20 



The commencement of volcanic activity manifested in the 

 volcanic cones post-dates, in general, the sculpture of the present 

 valleys, for the latter are often occupied by lava-streams. 



Ejections of tuff, as a rule, preceded the outwelling of lava 

 and the ejections of the scoriae which have formed most of the 

 prominent cones in and around Auckland City. Less prominent 

 tuff-cones are, however, frequent ; with few exceptions they have 

 wide craters now occupied by lakes, swamps, or inlets of the sea. 

 Rangitoto is the only important cone owing its main elevation to 

 accumulation of lava. 



J. A. BARTRUM. 



RANGITOTO ISLAND AND ITS VEGETATION. 



Guarding the entrance to Auckland Harbour, reaching a height 

 of nearly 1,000 ft., and presenting from all points of view a long, 

 gradually curving outline crowned with a triple peak, lies the Island 

 of Rangitoto, the largest and the most recent of the many volcanic 



[Home Studios, Takapuna, photo. 



FIG. 9. Rangitoto Island, Auckland, a lava-cone with a scoria-cone 

 within its crater. 



cones of the Auckland District, a locality characterized by Hochstetter 

 as " one of the most remarkable volcanic districts of the earth." 

 Landing and ascending by an excellent track to the summit, the 

 visitor at once notices that the whole of the island, except the 

 cinder-cone with its wonderfully well-preserved crater, consists of 

 lava-streams with an average inclination of from 4 to 6. Of the 



