Adams. — On the Botany of Tc 2Ioehau. 37 



lated to be about nine miles in a straight line ; but, as no 

 European had been to the top, and as the Maoris believe that 

 the mountain is the abode of Turehu, there was only the 

 imagination to be relied upon for the difficulties to be en- 

 countered. On Friday, 13th January, my son was able to 

 arrange that the survey work could go on for a couple of days 

 in his absence, and so, by making an early start, we got to the 

 south side of Cabbage Bay at 6 a.m. This bay we could have 

 walked across if the tide had been out, but unluckily it was 

 high water. A boat was at hand, and a good-hearted settler 

 might have put us over, but such good luck is not experienced 

 by amateur botanists. There was notliing for it but to walk 

 round the bay, where roads and tracks are in the most primi- 

 tive condition. Near the ford where the bay is crossed there 

 is the house of a settler, who is also postmaster. This house 

 is cut off from the other part of the settlement by an arm of 

 the bay. Over this inlet a crossing is made by a succession of 

 nine-inch planks, that are supported by a number of embank- 

 ments. Where the water is not very deep the traveller wades 

 through it. Now, as this is the only means of communica- 

 tion between the settlement and the post-office, it appears very 

 judicious on the settlers' part to prohibit in the district the use 

 of intoxicating drinks, as it saves the expense of a resident 

 coroner. After crossing the planks, the next obstacle in going 

 round the bay was to wade a tidal stream, and then, after a 

 little dry walking, to cross a swamp. The next stream in our 

 course was so deep that some Maoris put a boat across to ferry 

 us over. There is a good track then to Waiaro, which ap- 

 pears to be an important native settlement, as the whares 

 form a good-sized village near the sea, and there is a wide 

 stretch of level gi'ound. Along the Waiaro stream and in the 

 lower part of the valley the soil is very light over the clay- 

 slate, so that the cultivations are on the slope of the hills. 



The district must have supplied a large quantity of kauri, 

 as there is about a mile of railway and a steam locomotive. 

 There are still some logs to be removed, but the supply from 

 the hills seems to be exhausted. Along the valley there 

 is no devastation of native trees. The mahoe, manuka, 

 ngaio, puriri, kohekohe, akeake, kowhai, karaka, rewarewa, 

 and raukawa grow w^ell, and look all the l^etter on account of 

 the abundance of climbing-plants and epiphytes that over- 

 spread them. The kohia (Passiflora tetrandra) is very abundant, 

 and hangs down in graceful festoons over the stream, while 

 karioi, mangemange, clematis, and tataramoa twine and inter- 

 twine as they unite tree to tree. The karo {Pittosporum 

 cornifolium) , broadleaf {Grlselinia lucida), and kahakalia 

 (Astelia solandri) grow luxuriantly in the upper parts of the 

 branches. 



