46 ()LI\KR, Birds of Little Barrier Island. [\^si fuW 



to East Caj)e in the south. At each end of this ridge, a bold 

 rock with i)reci])itous sides stands out above the general level 

 of the ridge. The northern rock is known as Orau,* the southern 

 as Bare Rock or W'ekaweka. This ridge gi^es off spurs with 

 intervening gullies to the east. From its central and highest 

 point, Tirikakawa, a spur leads away westward following an 

 S-shaped course as far as The Thumb, or Herikohu. About its 

 centre this ridge culminates in Mt. Archeria, 2450 feet above sea 

 level, the highest point in the island. 



The greater portion of the island consists of a breccia, or 

 agglomerate of a rather loose matrix enclosing angular frag- 

 ments, fre(|uently of large size, of lava rocks. Only in two places 

 that I visited did I find the lava in situ. From the weathering 

 of such loose material is ])roduced a series of deep gullies alter- 

 nating with high ridges radiating from the centre of the island. 



The peculiar coastline, unsatisfactory^ both for landing and 

 fishing operations, is entirely due to the nature of the rock of 

 which the island is composed. The sea is constantly wearing 

 away all sides, producing high, vertical cliffs subject to slips. 

 The loose matrix is soon washed away, and the lava fragments 

 are ground to smooth boulders by rubbing against each other, 

 thus leaving a boulder beach at the foot of the sea cliffs. This 

 beach continues without interruption along the whole coastline 

 of the island. Many of the gullies near where they enter the 

 sea have sides of the same nature as the sea cliffs; that is to 

 say, a creek runs through a deep, narrow gorge. Hence it hap- 

 pens that on most of the coastline on the north side of the island, 

 although a landing may be effected on the boulders, no further 

 progress can be made, for most of the gullies give no access 

 to the interior. 



The only level ground in Little Barrier Island is a shingle flat 

 about fifty acres in extent on the south-west side. The main 

 ])ortion of this flat is fairly level and supports vegetation con- 

 sisting of sedges, grasses, manuka and pohutukawa. The area 

 near The Spit is terraced and ridged in a direction parallel to 

 the south side. The whole flat appears to have been thrown up 

 by the sea, mainly, if not entirely, from the south-east. 



The whole island, with the exception of a portion of the 

 shingle flat, which is occupied by sedges and grasses, is covered 

 by forest. This consists of a variety of associations ranging 

 from drv manuka scrub on the coast ridges to wet moss-forest 

 on the high slopes and ridges. The distribution of the different 

 types of forest can be made out from the trig, station on Mt. 

 Archeria ; and all kinds are passed through in going from the sea 

 coast to the summit, .\long the coast the ridges are occupied In- 

 tall manuka scrub with undergrowth of sedges, and this passes 



*The native names are taken from a map published in App. 

 Jour. H.R., 1900 They may not be used here as intended by the 

 map, which is so incorrect as to make it impossible to be surs of their 

 correct application. 



