Cussen. — Notes on the King Country. 319 



ridge in the valley to a height of 2,530 feet above the sea. Its 

 slopes are clothed with forest. Towards the top its sides are 

 steep, almost precipitous, and it has a flat square-cut table land 

 on top containing 50 acres. Tuhua and Hikurangi Mountains, 

 with their broad platforms on top and steep mural sides, stand- 

 ing out in isolated positions in the valley, ranges which corres- 

 pond with them in height bordering the valley on either side, 

 are all circumstances suggestive of the fact that these hills 

 formed part of the ancient plateau which occupied the valley. 



The Landscape. 



Probably in no part of New Zealand can be found landscape 

 so varied and picturesque as may be seen in favourable weather 

 from some of the lofty peaks in this part of the district. Viewed 

 under the conditions in which I saw it, it would be difficult to 

 conceive a landscape of greater natural variety and grandeur. 

 It was at sunrise on a clear frosty morning towards the end of 

 May, from the summit of Pureora, 3,800 feet above the sea, 

 overlooking all the surrounding country. The high mountainous 

 district southwards of us was covered with snow ; Taupo Lake 

 seemed to be spread out at our feet, its 425 square miles of clear 

 mirror-like surface reflecting the shadows of the eastern hills and 

 promontories of the lake, cast across it by the rising sun. To 

 the south the giant mountains of Tongariro and Euapehu, the 

 latter mantled in an unbroken sheet of snow, which covered 

 6,000 feet of its rugged sides ; the regular conical outline of 

 the active crater cone at Ngauruhoe, its steep black sides kept 

 bare of snow by the internal heat, and its funnel-shaped crater 

 at the summit,— were distinctly visible to us. Steam ascended 

 slowly from the crater, forming a white cloud-like canopy at 

 the cone. 



To the north and east wound the valley of the Waikato 

 Paver ; along its course columns of steam arose from the hun- 

 dreds of hot springs, fumaroles, and jnihias in the " great fis- 

 sure " of the Taupo volcanic zone. Several of the dilapidated 

 volcanic cones were in view, from whose craters in ages past 

 were vomited forth the streams of lava, mud, ashes, and breccia 

 that are spread far and wide over the surrounding country. 

 Amongst those visible were Pihanga, Kakaramea, and the 

 Tongariro groups — the latter rearing their great crateral cones 

 from 6,500 to 7,480 feet above the sea. To the north of Lake 

 Taupo, Mount Tauhara, described by the Assistant Surveyor- 

 General m his account of the " Taupo volcanic zone," as " a 

 fine conical hill 3,603 feet high, with a crater on top, now 

 extinct, and clothed at the bottom and western side with a forest 

 of fine trees. The crater rim is very perfect on the north, east, 

 and south sides, but the western, that directed toward the 

 prevalent wind, has broken away. At its base, on the shores of 



