Hill. — Geology of Scinde Island. 447 



upper limestones found at Battery Point and Scandinavian Point, 

 containing well-worn pebbles. These limestones do not appear 

 on the old coast hills between Pukelcuri and Petane, but they top 

 the hills further to the west as far as Puketapu, and they 

 are seen to overlie the Napier marls which are exposed in a 

 small cutting on the Petaue-Puketapu Eoad, near Alexander's 

 pleasure-gardens. The beds exposed at the place known as 

 Quarantine Island belong to the lower Napier limestones, and 

 are similar to those seen near Mr. Dolbel's brickyard ; and 

 it would seem as if Scinde Island were once joined to the main- 

 land in this direction. Between Napier and Lower Mohal^a, 

 along what is known as the Napier-Wairoa Eoad, the whole of 

 the country as far as Waikaari Eiver is covered with limestone. 

 At Tiwhinui (1,289 feet), which is the highest point reached on 

 the Napier-Wairoa Eoad, the limestones and sands similar to 

 those seen at Battery Point are exposed as the highest beds in 

 the perpendicular cliffs. Underlying them unconformably are 

 light sands and marls similar to the Napier marls, which are 

 here interbedded with the pale blue-clay bands. These are 

 followed by the leda marls (fault ?), which rocks, Mr. Cox, in 

 his report upon the country between Poverty Bay and Napier,* 

 places among the cretaceo-tertiaries. The leda marls at Tiwhi- 

 nui are similar to those that are exposed near the mouth of 

 the Mohaka Eiver, and which are seen dipping S.S.E. at an 

 angle varying from 10° to 20°. 



These leda marls form, so it appears to me, the northern 

 bend of a syncline which extends to Patangata, near Kaikora, 

 on the Tukituki Eiver, where the leda marls are seen on the 

 right bank of the river, nearly opposite the hotel, dipping to the 

 N.E. at an angle of about 15°. It is at Tiwhinui, to the north 

 of Napier, and at Patangata to the south, where the limestones 

 are met with resting unconformably upon the lower tertiaries, 

 and it would seem that within this syncline all the limestones, 

 marls, sands, and conglomerates found between Patangata and 

 Tiwhinui must be classed. They rest within the syncline as in 

 a basin, and the Napier limestones occupy almost the central 

 position in the trough of the syncline. The limestones, marls, 

 and sands which are so largely developed on the Tiwhinui, 

 Moaeangiaugi, Arapanui, and Tongoio Hills, to the north of 

 Napier, undoubtedly belong to the Napier upper limestones only, 

 as seen at Battery Point and Scandinavian Point. There is no 

 trace whatever of the lower Napier limestones north of Tongoio ; 

 but on a small rise about midway between the Maori pahs at 

 Petane and Tongoio traces of the lower Napier limestones are 

 seen, overlaid by marls, followed by a conglomerate bed. 



Between Napier and Patangata, via Havelock, through what 



• " Geol, Eeport," 1874-76, p. 97. 



