362 CLIMATE AND NATIVES [PART II. 



native rat still lingers here and there, although it 

 has disappeared on the coast; the native dog has 

 become a mongrel ; ducks, teals, the red-billed 

 porphyrio or pukeko, a large bittern, a tern, two 

 kinds of gulls, cormorants, and some of the smaller 

 birds which also inhabit the coast districts, are 

 found here. In the lakes are three kinds of fresh 

 water fish, of which one is an eel : these form a 

 great part of the food of the natives. The craw- 

 fish is also found here, as indeed it is in all the 

 fresh-waters of New Zealand. Wood is sufficiently 

 plentiful to supply the wants of the natives, although 

 on the whole the country is rather scantily fur- 

 nished with it. The canoes are generally made of 

 totara. 



The climate, as was to be expected, is rather more 

 severe in the interior than on the coast, but it seems 

 to be more equable. We often had frost in the 

 morning, but towards noon the thermometer rose 

 to from 65 to 70. Although the season was far 

 advanced, we enjoyed the most beautiful weather at 

 the very time that excessive rains fell at Auckland. 

 Several times in the night violent winds descended 

 from the heights of the Ruapahu, blowing almost a 

 gale, and more than once upset our tent. When 

 this occurred we were almost benumbed with cold 

 whilst endeavouring to refix our tent according to 

 the shifting of the wind ; but the natives from the 

 neighbouring pa always came quickly to our help, 

 generally rushing in a state of nudity out of their 



