Hill. — Oil-welh and Oil-prospects, East Coast. 511 



the result of my own personal knowledge of the district under 

 notice. The east coast district has been travelled by me for a 

 period of twenty-eight years, and there are few places on the 

 coast and inland for twenty-five miles that have not been visited 

 during that time between Hicks Bay and the southern boundary 

 of the old Hawke's Bay Provincial District — that is, for a dis- 

 tance of more than 320 miles. The facts referred to in this 

 paper, however, will have reference to the district from the 

 mouth of the Waiapu Kiver in the north, nearly opposite East 

 Cape Island, and Herbertville, locally known as Wainui. 



The coast rocks that extend southwards from the Waiapu 

 River belong to the Cretaceo-tertiary series. At Port Awanui 

 they run into a remarkable variety of beds, from a coal-black 

 and brown earthy type to a greenish and pale-blue clay lock as 

 stifi and as sticky as the proverbial sticking-plaster. Sandstone 

 grits are also met \\ath, and the whole series is moving seawards, 

 wanter and summer alike, exactly like an enormous glacier. 

 These rocks between Port Awanui and Reperoa, a distance of five 

 miles, are seen to rest on an outcrop of the Maitai slates, which 

 are exposed in a high blufE and extend for about half a mile along 

 the coast. Between Reperoa and Tuparoa the country presents 

 the same characteristics as along the coast already described. 

 Gas-springs are met with here and there and inland, but striking 

 to the south-west the same rock-characteristics continue. Be- 

 tween Tuparoa and Whareponga the lower beds are seen to be 

 topped by the older Tertiaries, but these again disappear in the 

 direction of Waipiro, so that at Aku Aku the Cretaceo-tertiaries 

 again make their appearance, and continue along the coast to the 

 southern end of Waipiro Bay, where they are topped by the 

 Tawhiti sandstones, which have their connection with the cone- 

 like hills that are to be seen inland between Tokomarua Bay 

 and Waipiro Bay. The road between these two places now runs 

 inland and passes some fine hot springs, where also are to be seen 

 some remarkable gas-holes, where sufficient gas is given off to 

 supply the requirements of many households. The rocks in the 

 vicinity of the springs belong to the Cretaceous series, and they 

 are evidently in close connection wdth the green-tinged sand- 

 stones which appear in several places within a couple of miles 

 of the springs. The rocks between Tokomarua Bay and Tolago 

 Bay belong to the sandstone series, of which Tawhiti Hill, 1.750 ft., 

 is an offshoot. The Uawa River, that empties itself into Tolago 

 Bay, runs through the valley, and on either hand the hills are 

 made up of fairly soft sandstones of a light-brown colour. The 

 rocks on the north side of Tolago Bay are similar to those at 

 Cape Kidnapi^ers and at the mouth of the Mohaka River, and 

 a pumice band about 15 in. in thickness, with Foraminifera 



