254 MARBLE AND LIMESTONE. [PART II. 



Sheep looked in a rather bad condition ; but the 

 principal objection to sheep-farming in New Zea- 

 land is on account of the seeds of the Acoena san- 

 guisorba, a herb spreading all over the country : 

 these attach themselves so firmly to the wool, that 

 they cannot be separated in the washing. About 

 half-way between Wangaroa and the Keri-keri, on 

 the outskirts of the forest, we pass an agricultural 

 settlement of a European. Some natives live in 

 the fertile ravines which run off from the hills 

 towards the sea-shore : off the latter are many rocky 

 islets. The shore forms several small bays, of which 

 Mataute is one of the finest. On the slope of the 

 hills, which surround this bay like an amphitheatre, 

 an excellent hard greyish marble crops out. The 

 bay is about two square miles in extent. On its 

 shore is a native settlement. 



Between Mataute and Wangaroa there are two 

 other bays of similar description Waio and Tau- 

 ranga. 



In the latter, a marly limestone in horizontal 

 strata appears on the side of the hills ; it breaks 

 into slabs about an inch thick. To the northward 

 the hills inland present a perpendicular escarpment, 

 and the limestone displays the interesting pheno- 

 menon of a dendritic dyke of whinstone (Lydian 

 stone) injected into its aiass. The limestone is 

 altered where in contact with it, and inclines at an 

 angle of about forty degrees ; a few paces from this 

 the strata are again horizontal. 



