Visit to Nelson Province. 1 89 



Blind Bay, of paying a flying visit to both tlioso localities. 

 Thus, on 30tli of July I had a sj)lendid view of the lofty 

 Taranald mountain (Mount Egmont), 8270 feet high, and 

 was enabled to study, among the sugar-loaf rocks of the 

 Taranaki coast, the peculiarities of the trachytic lava of this 

 the most regular in shape of the volcanic peaks of New Zea- 

 land. After a stormy passage through Cook's Straits, we 

 landed on 1st August at Wellington, and reached Nelson on 

 the 3rd. 



'' I was received In the most cordial manner by the 

 denizens of Nelson, who, while the Novara lay at anchor at 

 Auckland, had extended to the members of the Expedition 

 a most cordial invitation. 



'' The provincial Government, under the advice of the 

 excellent superintendent, J. P. Robinson, Esq., had already 

 issued the requisite instructions to enable me to make the 

 utmost possible use of the time at my dlsj^osal for geological 

 survey, and had chartered for me the steamer Tasmanian 

 Maid^ so as to enable me to visit witli all possible dispatch 

 the most Important formations on the shores of Blind and 

 Golden Bays. 



'' The geological field which is opened up on the Middle 

 Island, was entirely new as compared wath the Northern 

 Island. In the neighbourhood of Nelson, the Southern Alps 

 send off outliers, in the shape of mountain-chains, 5000 and 

 6000 feet high, covered in winter with deep snow, as far as 

 Cook's Straits. The western chains are composed of primary 



