COLENSO ON THE RUAHINE MOUNTAINS. 7 
Six years before Raoul’s visit, the Rev. William Colenso (fig. 5), 
then a young man of twenty-three, landed at the Bay of Islands, 
and from that time on, for a space of sixty-five years, he was a 
most ardent investigator in ethnology, the Maori tongue, zoology, 
and botany. ‘This last alone is of moment here. 
As a missionary amongst the Natives in the very early days of 
the colony, Colenso travelled much in the wilds, and was brought 
face to face with nature. He collected most industriously plants 
of all kinds, sending them in large quantities to Kew. Before 
Colenso’s explorations comparatively little was known regarding the 
alpine vegetation, which is, perhaps, in more ways than one, the 
most interesting of all. Enduring considerable hardships, in com- 
pany with several Maoris he crossed over the Ruahine Mountains, 
being the first European to accomplish this feat. On the summit 
the alpine vegetation in all its beauty met his delighted gaze. But 
here are the explorer’s own words: “‘ When we emerged from the 
forest and the tangled shrubbery at its outskirts on to the open 
dell-like land just before we gained the summit, the lovely appear- 
ance of so many and varied beautiful and novel wild plants and 
flowers richly repaid me the toil of the journey and ascent, for 
never did I behold at one time in New Zealand such a profusion 
of Flora’s stores. In one word, I was overwhelmed with astonish- 
ment, and stood looking with all my eyes, greedily devouring and 
drinking in the enchanting scene before me. . . . Here were 
plants of the well-known genera of the bluebells and buttercups, 
gowans and daisies, eyebrights and speedwells of one’s native land, 
closely intermixed with the gentians of the European Alps and 
the rarer southern and little-known novelties—Drapetes, Ourisia, 
Cyathodes, Abrotanella, and Raoulia.” 
Further on, sentiment exhausted, the naturalist sought the prac- 
tical. “But how was I to carry off specimens of these precious 
prizes, and had I time to gather them? These mental pictures 
completely staggered me, for I realized my position well. We had 
left our encampment that morning, taking nothing with us, so 
we were all empty-handed, and no New Zealand flax grew there. 
However, as I had no time to lose, I first pulled off my jacket, a 
small travelling-coat, and made a bag of that, and then, driven by 
necessity, I added thereto my shirt, and by tying the neck, &c., 
got an excellent bag; whilst some specimens I also stowed in the 
crown of my hat.” 
