CHAP. XXIII.] BROKEN COUNTRY. 321 



carved in pumicestone, a monument to the memory 

 of the principal chief of the Nga-te-raukaua, who 

 fell here in a fight, in which Titipa was the prin- 

 cipal actor. The range of Maunga-Tautari slopes 

 here to the southward, terminating in a pyramidical 

 summit, which we in vain tried to ascend, the path 

 which formerly led up it having become entirely 

 grown over with brushwood. The land to the 

 southward of this range is generally pumice-land, 

 and is covered with a light black or reddish earth, 

 in many places very favourable to vegetable life. 



From this point our road lay through a singu- 

 larly broken country. Moderately elevated hillocks 

 presented here and there cliffs consisting of tufa or 

 of lapilli of pumicestone loosely cemented together 

 by volcanic ashes. The cliffs were often lined with 

 a shrub (Metrosideros hypericifolia), with small 

 myrtle-like leaves, which fixed its tendrils firmly to 

 the rock, in the same manner as our ivy does. In 

 some places the surface of the country formed re- 

 gular basins, and craggy castle-like formations of 

 the rock crowned the hills. In the indentations 

 and ravines appeared some shrubs and trees ; but 

 the scanty vegetation of fern and coarse wiry grass, 

 with here and there a solitary dragon-tree, gave 

 the region a dreary aspect. On the whole, the 

 pumicestone has not undergone sufficient decay to 

 allow the growth of anything except scanty grass. 

 Most of the valley had a north to south direction ; 

 and there is no want of water, as in every valley 



VOL. i. y 



