Donald Sutherland

Donald Sutherland ( – 24 October 1919) was a Scottish-born New Zealand explorer, active in the late 19th century. Born in Wick, he served as a soldier in the Expedition of the Thousand, led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, in the Italian unification wars. Soon afterwards he travelled to New Zealand where he prospected for gold in Otago. He later joined the New Zealand military and fought in a number of engagements of the New Zealand Wars. In 1877, he settled in Milford Sound and lived as a hermit for a number of years, exploring the region. He later married and, with his wife, ran an accommodation facility for the increasing number of tourists visiting Milford Sound until his death in October 1919. The Sutherland Falls, located near Milford Sound and the highest waterfall in New Zealand, is named for him.

Early life Donald Sutherland was born in Wick, a coastal town in Scotland, around 1843 or 1844. He was the son of Donald Sutherland, a ropemaker, and Isabella Strachan. As a boy he worked in the fishing industry but desired a more exciting life, and when he was 16, he joined a militia unit stationed at Fort George in nearby Ardersier. He subsequently volunteered to join the forces of Giuseppe Garibaldi, who, supported by the British, was engaged in the Expedition of the Thousand, part of the Italian unification wars. The campaign ended in Naples in September 1860, after which Sutherland returned to the United Kingdom.

New Zealand After finding employment as a mariner on coastal shipping, Sutherland sailed to New Zealand as part of the crew of the Prince Alfred, deserting the company when the ship arrived at Dunedin. Sutherland made his way to the area and began prospecting for gold. In December 1863, and having not had any success on the gold fields, he went to the North Island and enlisted in the Waikato Militia, then engaged in the New Zealand Wars. He was assigned to the water transport corps, and after hostilities ended in the region, Sutherland was granted a parcel of land at Pukerimu. He abandoned his land allotment in 1866 when he absconded from his unit to join a sealing party heading to Fiordland, in the South Island. Not achieving any success, he returned to gold prospecting, this time on the West Coast.

By the early 1880s, McKay had left Milford, believing there was no gold to be had in the area. This left Sutherland as the only permanent resident in Milford Sound. In 1883, while sailing down the coast in his vessel Porpoise, he discovered another feature that is named for him, Sutherland Sound. His failure to reach the summit was galling and he later attempted to discredit the first ascent made in 1911 by Jim Dennistoun. His observations from his exploration of Milford Sound and the surrounding area were communicated to Alexander McKay, a geologist, who in August 1884 reported these to the Wellington Philosophical Society.

For much of the next several years, Sutherland lived alone in Milford Sound, only receiving visits every six months or so when the NZGSS steamers Hinemoa or Stella called in. In 1888, he was contracted to make a track from Milford through to Sutherland Falls. This took six months, and now forms part of the Milford Track. He made occasional visits to Dunedin, and on one of these, in 1890, he married Elizabeth Samuels, a widower originally from England. The couple, using Elizabeth's money, purchased land on which the Chalet, an accommodation facility, was built. This catered to the increasing number of tourists visiting the area in the summer months via the Milford Track or by ship. Among them was the historian James Cowan, with whom Sutherland scouted in the area for diamonds.

Later life

In his later years, Sutherland was joined at Milford Sound by his nephew, William Sutherland, who with his wife helped in the running of the Chalet. By the 1900s, the tourism trade in the area was becoming well developed, encouraged by the government's Tourism Board. In response, Sutherland began raising livestock at Milford for fresh meat. He died at his home on 24 October 1919; he had been in poor health for some time. When he died, his wife was the only individual present at Milford Sound. Unable to bury her large-framed husband, she had to wait five weeks for the next visit of the Hinemoa before his body could be interred. His wife remained at Milford, running the Chalet until she sold it to the New Zealand government in 1922. She stayed on in Milford Sound and died on 10 December 1923. She is buried alongside her husband in a grave behind the Chalet.