Te Anau,

the name of the township being [unclear: Mara] There is here greater evidence of [unclear: business] although the buildings are few in [unclear: nu] These consist of the Te Anau Hotel [unclear: (s] grass's), the Marakura Accommodation [unclear: H] (M'Kenzie's), and the private [unclear: residence] Captain F. M. Duncan, who has bean [unclear: l] here for a number of years. The [unclear: Te a] Hotel is comfortable and well kept and [unclear: is] scene of a little stir when the [unclear: Lumsden] arrives and departs twice weekly. [unclear: These] good deal of accommodation in the [unclear: house] when the influx of visitors is large a [unclear: rang] bedrooms in a separate building [unclear: fronting] garden is brought into requisition. The [unclear: b] fare is liberal, and if located in the hotel [unclear: p] visitors do not need any stretch of the [unclear: im] tion to induce them to recognise that [unclear: they] be domiciled in a well-conducted [unclear: hotel] populous town. M'Kenzie's [unclear: accommad] house is also particularly well [unclear: conducted] every attention is paid to the [unclear: com] visitors It is, however, difficult to [unclear: c] that the present tourist traffic can [unclear: supp] houses in this locality. Captain [unclear: Duncan] if a pretty little private residents [unclear: w] verandah hidden by a luxuriant [unclear: grow] honeysuckle. The owner is always [unclear: pl] show his house and garden to [unclear: visitors] also the many examples of mountain [unclear: and] scenery, the product of his brush, [unclear: which] the walls of bis studio.

The Lumsden coach, which arrives [unclear: be] 6 and 7 o'clock, brings quite a [unclear: nu] passengers, and there are other [unclear: visito] ourselves already in the house, so that [unclear: w] quite a large party at dinner. [unclear: Am] coach arrivals are two members of [unclear: the] force who are on their way to Lake [unclear: The] to make inquiries into the [unclear: disappears] young man who it was supposed [unclear: had] drowned in that lake. He was one [unclear: of] engaged in the work of cutting a track [unclear: f] lake to George Sound. The route to their [unclear: d] tion was by steamer up the middle [unclear: flord] Te Anau, thence by a short bush [unclear: track] page 9 [unclear: Hankinson,] where they anticipated being met by some of the working party with a boat to take them down that life on their way to Lake Thompson.

Next morning we assembled early on the jetty to start in the steamer for the head of the lake. Our trip over the wide expanse of water which forms the lower portion of the lake gave no promise of the beautiful scenery to be met with [unclear: its] flords and upper waters. Rough weather is and uncommon on the lower portion of the lake, [unclear: but] although the day was not particularlyflue [unclear: the] wind was not severe and the motion of the [unclear: mee] not too pronounced to affect any of us. The party on board was a large one (14 all told-viz, our own party of fire, a south Australian gentleman with his wife and doughter a Christchurch doctor, a gentleman from Armidale, N.S.W., another Dunedin resident and his wife, whom I may refer to hereafter as Mr and Mrs B., and the two member of the force.

After steaming some hours wo entered the