:. : 



ZEALAND. 



2KALAND, XE\V. 



K'3J 



by elevated cl.nlky cliff*, which are intersected by numerous 

 narrow arm* of tho Ma. These inlets afford safe anchorage to h!|i]<iu 

 tram mry wind. The principal of thete port* are called Du 

 Prawrraiioo Harbour, and Chalky Bay. The most couthern part of 

 New MuniUr i* the wideat part, and in Favourite Strait, which sepa- 

 rate* it from New l..-inter, are a few good bays, tho principal being 

 liluff Harbour. Then are no mountain! to bo seen here from the tea. 

 Thu comparatively level tract, which is moderately elevated, cuntiniit-s 

 north-eastward to Port OUgo, where a aettlement bus been effected. 

 Port Olago ii an inlet of the sea, running in a west -south-west direc- 

 tion about IS mile* : it is well sheltered by highlands. The entrance 

 hu a bar aerom, with 3J fathoms of water. Within the harbour it 

 deepens to 9 fathoms. The navigable river Clutha, formerly called 

 the Molyneui. falls into the most western corner of the bay. North 

 of Otago high land an I a bold coast extends to Banks Peninsula, 

 around and upon which the settlement of Canterbury bos been 

 formed. 



Banks Peninsula has an oval form, and is nearly 70 miles in circum- 

 ference. The surface is very irregular and hilly, and some of the hills 

 are visible at sea from a distance of 40 miles. The higher parts are 

 barren, but the lower slopes of the hills are well wooded and the soil 

 is favourable to vegetation. It has harbours on each side. The most 

 capacious, called Akaroa, is near the eastern extremity of the penin- 

 sula; it has sufficient depth for large vessels, is ea-y of access, and 

 well sheltered. On the northern side of the peninsula are Port 

 Victoria and Port Ashley, which are little inferior to that of Akaroa. 

 Pegasus Bay, extending between the peninsula and the mainland, is 

 shallow and not safe. The country in the vicinity of the bay is in 

 general level, and rises gradually from the shore. The shores north 

 of Banks Peninsula are very high and rocky, and generally there is no 

 beach between the high grounds and the sea. At a few places inlets 

 occur, but they are open, and not well sheltered from the prevailing 

 south-east winds. The best harbour is in Lookers-on Bay, a small 

 lestnary, into which two rivers fall, both of them navigable some miles 

 from their mouth. 



Opposite the southern extremity of New Munster lies New Leinster, 

 or Stewart Island. The strait which separates it from the mainland 

 wn discovered in 1S16 by Stewart, the captain of a sealing vessel, and 

 called ' Foveaux Strait,' but it is now called Favourite Strait. This 

 strait is about 40 miles long and 12 miles wide on an average. It is 

 very dangerous on account of numerous rocks which are dispersed 

 over it, especially at the eastern entrance of the strait. New Leinster 

 has nearly the form of an equilateral triangle, and measures in its 

 greatest length and width about 40 miles. The coast is generally 

 rocky and high. Along the western coast it has only anchorage under 

 the lee of some small islands, but on the northern shores there are some 

 small bays which afford good anchorage. The south-eastern shore has 

 one of the finest harbours on the globe, called Pegasus, or Southern Port. 

 At its entrance are two islands, which divide it into three channels, 

 and each of them is deep enough to admit large vessels. The island 

 is rather mountainous than hilly, and is almost covered with forests, 

 which contain abundance of ship timber. Between the hills are many 

 fine valleys and some plains of moderate extent. 



Climate, Soil, and Production!. The climate of New Zealand is 

 frequently compared with that of Great Britain, and certainly there is 

 a great similarity between the two countries, so far as respects the 

 frequent changes of the weather, the moderate heat and cold, and the 

 limited annual range of the thermometer, the limited daily range of 

 the thermometer, and the slow passage from heat to cold, and rice 

 vend, at the change of the seasons. The following is the mean tempe- 

 rature at Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, and London, from the observa- 

 tions of one year only at each place, but not the same year : 



The temperature of the air thu. appears more equable at Auckland 



at London; as at Auckland the difference between the hottest 



?" r JwT Dth " not m than 19-8% and at London it is 



fV K tempera ! Ure " tow > <* Auckland, and 



~nge of the thermometer is greater. The daily range of the 



onth, coast frequently does not amount to nfore than 



r exceed. 8"; but on the table-land surround- 



aupo, which may be cou dered as 1500 feet ahova tli 



83a -level, lt .om.ti.ne. amount* to 25, and in these part the ponds 



and swamps are sometimes cnviivl with ice about half an inch thick. 

 On the tableland the trees shed their leaves in winter ; but alou.; tho 

 whole coast the natives plant their potatoes at all seasons of the year, 

 and the forest is always green. 



The climate, of New Zealand i. very humid. In ten months (from 

 April, 1841, to February, 1842), there fell 34'49 inches of rain in 

 Wellington, and in 1846 there fell 2373 inches at Nelson. In London 

 the mean annual quantity of rain is 24-10 inches, but in some districts 

 in the west of England double that quantity falls. Dewa are frequent 

 and particularly heavy during the winter months. Fogs are rare on 

 the sea-coast, owing to the brisk winds, which hardly ever cease to 

 blow ; but in the interior they rest upon the lakes and watercourses 

 until they are dispelled by the sun or driven away by the winds. 

 This abundant moisture renders vegetation so vigorous, that it covers 

 even the rocks where only a thin layer of vegetable mould is found : 

 it is not injurious to health, as the country is generally so well drained 

 that swamps are comparatively rare and of small extent ; besides, it 

 ir il-t the numerous streams and rivulets, which render the island one 

 of the best-watered countries on the globe. Rain falls in New Zealand 

 in all the months of the year, but the largest quantity falls in winter 

 and spring. 



Every part of New Zealand seems to be subject to frequent winds 

 and heavy gales. The winds at Wellington blow either from north 

 and north-west or from south and south-west. In 1841 it blew from 

 north and north-west for 213 days, and from south and south-west for 

 119 days. During the winter the north-west wind prevails; but when 

 the sun has a southern declination southerly winds are most gi-nrr.il. 

 But in Cook Strait, which is nearly inclosed by high mountains, the 

 direction of the wind changes so frequently and suddenly that no two 

 puffs follow each other from the same quarter, and the nearer the 

 shore tho more this is felt. At Nelson the prevailing winds are north- 

 east and south-west : iu 1846 it blew from the north-east on 219 days, 

 and from the south-west on 71 days. At Auckland, and in general ou 

 the northern narrow peninsula, south-west and west winds prevail. 

 They generally commence about 10 o'clock in the morning, and increase 

 gradually almost to a smart gale, but subside at sunset into a calm. 

 Easterly pales generally occur at the full and change of the moon, and 

 continue for two or sometimes for three days. In the winter months 

 they sweep with great violence over the more exposed part of the 

 country. These winds nearly always briug heavy rains. Northerly 

 winds are of rare occurrence. 



The seasons are not very distinctly marked. At Wellington the 

 fair season commences in the middle of December, and continues to 

 the middle of April. After the middle of April the weather is more 

 variable, the winds increase in force, and the showers are heavier and 

 last longer. The air becomes chilly. This weather continues to the 

 beginning of July, when the bid or tempestuous season begins. Heavy 

 rains occur almost daily, and sometimes they continue for many days 

 together : the wind is almost a constant gale, and often blows with 

 the strength of a hurricane. At Auckland the fair season lasts from 

 October to April and _eveu May. It is regularly interrupted by the 

 heavy rains which occur at the full and change of the moon, attended 

 by gales, and irregularly by squalls and showers. During the remainder 

 Of the year showers are frequent, and the westerly winds blow with 

 considerable force. In December and January regular land and sea 

 breezes are experienced. The sea-breeze sets iu from the north-east 

 in the forenoon, and veers to the south in the evening. Thunder- 

 storms are frequent in August, and are sometimes heavy. Earthquakes 

 have been experienced at several places, but the shocks have always 

 been slight, and have caused no damage. 



Two plants were cultivated by the natives at the time of the arrival 

 of the Europeans, the taro (Oaladium aculentam) and the kumera, or 

 sweet potato (Convolvulus batata). Among the fruit-trees the most 

 remarkable is the Areca tapida, of which the undeveloped plaited 

 leaves or the heart are eaten, and the leaves are used in roofing the 

 houses. The leaves of the Piper excelfum are used as tea. Some 

 shrubs bear berries, which are much liked by the natives, especially 

 the f^ulanum laciniatum and the elderberry-tree (Coriaria sarmentosa), 

 whose leaves however contain an acrid poison, which produces violent 

 symptoms if eaten by cattle. 



The greater portion of the island is still covered with forests. There 

 is a great variety of trees, and perhaps in no part of the globe do they 

 attain a larger size and exhibit a more luxuriant vegetation, which is 

 to be attributed to the humidity of the atmosphere. There are various 

 kinds of Conifene, and they produce the most valuable timber. 

 One, peculiar to New Zealand, is the kauri (Agathit Australia), whose 

 timber is so highly prized that it was one of the greatest induce- 

 ments to Europeans to visit the island. It is however only found on 

 the northern peninsula. There are numerous other useful timber- 

 trees, but the quantity of timber exported from New Zealand is not 

 large. 



The other kinds of plants requiring notice are the ferns, the 

 Pkormium tenox, and the raupu. There are ninety-four species of 

 ferns in the island, and some attain the size of trees. The Cyathea 

 dealbala, the highest, is sometimes forty feet in length. One species, 

 the Pterit esculenla, has a root which was formerly much used as food 

 by the natives; but since the cultivation of several other plants has 

 been introduced by Europeans, it is only used to feed pigs, which 



