120 MOKUPEKA. [PART i. 



Sound, and which grows wild, was in blossom, and 

 covered the sides of the hills with a yellow carpet. 

 There are a number of plants in New Zealand 

 which are exactly the same as in Europe. Many 

 of them are indigenous, others have spread with the 

 cultivation of European vegetables. Such are the 

 cabbage, Plantago major, Alsine media, Sonchus 

 oleraceous, Stellaria media, Rumex crispus, Urtica 

 dioica, Cytisus bullosa, Anagallis arvensis. The 

 Juncus maritimus, effusus, filiformis, Scirpus la- 

 custris, Typha angustifolia, Potamogeton natans, 

 Chenopodium glaucum, maritimum, and others, 

 must be regarded as indigenous, and, perhaps, the 

 Plantago major. 



On the beach were some huts, the occasional 

 habitations of the wandering agriculturists. The 

 beach itself is of a light soil. Higher up the hills 

 the forest appears ; the trees, however, are not tall 

 enough for ship-timber. 



At the head of East Bay is the village of Moku- 

 peka, where we were well received, and presented 

 with roasted potatoes, pork, and an excellent dried 

 barracuda. This village stands on a spacious beach, 

 surrounded by hills. Neatly planted taro and po- 

 tatoes, kept free from weeds, ornamented the fields. 

 The natives, when they dig the first crop of pota- 

 toes, leave the small ones in the ground, which 

 grow during the winter, and give an early harvest 

 before Christmas. Our friendly host showed us, 

 with great satisfaction, a field of wheat, which was 



