CHAP. XXV.] FREE TO TRAVELLERS. 379 



about thirty feet below the surface of the cliff, I 

 found some charcoal of monocotyledonous and 

 dicotyledonous plants ; a curious discovery, as prov- 

 ing that those cliffs of tufa and pumice were formed 

 after vegetation already existed in the country. The 

 remains, however, were too indistinct to enable me 

 to distinguish the particular species of plants to 

 which they had belonged, except that the monocotyle- 

 donous plant appeared like the remains of a typha. 

 One of the holes tilled with potatoes had been left 

 open for the use of travellers, as is customary in 

 New Zealand, and to us this liberal custom proved 

 a great relief. 



The next morning we espied, through the thick 

 mist which covered the neighbouring hills, two 

 natives. They soon came down to us, and proved 

 to be two respectable " Mihaneres " going from 

 Taupo to Turanga or Poverty Bay. They told us 

 that this journey would occupy them ten days, that 

 the road led up and down hill, and that most of 

 these hills were devoid of forest. Their arrival 

 proved of great benefit to our party, as they told us, 

 as indeed the compass had already told me, that we 

 had gone in a wrong direction. We induced them 

 by a present of two blankets to hide their own load 

 and show us the way to Rotu-Mahana, whither, 

 they said, it was three days' walk ; they also carried 

 potatoes for us : I suspect, although they said no- 

 thing to us to that effect, that they had some share 

 in the providential potato-ground, which was what 



