CHAP. XXIV.] WAIPA VALLEY. 333 



thirty miles ; is even and flat in its lower part, espe- 

 cially up to the point at which the river Waipa joins 

 the Waikato : higher up the country is broken and 

 undulating, covered with a vegetation of fern and 

 coarse grass, alternating with groves of the kahikatea- 

 pine. The lower part rivals in fertility the best dis- 

 tricts in the island, the valley being a vocanic table- 

 land with much alluvium. It has the advantage of 

 being sheltered from the gales which are so preva- 

 lent on the coasts of New Zealand, and would 

 therefore be particularly adapted for grain, tobacco, 



(safflower, and hops. It must, in fact, be regarded 

 as the most sheltered region in the whole country ; 

 and if the vine and mulberry will grow anywhere in 

 New Zealand, it must be here. Higher up the 

 valley, and between the Rangitoto mountains and 

 Taupo, the country will be available, when the 

 increasing population creates a demand for land. 

 Even where the country is pumiceous, it is covered 

 with a coarse grass, which I feel convinced would 

 be eaten by cattle, and better sorts of grasses would 

 soon, by a little exertion, be spread over the surface. 

 The soil near the watercourses, and in the little 

 valleys, is excellent, and would produce everything 

 needed for home consumption. 



The peculiar recommendation of the Waipa valley 

 is its easy communication with the sea, as the river 

 is navigable for sixty miles above its junction with 

 the Waikato. Of the harbour on the west coast 



PWaingaroa is perhaps the easiest of access from this 



