Bay of Islands. Resemblance to 

 Terra del Fuego. 



NEW ZEALAND. 



Hot spring of Taiaimi. Extinct 

 craters near Taiaimi. 



1G1 



of surpassing beauty, and I could not but feel 

 gratified at the idea of paying it a visit: it did not, 

 however, realize my expectations. It might, with 

 more propriety, be called the Bay of Inlets. The 

 best idea that can be given of its geographical fea- 

 tures is, to liken it to an open hand with the fingers 

 spread apart. The laud is much indented with 

 bays, or arms of the sea, running up among hills, 

 which are nearly insulated. The distance between 

 the two capes (Brett and Point Pocock) is ten 

 miles, and there are several secondary bays facing 

 this opening. Four rivers flow into them, the Kawa- 

 Kawa, Kiri-Kiri, Loytangi, and Waicaddie, into 

 which the tide flows a few miles, after which they 

 become small streamlets, varied by some waterfalls. 

 There are many minor indentations, which render it 

 impossible to move any distance without a boat ; 

 and it is often necessary to make a turn of five or 

 six miles around an inlet or marsh in going to a 

 place, which might be reached in one-tenth of the 

 distance by water. 



The land has the appearance of barren hills 

 without accompanying valleys, and there is so 

 little level ground that terraces are cut in the 

 hills to build the cottages on. The whole view 

 is any thing but picturesque, and there is little 

 to meet the eye except bare hills and extensive 

 sheets of water. Some fine views are, however, 

 to be met with from the elevated ridges, which 

 afford occasional glimpses of the bay, with its 

 islets. 



Many of our gentlemen were struck with the 

 resemblance of this land to that of Terra del 

 Fuego. Black islets and rocks, worn into various 

 shapes, are found, as in that country, at all the 

 points in the bay through which a boat can pass. 

 These rocks are of a basaltic character. About 

 the Bay of Islands the rock is compact and argil- 

 laceous, showing little or no stratification, and is 

 for the most part covered with a layer of stiff clay, 

 two or three feet thick, the result of its decompo- 

 sition. The hills about the Bay of Islands are 

 generally from three to five hundred feet high, but 

 some of those at the head of the bay reach one 

 thousand feet. The district about the bay and the 

 northern portion of the island, may be styled vol- 

 canic ; for, in addition to rocks of undoubted vol- 

 canic origin, all the others had in a greater or less 

 degree undergone the action of fire. Our naturalists 

 were informed that the valley of the Thames was 

 of a different character, although many persons 

 represented the whole island as volcanic. The 

 ridges in the northern part of the island were not 

 thought to rise more than two thousand feet. The 

 Rev. Mr. Williams, missionary at Pahia, has 

 crossed the island from Port Nicholson to Taar- 

 anga, during which journey he passed a district 

 from which the snow was absent only four months 

 in the year. This region is in the neighbourhood 

 of the high peak of Mount Egmont, said, in the 

 Sydney Almanac, but upon what authority is not 

 stated, to be fourteen thousand feet high. Mr. 

 Williams described the route as exhibiting volcanic 

 phenomena on a large scale, among which were 

 quantities of pumice, extending entirely across the 

 island, and an extensive plain, which had sunk in 

 one place, and disclosed a bed of that substance, 

 three or four hundred feet in thickness ; he like- 

 wise spoke of geysers or jets of boiling water. 



The only volcano that was known to be in action, 



was one on a small island in the Bay of Plenty, on 

 the east coast. 



The imbedded minerals in the rock about the bay 

 are quartz, iron, and iron pyrites. 



The hot spring of Taiaimi was visited, but it is 

 described as rather an emission of gas than of 

 water. It is situated in a small basin, and forms 

 a lake of three or four acres in extent ; near the 

 edge of this lake, gas is constantly bubbling up, 

 usually through the water, to which it gives the 

 appearance of boiling ; and gas also issues from 

 the surrounding land for an extent of several acres. 

 The water was found to be warm, but did not 

 scald. The neighbouring ground was destitute of 

 vegetation, and appeared as if the surface of the 

 earth had been artificially removed. Sulphur was 

 abundant, and there was also a slight incrustation 

 of alum. The water was strongly impregnated 

 with iron, was much discoloured, and in smell and 

 taste not unlike pyroligneous acid. A quantity of 

 gas was brought away, but the bottle met with an 

 accident before it could be analyzed. It is not 

 inflammable, and had it been of a deleterious 

 nature, the fact (from the quantities emitted) 

 could not fail to have been perceived. It had no 

 smell, and appeared not to differ from atmospheric 

 air. The natives attribute medical virtues to these 

 waters. 



Twelve or fifteen miles to the westward of the 

 Bay of Islands, near Taiaimi, there are several 

 small extinct craters, rising about five hundred feet 

 above the surrounding country. One of them is 

 called Poerua, and is remarkable for the regular 

 figure of its cone when seen from the eastward. 

 Its western side is cut through by a deep gorge. 

 The interior is covered with large forest trees 

 and huge blocks of lava, while the exterior is 

 clad in ferns of low growth. The diameter of 

 the crater is about half a mile. The plain which 

 surrounds the cone is composed of an uncom- 

 monly rich soil, strewed with lava, which the 

 natives collect in heaps, in order to obtain space 

 for cultivation. The lava does not extend far 

 from the cone, and even in the interior, rock 

 seldom appeared, but where it was seen it proved 

 to be vesicular lava. The soil in the neighbour- 

 hood of the craters is richer, looser, and more 

 fit for cultivation than in other places. 



Dr. Pickering made a visit to Hokianga, on the 

 western side of the island, and found that it had 

 more of the forest character than the eastern. He 

 took the direct road to Waimati, which is fifteen 

 miles from the Bay of Islands. The river Wai- 

 tanga was very high, and one of the chiefs, a large 

 and muscular man, seemed to take particular 

 interest in getting them across safe and dry; but 

 notwithstanding his stature and all his care, he 

 could not prevent a slight immersion*. The doctor 

 arrived at Waimati at 4 P.M., and was kindly wel- 

 comed by Mr. Davis, the Methodist missionary, to 

 whom he had a letter of introduction. It was not 

 without surprise that he found here a water-mill in 



* On the banks of the Waitanga, the adult inhabitants, 

 to the number of twenty, were collected in a circle, each 

 armed with a musket, and several had been met on the way, 

 all armed. The cause of this unusual occurrence was not 

 known. They are very fond of fire-arms, and on welcoming 

 any one, particularly a chief, all the people of the village 

 assemble and salute him with a number of rounds, in pro- 

 portion to his rank. 



