Smith. — Notes on the Kermadec Group. 337 



There are two distinct craters to be seen on the island, 

 besides a smaller one of quite recent date, and probably a third 

 one existed, the remains of which are to be traced in the Herald 

 Islets, the lava flows and pumiceous tuffs of which all have a 

 uniform dip in a direction differing from that of the great crater 

 itself. The oldest of these is only in part remaining. The 

 almost perpendicular cliffs of Denham Bay form half of the old 

 encircling rim, the other half having been washed away by the 

 action of the sea ; but even here the volcanic forces are not yet 

 extinct : there are still a few fumaroles on the eastern side, at 

 the foot of the cliffs, sending forth a little steam ; and not more 

 than fifteen years ago the old crater showed signs of somewhat 

 remarkable activity, of which I have obtained the following 

 evidence. 



The first settlers lived on the flat in Denham Bay ; they left 

 in 1847, being frightened by the earthquakes and signs of a 

 coming eruption. The next settler, Mr. Cook, of the Bay of 

 Islands, left in 1853, being also frightened away by an expected 

 eruption. In 1872 occurred the eruption in the other great 

 crater, to be referred to later on, and at this same date also 

 occurred an eruption in the Denham Bay crater. As the 

 people then living there escaped in a whaler at the first sign 

 of the outburst, we have no very definite particulars, but this 

 much is certain, that an island was thrown up in Denham 

 Bay, of size sufficient to form a shelter to vessels anchoring 

 under its lee. It was landed on by Captain Hoosier, one of the 

 whaling captains, and by Keed, lately an officer of the notorious 

 Petrel, and was described by them as being formed of sand 

 and stones, quite hot to the feet. Mr. Cook, who was there 

 again in 1877, describes it as a "mountain of sand;" but at 

 the date of his visit it had become a shoal. Lord George 

 Campbell, an officer of the Challenger, heard from the whalers 

 at Tonga, in 1874, that an island had been thrown up south- 

 west of the group, doubtless referring to this ; and further 

 evidence of it is to be found in the presence of the Wolverine 

 rock, or shoal, on which there is only \\ fathoms of water, 

 and over which the sea breaks heavily even in ordinary weather. 

 This rock was certainly not in existence when Captain Denham 

 made his exhaustive and excellent survey in 1854, or he could 

 not have failed to see it. Cook also mentions that the lagoon 

 on the flat had " been exhausted" [i.e., dried up) when he was 

 there in 1877. At the present time the only signs of activity 

 are a few fumaroles at the base of the cliff, and which lie in a 

 direct line between Denham Bay crater and the great crater 

 of Sunday Island. The walls of this old crater are most 

 distinctly seen in Denham Bay to be built up of successive 

 lava flows, capped by the pumiceous tuffs on top ; and so 

 steep are they, that access to the summit is only to be found 

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