Feiedlaender. — On Neio Zealand Volcanoes. 499 



The depression of the West Crater, perhaps, is only a shght 

 one, and was not counted as a crater proper by Professor 

 Thomas and myself. The region in question must be visible 

 from the highest point of Tongariro (about south-south-west 

 from the North Crater) which I have visited ; but I repeat 

 that I cannot fully rely on my memory, on account of the 

 astonishing intricacy of the Tongariro system. 



The shape of the system, roughly, may be compared to a 

 huge horse-shoe, the axis of which is coincident with that of 

 the volcanic zone. Its hollow is formed by the South Crater 

 of the survey plan — a vast somewhat elongated basin, sur- 

 rounded on all sides, except south-west, by steep ridges, the 

 highest point of which is the summit proper of Tongariro. 

 These ridges decrease rapidly in height towards the south- 

 west, and the south-eastern side only reaches the foot of the 

 cone of Ngauruhoe. The view from the trig, station, over the 

 precipitous ridges, down into the sandy velvet-like bottom far 

 below, and beyond the magnificent cone of Ngauruhoe, is 

 extremely picturesque. The northern parts of the horse-shoe 

 are much broader, and contain a considerable number of 

 craters, which together form a rather extensive tableland. 

 The most prominent of these craters are the North Crater 

 (already mentioned) and the Blue Lake Crater (further east). 



The map above mentioned shows that the eastern parts of 

 Tongariro are rent open by deep and rather steep valleys, and 

 that on the northern slope there are two active places — viz., 

 the fumaroles and hot springs of Ketetahi on the slope of the 

 North Crater, and Te Man on the slope of the Blue Lake 

 Crater. Te Mari is a small cinder-cone ; and a short distance 

 below it there is another crater, which, according to the map, 

 contains a lake ; but I have not seen this lake, as I did not 

 venture too close to the rim of the crater, nor to Te Mari 

 either, on account of the somewhat threatening degree of 

 activity of the latter. Possibly the lake was there, but it was 

 invisible from my standpoint. 



Shortly after my arrival in New Zealand — in November, 

 1896 — the newspapers reported that eruptions had taken place 

 at Te Mari. I visited the volcanoes for the first time in 

 December, 1896, and Ngauruhoe first of all. At that time Te 

 Mari was always steaming furiously, and sometimes emitting 

 dark, dense, brownish-grey clouds, the appearance of which 

 indicated the presence of ashes. 



On the afternoon of the 11th December, 1896, I found 

 myself shrouded in mist and rain on one of the eastern ridges 

 of Tongariro, and I heard distinctly, for some minutes, a con- 

 tinuous roaring and thundering in the direction of Te Mari. 



On the evening of the 14th December, 1896, I was en- 

 'Camped on the northern slope of the North Crater, about an 



