CHAP. XIX.] WAIROA RIVER. 261 



here and there are the remains of the former kauri- 

 forest, half burnt and rotten ; but now nearly the 

 whole surface of the region is covered with fern 

 and manuka. The hills alternate with valleys, 

 which, from the stagnation of the waters, are 

 swampy, and contain here and there forests of the 

 kahikatea pine (Dacrydium excelsum), the quickest 

 growing in New Zealand, and consequently the 

 least durable tree of this class. A swampy plain 

 stretches to the eastward as far as the rugged hills 

 of Wangari Bay : it offers some fine situations for 

 farms, and would afford excellent opportunities for 

 forming pasturage by the cultivation of artificial 

 grasses, as the land is rich, and the swampy parts 

 might easily be drained. No natives live here ; 

 but my guides assured me that some slaves had 

 lately run away from the Bay of Islands, and lived 

 concealed in the bush a circumstance which rarely 

 happens in New Zealand, as the natives are too 

 much accustomed to a settled life ; and even when 

 they do conceal themselves, they are obliged to cul- 

 tivate the land in order to obtain food 



The first natives I fell in with were a cheerful 

 and industrious set, near the head of the Wairoa, 

 who were cutting and squaring kauri-trees in a very 

 workmanlike manner. They all left their work on 

 my arrival, as the evening was approaching, and 

 accompanied me to the banks of the river, where 

 they had temporary habitations. The children 

 amused themselves with rowing-matches, their 



