io 9 o AUSTRALASIA ILLUSTRATED. 



a noble kauri forest, and a chain of small lakes, but also the beautiful Waitakerei 

 and Nihotopu Water-falls. 



Onehunga, six miles from Auckland, commands the western side of the isthmus, 

 which in time will be cinctured by a canal linking together the Waitemata and the 

 Manukau. It is a straggling little town, much frequented for its bracing westerly breezes 

 and its salubrity. It possesses gas-works, two iron-works, in addition to a factory for 

 the manufacture of bar-iron and wire from the Manukau iron-sand, a saw and planing 

 mill, three tanneries, and the North New Zealand Woollen Factory. Auckland's trade 

 with the west coast is carried on from this port, and steamers also ply to Waiuku. A 

 substantial bridge spans the Manukau and connects Onehunga with the farming district of 

 Mangere, where Te Wherowhero, the first Maori king, resided before he assumed the purple. 



THE FAR NORTH. 



The country north of Auckland may be most conveniently reached by taking passage 

 in one of the Northern Steamship Company's fine vessels, which, leaving Auckland in 

 the late afternoon, reaches early the following morning the expansive estuary of the 

 Bay of Islands lying between Capes Wiwiki and Brett, eleven miles apart. So spacious 

 is the entrance, and so deep is the water- -so free from hidden dangers that one may 

 enter at will at any time and anchor close up to the lovely shores without risk of 

 stranding. It is, in truth, one of the finest harbours in the world. For facility of 

 entrance it equals Auckland ; with its manifold natural charms it even transcends that 

 beautiful haven; while for depth of water and perfect security even Port Nicholson 

 must yield the palm. 



The town of Russell, so called after Lord John of that ilk, has its places of worship, 

 hotels and Custom House, its Lloyd's Agency, a United States Consulate for American 

 whalers still frequent its anchorage its Post and Telegraph Offices and other Govern- 

 ment establishments, its Town Hall, and a steam-service with Auckland. The signal-station 

 immediately' at its back is that on which Heke cut down the flag-staff with its symbol 

 of British sovereignty. Kororareka signifying "Sweet Penguin "-was a considerable place 

 in those days. At times as many as one hundred and twenty whalers have lain together 

 off its beach, and money was freely spent and little regarded there. 



Laving the side of Russell is the Kawakawa River, and four miles from its mouth on 

 the opposite bank is springing up the embryo town of Opua, where vessels of the 

 largest tonnage proceed for coal. There is a regular ferry-service between Opua and 

 Russell, and a line of railway extends from Opua to Kawakawa, eight miles farther up 

 the River. The town of Kawakawa has been built at the coal-mines ; its streets are 

 regularly laid out, and its coal is in general request throughout the province. Man- 

 ganese mining is carried on opposite Opua, and the district likewise exports timber, 

 kauri-gum, flax, oil, oysters, fish, etc. Still farther north is the harbour of Whangaroa, 

 where Nature seems to have run riot in her effort to pile up rocky scenery in 

 the most grotesque and fanciful forms. Passing through the contracted entrance, a 

 splendid haven is soon entered. The township reclines immediately in front of us, 

 and from its ship-building yards have been launched many of the fastest clippers 

 among "the mosquito fleet" of Auckland and the South Pacific. Mangonui is the most 



