Quinton McKinnon's Explorations.

For several years Quinton McKinnon, sometimes accompanied by his friend, W. S. Mitchell, had been engaged in exploring the western shores of Te Anau and various parts of the unmapped wilderness between that great lake and the West Coast. He was particularly anxious to discover a route from the head of Te Anau to Milford Sound, but always he was baffled by the impracticable nature of the country and hampered by bad page 28 weather. His headquarters was a hut he had built on the west side of the lake, and he had a whaleboat which he used for his cruises. For some weeks in September-October of 1888 he had not been heard of by his friends; he was somewhere in the wilds looking for a pass.

Meanwhile, Mr. C. W. Adams, Chief Surveyor of Otago, with a party of men had landed at Milford in order to inspect a track which Donald Sutherland had contracted with the Government to cut along the Arthur from the Sound-head, and to take measurements of the height of the falls. Accompanying the party was Mr. Thomas McKenzie (the late Sir Thomas), who was an enthusiastic and courageous amateur explorer in those days. He, too, was ambitious to discover a pass to connect Te Anau with the coast.