CHAP VI.] MANAWATU RIVER. 127 



from its upper part there is an easy communication 

 with the Hauriri in Hawke's Bay, a river which is 

 known to have very fertile land on its banks. 



About six miles from the mouth of the Mana- 

 watu, the Rangitiki, a smaller river, likewise owing 

 its origin to the Ruapahu, falls into Cook's Straits. 

 It brings, as does also the Wanganui, a great quan- 

 tity of pumicestone from the Tongariro, a volcano 

 in the interior. 



To the westward of a line drawn from Otaki to 

 the Ruapahu, and thence to Mount Egmont, the 

 country is comparatively level. Across this district 

 the Ruapahu rears its massy head to the height of 

 about 9000 feet, and is covered with eternal snows. 



Several streams run into the sea between the 

 Rangitiki and the Wanganui, but are smaller and 

 of less importance : they are the Wai Patiki, the 

 Waikanahi, the Wai Kopuka, the Mahora, the 

 Turakina, the Wangaiho, and the Kaitoki. 



In the evening of the 18th, the natives whom we 

 had taken on board and amongst whom was a fine 

 young man, E Kuru; the son of the principal chief 

 at Wanganui looked out in vain for the entrance 

 >f the river of that name, which we intended to 

 isit if large enough to admit the Tory. E Kuru 

 was an intelligent fellow, but had never seen his 

 native place from the deck of a ship. To add to 

 the difficulty, the coast has a great sameness of ap- 

 pearance, and the mouths of the different rivers 

 present little peculiarity when viewed from the sea. 



