- Physical Features of New Zealand proper. 23 
from the land reaching a maximum of 500 km, while to the S. it goes beyond 
the Lord Auckland’s Islands. The 1800 m line includes the whole archipelago 
except Macquarie and Kermadec Islands, and, extending far to the north-west, it 
reaches to within comparatively close proximity to the Queensland coast while 
Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands come just within its bounds. 
2. Physical Features of New Zealand proper. 
a. The North Island. 
Mountains. The land-surface is frequentiy much broken and, in parts, 
mountainous. The main range extends from the east of Wellington Harbour 
to the East Cape. The highest peaks are in the Ruahine and Tararua Mts., 
but none reach 1800 m and few more than ı520 m. The rocks are chiefly 
mudstones, sandstones and greywacke. 
The centre of the island is a volcanic plateau much of which is at an 
altitude of more than 600 m, but, northwards, gradually becoming lower, it 
extends to the Bay of Pieiity: This area, RT recent geological times has 
been exposed to powerful volcanic action. The eruptions have been largely 
explosive and the present surface-pumice is the result. Even yet there is much 
thermal activity in the shape of boiling springs, geysers, mud volcanoes &c. 
especially on the line of a fissure connecting White Island, a volcano in the 
solfatara stage, and Ruapehu. From the highest portion of the Plateau rise 
the semi-active volcanoes, Ruapehu (2803 m), Ngauruhoe (2291 m) and To- 
ngariro (1968 m). The crater of Ruapehu is filled with ice, in which lies a lake 
of, sometimes, extremely hot water while small glaciers Eben over the crater- 
rim and descend to comparatively low levels in the gullies. 
Mt. Egmont (2514 m) in Taranaki is an extinct volcano standing far iso- 
lated from other mountains; its summit carries perpetual snow. “ 
In 1886, the supposed extinct volcano Tarawera, situated on the Volcanic 
Plateau burst forth forming a rent 14.4 km long with a mean width of 108m 
and ejecting light scoria and volcanic dust over an area of 15,000sq. km: 
The remaining North Island mountains, with the exception of the Cape, | 
Colville Range‘), are not lofty enough to bear a subalpine vegetation, but 
nevertheless the following ranges show distinct belts of vegetation. — The Mau- \. 
ngaraki Mts. (9oo m), extending northwards from C. Palliser; the Puketoi ; 
Hills (610 m), in the A of Wellington; the volcanic Mt. Karioi and Mt. Piro- 
ee gr Bee eh Mt. 
later with Mt. Bach (Bös m). 
The extreme north of the island consists of a ST 
tableland some 300 m en formed of hard i 4 gr 
