TRAXSACTIOXS OF SECTION C. 163 



March, 1851, and refers to an ascent of the same mountain hy 

 Mr. Bidwill so long ago as March, 1839. 



In the " Transactions of the New Zealand Institute," 

 Vol. xix., there are records of the ascent of Euapehu, by Messrs. 

 Park and Cussen, in the year 1886 ; and in Vol. xxi. of the Trans- 

 actions Professor Thomas describes the Tongariro Eange, he 

 having visited portions of that district at the beginning of 

 1888. 



It will be seen from these references that the information 

 with respect to some portions of the volcanic countrj^ to the 

 south of Lake Taupo is still meagre and incomplete. 



In the following paper I propose to add my mite of infor- 

 mation to that already collected regarding certain portions of 

 this interesting country, over which I have travelled on three 

 occasions since February, 1887. 



The southern limit of the volcanic chain of mountains to the 

 south of Taupo Lake is Mount Euapehu, which is about twenty- 

 two miles from the place where the Waikato Eiver enters the 

 lake. This chain is known as Tongariro. It consists of three 

 cones, or what once were three cones — viz., Euapehu, Ngauru- 

 hoe, and the Tongariro of our school maps. There are other 

 subsidiary cones which are seen as offshoots from the main 

 chain, especially on the west side in the direction of Euapehu. 

 This chain of mountains is situated towards the centre of a 

 plateau which varies in height from 4,500ft. in the vicinity of 

 Euapehu to 2,000ft. near Lake Eotoaira. The volcanic chain 

 runs in the direction of this slope, and it ends towards tlie 

 north, not at Lake Taupo, but at a much smaller lake known 

 as Eotoaira, which separates the range from the volcanic cone 

 of Pihanga on the south shore of Taupo. The plateau on the 

 west side of the range terminates at Lake Eotoaira, whilst 

 that on the east side may be said to lose itself in a deltalike 

 flat on the borders of Lake Taupo (PI. VL). 



The northern part of the Tongariro chain, extending from 

 Eotoaira to Ngauruhoe, bears but small resemblance to what 

 was once a single volcanic cone. Denudation has destroyed a 

 large portion of the mountain along the eastern side, and it is 

 only when viewed from Nongo, at the head of Lake Eotoaira, 

 or from Papakai on the north-western side of the mountain, 

 that one sees the shape of what must have been at one time an 

 immense conelike structure. This huge truncated cone has the 

 lower portion of its western and northern slopes comparatively 

 intact, although about midway along its western side the rem- 

 nant of the cone is broken, but not sufficient to destroy the shape 

 of the slope, which is very well seen in the direction of Nga- 

 uruhoe. 



The highest portion of this cone is to the north-west, being 

 according to my measurement 6,570ft. above sea-level. The 



