Fox. — The Waitemata Series. 475 



" from the size of an orange downwards " occurring in a 

 "clayey matrix." Some of the fragments were forwarded to 

 me. Most of these are augite-andesites, but one specimen 

 appears to be a dolerite. The augite-andesites closely re- 

 semble the andesites in the peninsula breccia. I am in- 

 formed that this coarse breccia is conformably overlain by 

 sandstones, and may be traced seven or eight miles farther 

 north, cropping out at Omaha and Matakana. 



In addition to these coarse beds, I observed in the cliffs 

 of the peninsula ash-beds of a much finer grain, not unlike 

 the Wairau tuffs. 



In conclusion, I add Hochstetter's remarks on this 

 locality: "The peninsula of Whangaparaoa, which I visited 

 from Auckland, consists principally of the same Tertiary 

 strata which constitute the isthmus of Auckland. The steep 

 cliffs in the hills show the horizontal strata clearly exposed : 

 at the bottom generally fine-grained sandstone in layers 6 ft. 

 to 8 ft. thick, and over these a thin stratum of clay marl. 

 Very frequently there are intermediate strata of volcanic tuff, 

 which is partly developed as a fine-grained sandstone, and 

 partly coarse grained as a breccia, consisting of fragments of 

 trachyte, dolerite, and basalt. At the places where coarse- 

 grained breccias and conglomerates appear very striking local 

 disturbances of the strata are noticeable. A very instructive 

 section is afforded by the north (north-east?) shore of the pen- 

 insula.* a is a tuff mass showing in places a very coarse- 

 grained conglomerate of fragments of volcanic rocks, and con- 

 taining much augite in little shining crystals, and, besides 

 augite, little twin crystals of glassy triclinic felspars. This 

 mass appears as an eruptive formation which has penetrated 

 between the sandstones c and clay-marl d, torn them asunder, 

 broken them by lateral pressure to the westward, and forced 

 them out of their original horizontal position. At b the tuff is 

 fine-grained, and in places full of Foraminifera and Bryozoa. 

 A smooth Terebratella (Waldheimia lenticularis) was also 

 found here enclosed in the tuff, so that there can be no 

 doubt we have in these volcanic tuffs the products of sub- 

 marine eruptions, with which the volcanic outbursts com- 

 menced in the Tertiary period." 



I have quoted this passage at length, because it gives 

 so admirable an illustration of the manner in which these 

 Tertiary breccias may be distorted. An equally good example 

 will be given when the Parnell grit is described. Hochstetter 

 does not attempt to explain how the volcanic breccia was 

 injected, and I am at a loss to explain it. 



From the description of this bed, and its contained fossils, 



* " Reise der ' Novara,' " quoted iu Geol. Surv. Repts., 1885, p. xxxvi. 



