382 CASCADE OF WAKATARA. [PART II. 



native attendants were still far behind. At last 

 they arrived, and led us to a higher piece of ground, 

 where we pitched our tent, as we did not venture, 

 though all our provisions were exhausted, to go 

 any farther, for our two guides, who were well 

 acquainted with the place, said there was a very bad 

 swamp to be passed before we could reach the native 

 settlement, and that it was doubtful whether there 

 were any natives there. They tjiemselves, however, 

 started, and promised to be back early in the morn- 

 ing with a canoe and food. 



On rising the next morning we found the lake 

 covered with waterfowl, among which were the 

 beautiful porphyrio, ducks, and snipes, and also gulls, 

 which feed upon a small fish that abounds in the 

 lake. Before our guides returned, I had shot a 

 great many of the unwary pukeko, or porphyrio, 

 which proved excellent game. Some natives came 

 in a canoe to fetch us over the lake to their settle- 

 ment. Mr. Chapman, from Rotu-rua, was probably 

 the only European they had ever seen, as this lake 

 has not been visited by any other that I am aware 

 of: but, nevertheless, they very kindly brought 

 potatoes and fish with them. We were first con- 

 veyed to the cascade which we had seen the evening 

 before, and which is called Wakatara. The steps 

 proved to be the siliceous deposits of the waters of 

 the hot pond above it. We ascended the steps, 

 which are about fifty in number, from one to two 

 feet broad, many of them, however, having subdi- 



