Hill. — On the Eruption of Tongariro in 1802. 391 



from the old crater through the two shafts at Te Mari and 

 passing along the slope of the mountain in a kind of circular 

 direction, was rent in twain by an enormous fissure. This 

 fissure had broken away a portion of the top of the mountain 

 towards the north-east, and it had taken a direction along the 

 foot of the higher slopes of Tongariro, so that the outer wall of 

 the old original Tongariro crater has become a portion of the 

 inner wall of the active vents at Te Mari. This new crater 

 also includes the old extinct crater already referred to, and 

 which on the south-west was showing signs of activity, it 

 having been fractured in this direction at the time of the 

 explosion. In the vicinity of the old shafts everything was in 

 a state of intense commotion. Vast quantities of poisonous 

 gases were rising from the rift, and the whole area on the 

 north side of the rift was a seething mass of sulphur. Our 

 party endeavoured to get near the central part of the rift, but 

 the fumaroles and rising gases were found to be too danger- 

 ous for a venture ; and our only means of seeing the centre of 

 greatest activity was to ascend to the top of Tongariro over- 

 looking the rift, and from this vantage-ground view the scene. 

 Although the wind was favourable the depth of the rift could 

 not be seen. Now and again water and mud were observed 

 on the north-east, but no traces of flame or fire were noticed. 

 From appearances near the rift it seemed that water, sand, and 

 small stones were the only things ejected at the time of the 

 eruption, and these all in the same direction, but the top of 

 Tongariro Mountain seems to tell a different story. I had 

 crossed this mountain several times previously, but no sign of 

 pumice had been observed on its sides or top. Now, however, 

 the mountain tells a different tale. Scattered thinly over the 

 top, and in pieces varying in size from ordinary grit to small 

 pebbles, is a deposit of pumice, and the question arises, From 

 whence did it come ? This pumice is sometimes heavier than 

 the ordinary froth pumice, and has a somewhat duller appear- 

 ance than that seen in the cliffs bordering Lake Taupo ; but 

 there is no doubt of the fact that it is pumice. I noticed with 

 some care the extent of its distribution, and found no traces 

 whatever in the direction of the Blue Lake, whilst the deposit 

 increases towards Te Mari. The Red Crater, in the direction 

 of Ngauruhoe, was unusually active on the western side, and 

 it is certain that Ngauruhoe had sent out black smoke and 

 great quantities of dust about the time of the outburst at Te 

 Mari. This is not only stated to be the case by Mr. Chase, 

 an intelligent half-caste of my acquaintance who resides near 

 Wai-o-honu, but Mr. Blake, of Tokaanu, told me that the dust 

 darkened the air for several hours during the day following the 

 eruption. Te Mari showed no signs of pumice on the lower 

 parts of the mountain ; and the only explanation that appears 



