Old Westland/Chapter 9

Vincent Pyke Lauper, unable to cross the Taramakau and so proceed to the Grey, decided to ascend that river and make for Lake Brunner where he knew that there were three survey parties cutting tracks. The first day he made but little progress, being very weak and ill and without food. As a matter of fact he was starving. That night he heard the bark of a dog and pushing through the scrub came across a Maori with his wife and child. The natives had but little food for themselves, but after Lauper had told his story and given the man four sticks of tobacco he received two small potatoes which, he states, “tasted delicious.” That night the Maori caught a few small fish in a fixed net, three of which with a ​couple of potatoes he gave Lauper. The following day he proceeded up the river, meeting, towards evening, a canoe containing five Maoris coming down stream. The natives were on their way to the Buller, but had no food. They put Lauper across and that night he reached a Maori camp where two men and their wives were residing. They had little food, but gave him a piece of woodhen. He slept that night in the hut, and after giving the Maoris some tobacco, went on his way. Next day he heard someone chopping, and a few minutes later he was in the midst of Howitt’s survey party and once more amongst friends, who attended to his wants, giving him clothing as well as food. Howitt supplied him with a horse and put him across the lake in a canoe. Two days later he joined the men who had been instructed to wait at the Taramakau Saddle by Whitcombe, but so worn and ill was he that they did not recognise him. The return journey to Taylor’s Station was then made, from whence the news of Whitcombe’s death was sent post haste to Christchurch. After resting a day or two Lauper and his companions reached headquarters.

The Canterbury Provincial Government after placing on record their sympathy, and their appreciation of Whitcombe’s services, voted his family the sum of £1,000. To Lauper, his faithful friend, they gave £100, in recognition ​of his sterling worth. In April, 1864, Whitcombe’s body was removed from the place where Lauper had buried it, and interred in the Karoro Cemetery, Greymouth.

Whitcombe Pass, and Whitcombe Quay, Blaketown, Greymouth, perpetuate the name of this unfortunate explorer.

Apart from the interest shown by the Canterbury and Nelson Provincial Governments in the West Coast, the Otago Provincial Government was also alive to its potentialities, and after the discovery of gold at the Shotover, Arrowtown and Wakatipu, many attempts were made to discover a practicable route. In January, 1863, a wonderful effort was made by Mr. Q. Caples, afterwards well known in Reefton as one of the most enterprising and successful miners in New Zealand. This daring man set out alone, without gun or map, and crossed the mountains at the head of the Dart River, cutting steps in the glaciers with a shovel, and descending the western watershed to a river which he called the Hollyford. Want of provisions compelled him to retreat, and while so doing he was forced to live upon native rats which were very plentiful. Re-equipping, he again set out and succeeded in crossing the ranges near the source of the Greenstone River, proceeding along the Hollyford to Martin’s Bay. The creeks and river beaches in that locality ​were carefully prospected and one of the tributaries of the Hollyford he named Pyke’s Creek, in honour of Vincent Pyke, then Warden and Goldfields Secretary, who was later a member of the House of Representatives. He found two coarse specks of gold, but failed to discover more. Caples furnished a very interesting report of his explorations, and also a sketch map, which subsequent surveys proved to be very accurate, considering that his sole equipment consisted of a small pocket compass.

About the same time a party consisting of Messrs. Barrington, Simonin and Farrell made several trips from Queenstown towards Jackson’s Bay with a view to prospecting extensively. On one occasion they endured great privations, one of them being lost for six days, during which time he had no food of any sort. When they again reached Lake Wakatipu they were in a deplorable condition. Constable Winter, the resident police officer in charge, reported that they “presented the appearance of living skeletons.” Barrington stated that he had discovered some quartz reefs during this trip, and a small vessel was built and fitted out to take himself and party back to Jackson’s Bay. On arrival the reef was duly located, but upon examination was not considered payable. Though a great deal of prospecting was carried out but little gold ​was found. Even the beaches were reported to be very poor, and were calculated to yield a return of only 7s. 6d. a day, per man, which was not a payable proposition when mining was carried out by the primitive methods then pertaining. After remaining some considerable time at and around the bay, this party, in December, 1864, sailed north and duly reached the Grey.

The most important expedition from Otago, however, was carried out by Vincent Pyke and a mining surveyor named Coates, who had in attendance three experienced men. This party was indeed well equipped, and had as beasts of burden two mules and two horses. They set out from the Dunstan on August 28th, 1865, with a view to finding a practicable road-line to the West Coast via Lake Wanaka. Two days after starting they met Hai Monare Weti (generally known on the Otago goldfields as Maori Jack), who was engaged to accompany the expedition. At the outset very bad weather prevailed and it rained incessantly for several days. When the explorers reached the Haast their progress was barred by an almost unbroken series of rocky gorges, through which the river foamed in a succession of cascades and rapids for a distance of from ten to twelve miles.

As they were afraid their provisions would not hold out while a road was being made for ​the mules, they decided to turn them loose, the track being blocked so that the animals would be found on the return of the party; but to their great disappointment when they did return they found that the mules had broken through and crossed the Fish Stream, being later found at the head of Lake Wanaka.

So broken was the country through which the party had now to pass, that it was necessary to ford the Haast fourteen times in one day. After leaving their tenth camp they were unable to find sufficient level ground on which to pitch the tents. As a result of being thus exposed to the weather the leader caught a chill through lying in a pool of water that had collected during the night, the consequence being that he suffered for three days from an acute attack of gout and could only travel with great difficulty. Fording the Haast to the right bank above its junction with the Burke, the party came on an old camp, and found carved on a tree, “Nugget Prospecting Party, Sep. 3, 1863.” The river now ran nearly eight miles between wide flats, some of which were grassed. From its junction with the Clarke the Haast riverbed widened in places to almost two miles, and the going was consequently much better. They reached the coast on October 2nd, thirty-five days after leaving the Dunstan.

​Here they rested for three days, not daring to remain longer as by this time their provisions were reduced to twenty pannikins of flour and meal and a little tea and sugar. They kept an anxious lookout for passing vessels but without avail; and did not know until their return that diggers at this time were at Jackson Bay. They commenced their homeward journey on October 5th, the Haast being much higher than previously. When they reached the Clarke two men were sent across to get some food that had been left there. Unfortunately, when returning, one of them lost his footing and his life being in danger, he cast off his swag which contained almost all their food. Luckily a packet of flour about six pound in weight was recovered, and that with a little meal was all they had to see them through. The weather now was of the cruellest kind, and when they reached the Fish Stream it was found to be unfordable—a veritable death trap, which they dare not attempt to cross.

An endeavour was made to fell a tree to bridge its narrowest part, and though they persisted all day in trying to do so, they were unsuccessful. During this time, “an unceasing downpour so chilled them as to induce a drowsy lethargy of the most painful description.” Their last biscuit having been consumed, with desperate energy tree after tree ​was felled in a vain effort to throw one across the raging torrent, but without avail. At last the idea was conceived to construct a rude ladder of saplings, and after making a precarious crossing by this means, they made good progress to the head of Lake Wanaka, which was reached on October 14th. Five days later they arrived at Clyde, the whole trip taking just over seven weeks. Auriferous indications were observed at various parts of the route, which was regarded as a practicable one, the distance being about 90 miles. This expedition was acclaimed as an outstanding contribution to the scanty knowledge then possessed of the country indicated, and Messrs. Pyke and Clarke were entertained at a public dinner, congratulated on their success and thanked on behalf of the province.

There were many other adventurous explorations in the early days. In Otago J. McKerrow, afterwards Surveyor-General, pushed westward the reconnaissance survey of the Lakes District, and back to the watershed of the Southern Alps, covering and mapping an area of 8,000 square miles in the two summer seasons of 1861-62 and 1862-63. Dr. Hector, too, traversed a huge stretch of country in his geological explorations, his predictions as to the deposits of gold being uncannily correct. As has been noted, Sir Julius Von Haast made a geological survey of the west coast of Nelson, ​and subsequently of Westland, while Messrs. Walker and Hewitt of Canterbury also made trips to the western portion of that province.

Two years prior to the Pyke expedition, the Canterbury Provincial Government, now convinced of the existence of gold on the West Coast, sent the schooner Wild Wave (Buxton, master) to the Grey River with a general cargo of stores and provisions. Mr. Charles Townsend was appointed Resident Agent there, and he had under his leadership a party of three men, Peter Mitchelmore, John Smith and Solomon (a Maori). Townsend’s instructions were to erect a depôt at the Grey to supply survey parties, prospectors, and any men requiring relief who might be travelling through to the Buller or back to Christchurch.

Captain Buxton who had not visited the West Coast previously did not know the whereabouts of the Grey, there of course being no charts then, and in an endeavour to find out where that particular river was, stood close in, and seeing some men on the beach put off in the ship’s boat to make the necessary enquiries. He found the sea very rough, but managed to land on the beach near the site where Hokitika now stands, only to find that the Grey was about twenty miles to the north. He then tried to rejoin his ship, but the sea was too heavy to permit him to do so, and he was compelled to camp ashore that night.

​Next morning there was no sign of the Wild Wave, which, however, hove into sight two days later, when another attempt was made to reach the little vessel, but without avail. On the following day he and Townshend decided to walk along the beach towards the Grey as the schooner appeared to be sailing in that direction. Two days later they reached their destination, and found the Wild Wave standing on and off the bar, which was very rough. The heavy seas continued until June 8th when the schooner managed to work the river entrance, after having a very narrow escape from being wrecked on the north beach. The Wild Wave was thus the third vessel to enter the Grey, not the first as generally stated. A start was at once made to erect the depôt, which was situated on the south bank of the river almost opposite Johnston Street, the actual site now being covered by twenty-five feet of water. This building was without doubt the first erected south of the Buller, and in Westland.

By way of a further interlude, it is essential to chronicle here an outstanding incident in Old Westland coastal history, for at this time the schooner Gipsy (Dixon, master) actually successfully entered the treacherous Taramakau, the first and only vessel ever to do so. This roaring river which was mistaken for the Grey was prospected during the little vessel’s ​stay, gold being found on the southern bank and close to the sea beach.

Meantime the Grey depôt, which was in the course of erection, was visited by Charlton Howitt and two of his men. They came from Lake Brunner, having run short of provisions. A few days later R. A. Sherrin and his prospecting party arrived from the Hokitika River, where they had obtained a little gold.

July, 1863, was a busy month at the Grey, for despite the fact that it was mid-winter, perhaps the worst month in the year, the pioneer prospectors continued their frenzied search for the gold they had reason to believe they would strike at any moment, and the depôt was the centre from which all activities radiated. Here on August 1st, the Grey River Post Office, the first in old Westland, was established, Charles Townsend being the first Post-master; he was succeeded by W. H. Revell, who, in 1865, handed over to Reuben Waite.

On August 6th Charles Townsend received information from Peter Mutu, a Maori, that Charlton Howitt and two of his survey hands had been drowned at Lake Brunner on the 4th. James Hammett, cook to the party, had been left in camp and he had arrived at the Taramakau with the dire news. Townsend met him the following day at the Saltwater (Paroa), some five miles south of the Grey. Five days later Hammett, accompanied by ​Peter Mutu, set out for the Buller with dispatches and a report to the Canterbury Provincial Government relative to the death of Howitt. On August 14th, Townsend, together with Sherrin and his party, left for Lake Brunner in search of the bodies, but returned on September 17th, without finding any trace of them.

From what could be learned of this shocking fatality it would appear that Howitt and his men were eeling, using a canoe cut out of a green log which had but little freeboard, and which in a sudden squall (for which this lake is notorious) filled and sank. This early surveyor’s parents were William and Mary Howitt, both well known in the literary world, the former’s work, “The History of Discovery in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand,” being a most valuable contribution to colonial literature.