AN EXCURSION UP THE RIVER. 1G9 



fastidious ou that particular da}^, yet certaiuly, the 

 fare was such as not to have been laus-hed at, even 

 at the table of a first-class hotel. There were wild 

 ducks, wild pigeons, wood-hens, noble fish from the 

 bay, excellent corned-beef, and, to crown all, a noble 

 plum-duflE"; and we did good justice to the repast. 

 At supper w^e drank, as a beverage, a decoction of a 

 New Zealand plant, which is used throughout the 

 island instead of tea. It possesses an aromatic taste, 

 and the little I partook of enlisted me in its fav^or; 

 but how a continued use of it would answer, I am at 

 a loss to say. The Frenchman said that he had used 

 it for several months, and preferred it, for his own 

 consumption, to tea produced in China. As he was 

 a Parisian, and a restaurateur into the bargain, I do 

 not see that I could quote better individual au- 

 thority. 



On the 25th we lowered away two boats, and 

 manned them with the starboard watch, bound up 

 the river, or sound, as the Mauriis call it — bent on 

 a day's recreation. Guns, ammunition, and fishing- 

 tackle, were provided — also a good stock of eatables. 

 After ten miles' pulling, we arrived at the head of 

 the river, where we landed, and built a fire. Pre- 

 vious to our trip ^ to this locality, our curiosity had 

 been excited by the description of a falls, which, ac- 

 cording to the account, rivalled N^iagara in magni- 

 tude. The Mauriis stated, that it fell from a height 

 of nine hundred feet, in an immense volume ; and I 

 fancied, previous to having seen it, that I should have 

 to chronicle in my log-book the existence of the 

 greatest falls in the world in this out-of-the-way 

 corner. I went, and saw it. Its height was about 

 15 



