive deposits of alum, of some form or another, to cause the
complete discoloration of the waters by that mineral. I believe that
this singular river will be found to possess great medicinal properties
for the cure of rheumatic affections and cutaneous disorders.]