CHAP. VII.] HEIGHT OF MOUNT EGMONT. 159 



descent with comparative ease. The natives ex- 

 pressed their joy at seeing us again, as they had 

 already given us up as lost. We encamped on the 

 bank of the left branch of he Waiwakaio amidst 

 trees of the Leptospermum species. Our resting- 

 place which, from finding the boilin -point to be 

 207 Fahrenheit, while the mean temperature of the 

 air was 57, I calculated to be 2699 feet above the 

 level of the sea was the utmost limit of the excur- 

 sions of the natives : at this spot they obtain the 

 best sort of kokowai in the bed of the river, which 

 was for some distance quite yellow from a solution 

 in its waters of this ochreous substance, which glazed 

 the rocks with a metallic coating. Immediately on 

 our arrival our native companions set to work to 

 make baskets of rushes and flax-leaves, for the car- 

 riage of this muddy ochre, which they dug out from 

 swamps formed by the Waiwakaio at its banks. 

 This substance was afterwards slowly dried at the 

 fire, and, by further burning and preparing, a fine 

 vermilion was obtained, which they carried home 

 as an acceptable present to their families. This 

 ochre is formed in great quantities in many places 

 of New Zealand, where water has become stagnant, 

 and is constantly deposited either from the iron con- 

 tained in vegetables or from the ferruginous soil. 

 I have often seen the natives forming weirs at stag- 

 nant creeks in order to obtain it. They use it for 

 many purposes : when mixed with shark's oil, it 

 forms a durable paint for their houses, canoes, and 



