Speight. — The Geology of Banks Peninsula . 



367 



an E.N.E.-W.S.W. direction, with its opening to the north-east, while the 

 latter runs south and south-east from near the centre of the peninsula, and 

 forms one of the finest deep-water harbours in New Zealand. The chief 

 summits round the edge of the crater-rings range between 1,800 ft. and 

 2.500 ft. in altitude, but the highest points in the district are near the 

 centre of the mass on a ridge connecting the rings of the two craters, and 

 formed of territory belonging to some extent to both volcanoes. Imme- 

 diately to the south-east of Lyttelton is the highest summit, Mount 

 Herbert Peak (3,014 ft.), and five miles south-east from it is Mount 

 Fitzgerald (2,710 ft.), and a mile and a half farther on is Mount Sinclair 

 (2,763 ft.), the last-named lying just outside the Akaroa basin, on the 

 dividing ridge which separates two important valleys — viz., Little River 



SKETCH MAP 



BANKS PENINSULA. 



Fig. 1. 



and Pigeon Bay — from each other. These two latter peaks are situated 

 almost in the heart of the peninsula, and form its geographical centre, 

 so to speak. 



Stretching down from the elevated ridges around the two foci, with rude 

 radial orientation, are numerous valleys whose lower reaches on the eastern 

 side are occupied by the sea and form a series of deep bays, the principal 

 being Port Levy, Pigeon Bay, Little Akaloa, and Okain's Bay, facing 

 north-east ; Le Bon's Bay and Long Bay, facing east ; and Peraki, which 

 lies to the west of Akaroa entrance, facing south-west ; while on the land- 

 ward side the corresponding indentations are filled with alluvial material, 

 the chief being Gebbie's Valley, leading to the head of Lyttelton Harbour ; 

 Kaituna Valley, lying to the south of Mount Herbert and cutting far back 

 into the major axis of the ellipse ; and beyond it Little River, whose lower 

 reaches are occupied by Lake Forsyth. All these valleys are short, the 



