320 PAS OF THE NATIVES. [PART II. 



the west, among the mountains of Rangitoto. This 

 range of hills forms a continuation of the western 

 coast-hills, and connects them with the group of 

 the Ruapahu. On the western slope of these 

 mountains is the source of the Mokau river, which 

 falls into the sea about sixty miles to the north- 

 ward of Cape Egmont. The general level of the 

 valley of the Waipa is interrupted by a few isolated 

 pyramidical hills of a volcanic origin, of which 

 arms, consisting of tufa and pumicestone, run off 

 in all directions, often presenting cliffy escarpments 

 on the sides. We passed two old pas of the Nga- 

 te-raukaua, a tribe which has now deserted the 

 interior in consequence of their wars with the Wai- 

 kato. They live at Otaki, in Cook's Straits, inc on- 

 stant hostility with the other tribes there, especially 

 the Nga-te-awa. One of these pas was very pic- 

 turesquely situated : a streamlet wound its way 

 around the cliffy pumiceous sides of a hill, which 

 was covered with verdure, and on which the old 

 fortifications could still be traced ; farther up we 

 passed a conical hill, the base of which consisted 

 of a hard basaltic rock overlaid by pumice, and the 

 whole covered with fern. Approaching the base 

 of the wooded range of Maunga-Tautari, which 

 was to our left, we came to a small native settle- 

 ment, the inhabitants of which were mostly de- 

 pendants of our guide Titipa, who claims the whole 

 of this district by right of conquest. On our road 

 this day Titipa pointed out a human figure rudely 



