82 THE VALLEY OF [PART I. 



where we could enjoy the sun was close to the 

 river's edge, or upon a tree turned across it, as the 

 whole place was covered with bush and forest. 

 Heavy dews fell during the night, and in spite of 

 the shelter of the tent our blankets were always 

 wet through in the morning. 



Although the weather continued unfavourable, 

 we were obliged to resume our route on the morn- 

 ing of August 4th, as our supplies were rapidly 

 decreasing. Mr. Deans and two of his men joined 

 my party, making us eight in number. We forded 

 the river to its left shore, and crossed and recrossed 

 it that day sixteen times. In one part the river is 

 shut in by elevated banks about eighteen feet high, 

 from which the land runs in flats towards the east- 

 ern and western hills ; here we walked for about a 

 mile in the bed of the river. The valley is about 

 two miles and a half broad, and the land of a very 

 good quality. The forest is again formed of one 

 sort of tree, tawai, and is open and park-like. A 

 soft carpet of moss covers the ground in many 

 places. One species of moss, in the shape of a di- 

 minutive fern-tree, was very beautiful. The plants 

 of the lower scale of vegetation, as ferns and mosses, 

 were plentiful the moisture which characterises 

 the winter in New Zealand being particularly 

 favourable to their growth. 



The bed of the river at this point is crossed by 

 bars of slaty rock, which strike from north-west to 

 south-east, and dip in some places with a very 



