TRUE VOLCANOES. 397 



(9006 feet). The north-east end of the zone is formed in 

 the Bay of Plenty (lat. 38-^), by a constantly smoking solfa- 

 tara, the island -volcano of Puhia-i-wakati* 95 (White Island). 

 Next follow to the south-west, on the shore itself, the extinct 

 volcano of Putawaki (Mount Edgecombe), 8838 feet high, 

 probably the highest snowy mountain on New Zealand, and 

 in the interior, between Mount Edgecombe and the still 

 burning Tongariro,* which has poured fourth some streams 

 of lava, a lengthened chain of lakes, partly consisting of 

 boiling water. The lake of Taupo, which is surrounded by 

 beautiful glistening leucite and sanidine sand, as well as by 

 mounds of pumice, is nearly 24 geographical miles long, and 

 lies in the centre of the north island of New Zealand, at an 

 elevation, according to Dieffenbach, of 1337 feet above the 

 surface of the sea. The ground for two English square 

 miles round, is entirely covered with solfataras, vapour-holes, 

 and thermal-springs, the latter of which form, as at the Gey- 

 ser in Iceland, a variety of siliceous precipitates 96 . West- 

 ward of Tongariro,* the chief seat of volcanic action, whose 

 crater still ejects vapours and pumice-stone ashes, and at a dis- 

 tance of only sixteen miles from the western shore, rises the 

 volcano of Taranaki (Mount Egmont), 8838 feet high, which 

 was first ascended and measured by Dr. Ernst Dieffenbach in 

 November, 1840. The summit of the cone, which in its out- 

 line more resembles Tolima than Cotopaxi, terminates in a 

 plain, out of which rises a steep ash-cone. No traces of 

 present activity, such as are seen on the volcano of the White 

 Island* and on Tongariro* are visible, nor any connected 

 stream of lava. The substance composed of very thin scales, 

 and having a ringing sound, which is seen projecting with 

 sharp points like fish-bones, from among the scoriae, in the 

 same manner as on one side of the Peak of Teneriffe, re- 

 sembles porphyritic schist, or clink-stone. 



A narrow, long-extended, uninterrupted accumulation of 

 island-groups, erupted from north-western fissures, such as 



95 Ernest Dieffenbach, Travels in New Zealand, 1843, vol. i, pp. 337, 

 355 and 401. Dieffenbach calls White Island "a smoking solfatara, but 

 still in volcanic activity" (pp. 358 and 407), and on the chart, " in con- 

 tinual ignition." 



96 Dana, pp. 445448 ; Dieffenbach, vol. i, pp. 331 ; 339341 and 397 

 On Mount Egmont, bee vol. i, pp. 131 157. 



