Finest walk in the world

Arthur River, near Sandfly Hut, where the Milford Track arrives at Milford Sound. — Otago Witness, 6.10.1925

The Te Anau-Milford track was at the start of the season placed under the control of Mr L.M. Cheriton, formerly chief guide at Waitomo Caves.

This season, taking all things into consideration, has been very satisfactory. The new wharf erected at the Head of the Lake has proved a great help in the landing of stores and passengers. The track from the wharf to Glade House has been maintained in good order. The work throughout the season has bean efficiently carried out by the staff at Glade House, the hut keepers, and track hands. Although good work has been done on the track itself, much has been left at a standstill owing to the fact that trackmen and horses have been engaged packing stores over the pass to Quinton and Sandfly huts, due to the late arrival at Milford Sound of the Government steamer Tutanekai. Five new bridges have been erected between Glade House and Pompolona huts, and one between Sandfly huts and the boat-shed, the lastnamed taking a good length of time as the required stringers (50 feet) were hard to convey to the site. The track itself has been chipped and cleared of overhanging grass, etc, from Sandfly huts to Arthur River, crossing Arthur River, crossing to Quinton huts, Quinton huts to Mintaro hut, and from Pompolona huts to Glade House.

Work on the pass has been practically ruined by frequent crossing of packhorses. Drains and culverts have also received much needed attention. The telephone line over the track has been kept in splendid order and condition. It has not been unworkable for more than one hour at a stretch throughout the whole season. This has proved a great help in the successful working of the track generally. The drainage has been carried into the river, this in itself making the sanitary conditions around the house much more satisfactory. Bonzol lavatory pans have also been installed. The track is gaining popularity. With the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition at Dunedin in sight, the coming season should prove a record one. Great improvements were effected by the Public Works Department in the road access to Te Anau which has so long been a cause of trouble, and this work is still being gone on with. Before next season it should be put in first-class order and be the means of increasing traffic.

Cook Strait cable

Telephonic communication between the North and South Islands will be made possible in a more general way than is at present the case early in the new year by the linking of the two islands with a telephonic cable which is being specially made by Siemens Ltd in England to the order of the New Zealand Government. The new cable, which will be some 40 miles in length, will be 1 3/4 inches in diameter, with heavier armour for the parts which will be in the rockier current-swept parts of the Strait. The cable will take off at Lyall Bay, and will land on the beach at Seddon, a route which is some six miles shorter than the Lyall Bay-White’s Bay line. The steamer bringing out the new cable will have to be fitted with a makeshift tank to provide for even coiling. On its arrival in Wellington the cable will be paid out into the Government steamer Tutanekai, which will lay the cable under the supervision of the chief telegraphic engineer.