410 WAIHO RIVER. [PART u. 



which at present surrounds the fall, only part of 

 the sheet of water is visible at any one place. Mak- 

 ing our way over rocks which lay in the bed of the 

 river, we approached to the very crest of the fall, 

 and looked down upon the descending waters. 



The Maunga-Tautare bore S. 35 W. from this 

 point. 



We soon reached the banks of the Waiho, which 

 flows at a distance of about two miles from the hills 

 in a S.E. to N.W. course ; and crossed it to its left 

 shore, its depth being about six feet in the middle 

 channel, and its current moderately rapid. Appear- 

 ances indicated that the water was at its average 

 height, and we had not had much rain during the 

 last few days. Its width was about that of the 

 Thames at Richmond, and on its banks strata of 

 gravel were exposed more or less decayed, and either 

 pumiceous or tufaceous. The point at which we 

 crossed was about fifty miles from that at which the 

 river falls into the Gulf of Hauraki. The vegeta- 

 tion consisted of fern, Dracaena australis, Lepto- 

 spermum, with some rushes ; here and there also a 

 little grass. Although the soil was not alluvial, 

 nor apparently very fertile, yet it seemed to be ca- 

 pable of considerable improvement by judicious cul- 

 tivation. We halted here for the night, although 

 tire-wood was rather scarce ; the manuka shrubs, 

 however, served us for fuel. 



It rained all night, and our tent ran great risk of 

 being blown down. The weather, however, cleared 



