ZEALAND, NEW. 



ZEALAND, NEW. 



UM 





portion of it which U adjacent to the eastern hills Is exposed to a 

 LMTT urell during southern winds. At it* extremity Cape Terawiti 

 bands eastward in the form of a hook, and thus it protects the western 

 portion of the bay against the swell and wind*. Here is Lambton 

 Harbour, on which the town of Wellington is built 



After rounding Cape Terawiti the coast turns nearly northward, and 

 at the upp* r end of Cape Terawiti is the harbour of Porirua, not far 

 from the head of the Hutt Valley. At Porirua is a barrack station. Pro- 

 ceeding north there are several harbour*, formed by the mouths of the 

 numerous short streams that descend from the western sides of the 

 neighbouring hills, and several settlements have been established on 

 them. The most important is Petre, at the mouth of the Wanganui, 

 whioh is also the most important river coming from the north, for a 

 considerable distance. The coast then stretches away to the north- 

 west to Cape Egmont, near which is Mount Egmont or Taranaki, 

 Si 00 feet high. It then turns north-east, and about 30 miles from the 

 cape is New Plymouth, at the mouth of the Hua. Part of the coast 

 further north is cliffy, part has a low sandy beach, and part is lined 

 by sand-hills, but on it are the following harbours Mokau, near 

 which coal is stated to hare been found. Kawia, a large and safe 

 harbour (near 33 S. lat.), one of the most important on the western 

 coast of the island. It has a clear entrance about a mile and a quarter 

 wide, with two fathoms at low water of spring-tides. The tide rises 

 12 feet Aotia, a long and shallow sestuary, with a bar at its mouth, 

 admitting only vessels under 20 tons burden. Wangaroa, a Ion? inlet, 

 with a bar at the entrance, in which however there ia a channel with 

 12 feet at low water. Smaller vessels find good anchorage and shelter 

 in several coves on the north shore. From Wangaroa the coast trends 

 to the north-west, and at a distance of about 20 miles is the harbour 

 of Waikato, at the mouth of the river of the same name, the largest 

 in the island, up which vessels of 30 tons burden can ascend for a 

 distance of 100 miles in a south-easterly direction. The next harbour 

 is that of Hanukao, which forms part of the Auckland district, and 

 its shores are colonised. It is, as already observed, separated from 

 an inlet of Waitemata Harbour by a portage of less than 2 miles, and 

 t'rom that of Tamaki by another not exceeding a quarter of a mile. 

 It is a fine basin, about 15 miles long, and S miles broad in the widest 

 part. Several other harbours occur on the west coast. Some of them 

 are commodious, bnt deficient in shelter. 



Surface and Hydrography. The mountain system is not yet 

 thoroughly known. The northern headland and the long and narrow 

 isthmus have been already noticed. Where the island widens, it is 

 Sat, with a few hills, till we reach 35 5' S. lat., where commences a 

 ridge of elevated hills, lying nearly north and south, in which are the 

 upper sources of the Wairoa Kiver, the basin of which lies between it 

 and a parallel ridge along the western coast. Another small ridge lies 

 in the same direction north of Auckland, throwing off numerous 

 ntreams on their western slope into the harbour of Kaipara. The 

 country extending along the western coast south of Manukao, as far 

 as the river Mokau, appears to rise to a higher level than the northern 

 diatricU of the island. The shores have in many places a low randy 

 beach ; in others they are lined by sandhill?, but there are also large 

 tracts where the sea washes the base of steep cliffs composed of sand- 

 stone and conglomerate. A few miles from the sea the country rises 

 higher, and contains numerous hills, whose declivities are gradual. 

 Some miles north of Waitemata Harbour the hills sink down, and the 

 narrowest part of the island, which is between this harbour and 

 Manukao Harbour on the western coast, has a slightly undulating 

 nurface, on which several isolated hills rise to some height. Where 

 the Qulf of Hauraki grows narrow, opposite the island of Waiheke, 

 the country rises to a higher level, and presents towards the gulf a 

 hilly ridge, in which several narrow valleys open to the aestuary of 

 the Waiho. This hilly ridge continues southward, where it separates 

 the valley of the Thames or Waiho and of the Piako from the basin 

 of the Waikato River ; but it sinks lower as it proceeds towards the 

 source of the Thames, or rather the general level of the country rises 

 higher. This chain of hills is mostly composed of basalt, and wood 

 is only found in some small valleys and ravines. The valley of the 

 river Thames, which lies to the east of this hilly range, and begins at 

 the most southern branch of the Qulf of Hauraki, is the largest known 

 plain in New Zealand. It extends about 60 miles south, terminating 

 in the low hills of Horohoro, where the river Thames originates. At 

 iU northern extremity it is about 20 miles wide, but grows narrower 

 as it runs southward, though probably in no part does it fall short of 

 10 mile* in width. The plain of the Thames is separated from the 

 Bay of Plenty by a ridge of rocky hilU, which begins at Cape Colville, 

 at the entrance of the Gulf of Haraki, and continues without inter- 

 ruption for more than 100 miles to the Horohoro Hills at the source 

 of the Waiho. They are called the Ahora (Love) Mountains, and 

 rise about 1500 feet above the sea. North of the mouth of the 

 Thameti they fill up the whole extent of the peninsula terminating 

 with Cape Colville, but farther south they are a few miles distant 

 from the banks of the river. Their western declivity is very steep, 

 and rue* like a wall over the plain of the Thames, but towards the 

 Bay of Plenty they descend with a gradual slope. They are almost 

 entirely covered with wood. North of 38 S. lat., the highest portion 



r this tract does not appear to rise more than 1500 or 20UO feet above 

 tne *-lv*l, d the hills do not run ia any determinate direction. 



South of the parallel just mentioned they take the shape of a con- 

 tinuous ridge, running parallel to the western coast, and rise much 

 higher. This chain ia called, in its northern portion, Rangitoto ; in 

 the centre, Rua Wahine ; and towards its southern extremity, Tara- 

 rua, which last terminatest Cook Strait Mount Taranaki or Egmont 

 occupies the centre of a projecting headland, and is about 20 miles 

 from the shore, in 39 3' S. lat, 174 1' E. long. It is an extinct 

 volcano, which rises 8839 feet above the sea-level, and is above the 

 snow-line. It is a perfect cone, from the base of which the country 

 slopes slowly towards the sea on the north, west, and south ; and on 

 the east it is surrounded by a hilly region, which extends to the 

 Rangitoto Chain and the volcano of Tongariro. Taranki is the western 

 extremity of a volcanic region, which traverses the island from south- 

 west to north-east, and terminates on the southern shores of the Bay 

 of Plenty. The Rangitoto Mountains contain the active volcano of 

 Tongariro and the extinct volcano of Ruapahu. North of the first- 

 named peak is the Lake of Taupo, which is surrounded by hills of 

 volcanic formation, from the rents of which numerous hot-springs rise, 

 and which are interspersed with mud volcanoes. Towards the shores 

 of the Bay of Plenty is a large cluster of lakes, some of them filled 

 with hot-water, and others surrounded by hot-springs and volcanic 

 rocks, the most remarkable of the lakes being that of Rotorua. The 

 Kangitoto range extends from 38, after throwing off the branch to 

 Taranaki south by east, to the peak of Tongariro, and then south to 

 that of Ruapahu. about 70 miles. Their general elevation probably 

 does not exceed 2000 feet above the sea, at least not north of Tonga- 

 riro. This summit rises to 6200 feet, and that of Ruapahu reaches 

 far above the snow-line, and is supposed to be at least 9000 feet high. 

 Between these two summits anil in their neighbourhood the range 

 appears to attain its greatest elevation. But these mountains occupy 

 a comparatively small width, hardly more than 4 or 5 miles. On the 

 west of them extends a hilly region, whose general level is probably 

 less than 1000 feet above the sea, but the hills upon it rise about 

 500 feet higher. On the east of the Rangitoto Range is the basin of 

 the Waikato River. Beyond the valley of the Waikato to the east, in 

 the tract forming the great promontory ending at East Cape, the 

 country is broken and mountainous, but with few remarkable heights, 

 though there are several which rise to a considerable height at its 

 northern extremity, and Mount Edgecombe to the east of Roturua. 

 The two mountain ridges which inclose Port Nicholson and the valley 

 of the Eritonga unite at the source of the river, and are there called 

 the Tararua Rauge. This chain, consisting of several ridges, runs 

 south and north, and extends to the elevated peak of Ruapahu, where 

 the Rangitoto Mountains begin, which are to be considered as tbeir 

 northern continuation. The geological structure of the Tararua 

 Mountains is argillaceous schist, interrupted, especially on the western 

 side, by bulky and irregular dykes of red, black, and greeuish Lydian 

 stone. Sometimes the clay is more quartzose and granular, and forms 

 a good stone for building purposes. These mountains apparently do 

 not rise more than 3000 feet above the sea-level. They extend in 

 longitudinal ridges, with narrow crests here and there rising to a 

 somewhat higher summit. In many places they are overgrown with 

 forest, in others the woody region does not quite reach to the top. 

 In the country extending from the Tararua Mountains to Cook Strait 

 the southern portion, as far as Paripari, is filled up with the offsets 

 of the mountains. At the last-mentioned place the chain begins to 

 recede from the sea-shore, increasing its distance from the coast-line 

 as it runs north. The mountains are now succeeded by a belt of low 

 sandy hills, commencing at high-water mark and widening as the 

 mountains fall back, till, at the Manawatu River, the sandy belt is 



9 miles broad. From the south-eastern extremity of the islaud a 

 range of mountains extends to near Cape Matau, known as the 

 Mamigaraki and Pakatoi Mountains. 



Though possessing almost innumerable streams, New Ulster, in. 

 consequence of the mountain ridges running in general in a north and 

 south direction through the length of the island, has but few con- 

 siderable rivers. They are chiefly mountain streams, which, falling 

 from the eastern or western slopes, enter the sea, and are seldom 

 capable of being used for navigation. Of the larger ones we proceed 

 to give a short notice. The first, beginning at the northern end, is the 

 Jfokianya, which, rising near Ngate, about 20 miles from the junction 

 of the isthmus, proceeds in a north-easterly cou. se to the head of the 

 sestuary of the Hokianga on the west coast, its course not exceeding 



10 miles. The Wairoa is one of the largest of the rivers. The 

 remotest branches rise in the country between Hokianga and the Bay 

 of Islands ; it flows in a south-easterly direction ; its whole course is 

 perhaps not less than 200 miles, measured along the windings, and it 

 falls into the Kaipara Harbour at its northern end. It is navigable 

 for large vessels for about 70 miles above the head of the harbour. 

 Canoes can ascend about 70 miles farther, beyond which their advance 

 is prevented by rapids. The valley through which the river flow* is 

 generally two miles wide, and of great fertility. The Otamatca rises 

 in the hills in the neighbourhood of Wangari Harbour, and runs 

 probably less than 100 miles. The valley is also fertile, but of smaller 

 extent than that of the Wairoa. It fails into Kaipara Harbour nearly 

 opposite its entrance : it is navigable for many miles from its mouth. 

 The Kaipara River, which falls into the most southern inlet of the 

 basin, flows north-westerly, has a very winding course in a moderate- 





