CHAP. II.] QUEEN CHARLOTTE'S SOUND. 25 



northern island, the most distant of which was 

 covered with snow. If we follow this panorama to 

 the eastward we have the island of Motuara, which 

 extends from N.E. by E. to E. by S. Motuara is a 

 steep ridge of hills, the most elevated points of which 

 are on its northern and southern extremities, and 

 bear to N.E. and S.W. Motuara conceals from our 

 view the southern headland of Queen Charlotte's 

 Sound, Cape Koamaru, which is a promontory of 

 the Island of Arapaoa. The southern end of this 

 island is concealed by Moturoa, or Long Island- 

 The latter is for the greater part destitute of vegeta- 

 tion, owing to the great declivity of its sides and 

 the barrenness of the underlying rock. 



The features of the land in Queen Charlotte's 

 Sound are those of a very mountainous and thickly- 

 wooded country. Hilly offsets run from the main 

 chain towards the sea, and enclose small bays or 

 .coves, which are surrounded by the steep hills in the 

 form of an amphitheatre. These bays rarely contain 

 more than half a square mile in area of flat land. 

 The soil is a light earth, consisting of vegetable 

 mould, more or less mixed with shingle or sand. In 

 these places there are generally some native huts, 

 inhabited chiefly at the fishing seasons ; and here 

 also the natives find the soil most suited for the 

 cultivation of the kumera, or sweet potato : for 

 their other crops, however, they prefer the sides 

 and ravines of the hills, where, after having burned 

 the wood, they obtain for cultivation a new and 



