360 NATIVES NEAR [PART II, 



and rocky basaltic shore of the Rotu-Ponamu, which 

 is surrounded by almost impenetrable underwood. 

 This little lake lies in a perfect funnel, formed by 

 the surrounding mountains, which rise on one side 

 to a crest of considerable height. It is about a 

 mile and a half in circumference, and apparently of 

 great depth, and has no visible outlet. In looking 

 down two days before from the summit of the neigh- 

 bouring hills, I thought that its level was above 

 that of Rotu-Aire, which is about a mile and a half 

 distant, and I was glad to find this opinion con- 

 firmed by a measurement with the thermometer, 

 which showed the boiling-point at 208 Fahrenheit. 

 This, with a mean temperature of 55, gives for the 

 height of the level of Rotu-Ponamu 2147 feet above 

 the sea, being 438 feet above the level of Rotu- 

 Aire, and 810 feet above the level of Taupo lake. 



From this point a very good road leads through 

 a delicious, dark, and beautiful forest into the upper 

 part of the delta of the Waikato, the region of the 

 mineral springs which I have above described. 

 When we arrived in the Rapa, we found that two 

 missionaries had come the same day : one, the Rev. 

 Mr. Brown, from Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty; 

 and the other, the Rev. Mr. Chapman, from Rotu- 

 rua. 



Everywhere round Lake Taupo are small native 

 settlements, but the population seems to be scanty, 

 considering the excellent land in the neighbour- 

 hood. I do not estimate their total number at 



