353 



and I was unable to perceive any appearance of volcanic rocks about or near 

 it. It appeared to rne to be simply a scarp of marine tertiaries, possibly, for 

 some reason or another, less denuded than the surrounding land. As 

 Hochstetter was never in the district himself, he must have been misinformed 

 as to the geological character of this hill. On our return we slept at Pipiriki, 

 and on the following day reached the township of Whanganui, distant about 

 fifty miles from Pipiriki. 



ASCENT OF THE RANGITIKEI RIVER. 



As I was unwilling to be baffled in the examination of the inland country, 

 I next proceeded from Whanganui to Rangitikei, accompanied by Mr. Samuel 

 Deigkton, and having procured a canoe and a crew of four Maoris, commenced 

 the ascent of that river. It was tedious work poling up the Rangitikei, but a 

 canoe journey was the only one likely to give me an opportunity of making 

 out the geology of the district, for the track to the interior is through thick 

 bush, and few sections can be found off the banks of the river. 



The geology of the Rangitikei is very similar to that of the "Whanganui. 



If we generalize the tertiary rocks of the latter river into three series, 

 viz., — 



1. Upper sandstones. 2. Blue clay. 3. Coal shales. 



We find in the Rangitikei basin a continuation of the two former. 

 Whether or not the latter lies below, I was unable to determine, for I was 

 never able to find the base of the blue clay, or the rock which lies below it. 



In the Lower Rangitikei is a large quantity of gravel, chiefly of the usual 

 sandstone and slate of the main ranges, but with an occasional boulder of 

 igneous rock. 



The view from the bed of the Rangitikei, is, if possible, more bounded by 

 vertical cliffs than that of the Whanganui. As the traveller ascends, the cliffs 

 get more vertical, the beds of the streams narrower, and the excavations 

 form what are called in America by the Spanish name canon* — vertical chasms. 

 In the ascent of the Moawhanga, the stream is so narrow that the trees 

 actually meet overhead. As the sun's rays dart through the gaps in the 

 foliage the effect upon the eye of the navigator below is very remarkable. 



The Rangitikei is very inferior in size and in facilities of navigation to 

 the Whanganui. The rapids are far more numerous and the deep reaches few 

 and far between. The chief tributaries fall into its right bank ; the largest of 

 these are the Hautapu and the Moawhanga. 



The junction of the Hautapu is about half way through the bush. 



After six days poling up stream, we left the Rangitikei, and ascended the 

 Moawhanga river. 



In some parts of the Upper Rangitikei, I found the river obstructed by bars, 

 composed of very large boulders of hard igneous rocks, apparently not in situ. 

 How they got there requires further investigation. It is quite possible that 

 igneous dykes may be found to traverse the district, but if these boulders have 

 been transported, they must have come from Ruapehu. I looked carefully 

 for any signs of igneous rocks in situ, but could not find them. The marine 

 tertiaries, as far as I could see, occupied the whole district ; still, I will not 

 deny, that a further search may discover what the tertiaries rest upon. I wish 

 particularly to call the attention of future explorers to the question of the 

 derivation of these igneous boulders. Broods of whios floundered about around 

 them, some of which we succeeded in transferring to the pot. 



The Rangitikei is, for purposes of canoe navigation, very inferior to the 

 Whanganui. The river being smaller, the canoe employed is also smaller. 



* n is pronounced like gn in French. 



