Malfkoy. — On Geyser-action at Botorua. 581 



geyser - action getting weaker and weaker, and the cooled 

 water in the pool getting stronger all the time. The water 

 eventually got the best of it, and flowed down the geyser-tube, 

 to repeat the same action as before. 



Having made this geyser play and cease playing several 

 times, I reclosed the drain thoroughly and went away. I did 

 not see it play again that day ; and the following day about 

 noon, when I went near, I found by the marks I had left 

 that it had not been in eruption since I left it the night before. 

 The water of the pool would boil up violently at times, but 

 there was no eruption. I then again tried what the opening 

 of the drain would do. The result was the same as on the 

 previous day — a splendid eruption of the geyser. I again 

 watched the action for three successive times, and eventually 

 went away leaving the drain open ; and from the volume of 

 steam which went up periodically from that spot I could see 

 that intermittent geyser-action was taking place. 



I repeated and watched these experiments on many occa- 

 sions during the months of August and September, 1886. 

 Once, the river being rather high, I turned the cold water 

 from it on the geyser when in full eruption. This almost in- 

 stantly stopped its action, but at the same time it caused a 

 great noise, probably owing to the sudden condensation of 

 steam within the geyser-tube. After a while, however, the 

 noise ceased, the pool filled up, and all was quiet ; and as long 

 as I allowed the cold water to flow across over the mouth 

 of the geyser-tube there was no eruption, nor even any per- 

 ceptible action of the springs. 



Having thus acquired some little practical knowledge of 

 the working of this particular geyser, I began to compare it 

 with that of others, to see if any of them could be made to 

 play at will. I then watched and studied the action of 

 Pohutu, which is situated on the principal geyser - fissui'e 

 of "Whakarewarewa. This fissure supplies no less than seven 

 active geysers and blowholes, besides quite a number of old 

 geyser-tubes which have been inactive for many years, though 

 they still emit steam and make a rumbling noise as of boiling 

 water at some considerable depth below the surface. They 

 do not seem to affect or be affected by the working or the 

 non-working of the active geysers. 



The annexed plan (PI. XL.) gives the position of the seven 

 active geysers. 



A. The " Torpedo " is situated in the bed of the Puarenga 

 Eiver, and is so named from the peculiar noise it makes in its 

 explosions, which occur every few minutes, through the river- 

 sand under 3ft. or 4ft. of cold water. This commenced in 

 September, 1888, at the same time as the renewed activity of 

 Pohutu. 



