CHAP. XXIV.] TO ROTU-RUA. 371 



effect produced by the moisture of the air during 

 their acclimatization, as sickness is scarcely known 

 amongst those who have been for some time in the 

 country. After we had in vain tried all our powers 

 of persuasion to obtain guides before the time 

 which they had named, we started on the morn- 

 ing of the 27th with our three remaining natives. 

 I had to make a heavy sacrifice, as I was obliged 

 to leave behind me nearly all my Taupo minerals, 

 and specimens of the mineral waters of the country. 

 The remainder of our luggage made six heavy loads, 

 of which each of us had to carry one. Our stock 

 of provisions was very scanty; our natives were 

 strange'rs to this part of the island, and did not 

 know the road to Rotu-rua, but we trusted to our 

 good fortune to find both food and road. We 

 returned to the shores of the Taupo lake, and 

 travelled along its eastern bank. The road was 

 very bad ; pebbles of pumice and soft sand made 

 walking very difficult. We passed cliffs of pumice- 

 stone, which were elevated about one hundred feet 

 above the level of the lake. In some places there 

 was a greyish lava of a striped and variegated ap- 

 pearance, resembling jasper. We came in the even- 

 ing to a pa near the north-east corner of the lake. 

 It was newly built on a neck of land that separated 

 a small lagoon from the lake, into which, however, 

 the water of the lagoon was discharged by a little 

 stream, which guarded one side of the pa. Around 

 this village the hills were very rugged and steep. 



2 B 2 



