308 KAWIA HARBOUR. [PART II 



belonging to the mission. I traced there some 

 thick beds of lignite under cliffs of a soft ferruginous 

 sandstone. 



From Aotea a two hours' walk brought us to 

 Kawia. Another good road leads round by the beach, 

 which is here bounded by hills of drift-sand. At a 

 little distance behind them the land is flat and good. 

 We passed many flourishing native plantations 

 stocked with the common vegetables. 



The harbour of Kawia is one of the most import- 

 ant on the western coast of the northern island. 

 It has a clear entrance about a mile and a quarter 

 broad, and with two fathoms at dead low-water 

 spring-tides. The tide rises twelve feet, and at full 

 and change it is high water at eight o'clock. The 

 best anchorage is along the northern shore, where 

 the depth varies from five to eight fathoms. The 

 harbour forms an irregular basin, and is joined by 

 two rivers, which descend from the coast range, and 

 admit boats ; the one to the north is the Awaroa, 

 which receives a tributary, the Kauri river, so 

 named from a few kauri-trees which grow here, and 

 are strictly " tapu :" from the right bank of the river 

 the road leads over the hills into the plains of the 

 Waipa ; the river to the south is the Wai Arekeke, 

 and here another road leads into the Waipa district, 

 more circuitous, but less hilly. 



The principal geological feature of the estuary of 

 Kawia is an extensive calcareous formation, which 

 can be examined on the left shore of the Awaroa 



