Wakatipu to Milford

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3376, 2 March 1920, Page 5

Wakatipu to Milford

TRACK PROGRESSING. Guide J. N. Lipp ami four Uni-' versity students, Messrs M. *. Hams* D. R. Jennings, Stewart Crawford and J. Tanner, all or Dunedin, retained to Queenstown last evening from the Hollyfoid Valley. The party has been engag'd for the last two-and-a-half mouths on the continuation of a track up the- Homer Saddle for the pnirpose of connecting w%h Grave and Talbot's pasts into Milford Sound. The work was commenced at Falls Creek, up to which poiut the track was completed prior to the wa-. It has now been carried as far ais Monkey Creek, five miles further on, or within three miles of the pass. The progress made with the track is quite satisfactory and, moreover, excellent work has b en done. Guide Lipp says that it' the neeesary labor had been supplied to con;iniu3 the work laid down by the students (who had to go back to Dirie'in to resume their studies), the track could have been complet d to the pass in another six weeks' time. X xt year a start might then have be n made with the track on the. other sid ■of the range into Milford Sound. This is one of the most important undertakings in the South Island from a tourist, point of view as the new route which has been discovered by Messrs Talbot and Grave will establish t'i eet communication between Milord Sound and Queenstown. It means that tourists who vi i 1 the <ound via Lake Te Anau, instead of retracing their step*, will be abl to continue their journey via the n'W pass into the Hollyford Valley, there" to the Hoad of the Lake aid Qu enstown. The value of such a trip cannot be over-estimated, and it is th re "ore a very short-si?hted policy of the Tourist Department, to close op''a'ions on the track re! err'd to especially when the expenditure involved isi.ifiritepdi • mal.