Cause — Flow of the Mauku District. 'A67 



The southern face is an abrupt descent, from which sandstone 

 rock crops out in several places. In some places this rock is 

 covered with a growth of Metrosideros diffusa, one of the 

 handsomest plants of the genus. On the drier parts of the 

 hills Carex breviculmis is of frequent occurrence. 



The Mauku Creek and its banks are not without botanical 

 interest. This creek rises beyond Puni, and. flowing for the 

 greater part of its way through a fairly level valley, has in that 

 part a very slight fall. In the deeper parts of the creek Myrio- 

 phylliim robustum is plentiful. This handsome plant roots 

 in the muddy bottom ; its stems, long or short according to 

 the depth of the water, slope diagonally with the current. In 

 early summer the new growths are produced. These emerge 

 from the water like miniature pine-trees, and produce flowers 

 and fruit in the axils of the leaves. In a small coppice on the 

 bank of the creek, in land subject to inundation, occur a few 

 plants of Myoaotis spathulata, the only specimens I have seen 

 in this region. Lower down in a shady wood Adiantum did- 

 phanum is not uncommon. Here also, among Cordyline aus- 

 tralis, are to be found Melicytus micranthus, Paratrophis micro- 

 phylhis, and various species of Coprosma. All along the banks 

 and in the swampy land bordering the creek occur Phormmm 

 tenax, Spar ganium simplex, Cladium teretifolium, Carex pseudo- 

 cyperus, and other water-loving plants ; and in one swampy 

 feeder of the creek the graceful grass Hierochloe redolens 

 is found. 



In Mauku the creek is dammed up to work Mr. Notts's 

 flax-mill. In the mill-dam among other plants Cladium arti- 

 culatum is plentiful. About a mile lower down, the stream falls 

 abruptly over rocks of basaltic formation into a ravine 45 ft. 

 below the surrounding country. The most interesting planls 

 on the wet rocks below the fall are Nertera cunning it a mil 

 (the only place where I have seen this species about here), 

 Mentha cunningiiamii, Pratia angulata, Corysanthes macran- 

 tha, Gnaphalium collinum. and Adiantum affine. Among the 

 loose rocks which cover the greater part of the ravine grow 

 Br achy glottis repanda, Melicytus ramiflorus, Metrosideros dif- 

 fusa, Schefflera digitata, Myrsine salicina. &c. ; and on the 

 rocks and in their crevices Peperomia endlicheri, Polypodium 

 billardieri, P. cunningiiamii, Hymenophyllum javanicum, Tri- 

 chomanes hwnile, and Asplenium bulbiferum are more or less 

 plentiful. In the upper and drier parts of the ravine are to be 

 found Asplenium hookerianum, A. bulbiferum var. tripin- 

 natnm, and Astelia cunningiiamii. 



About a couple of miles lower down we reach the highest 

 point affected by the tide, which comes up the Mauku arm of 

 the Manukau. On the muddy flats occur Scirpus lacustris, 

 S. maritimus, Juncus maritimus, Cladium junceum, Carex 



