Smith. — On Changes in Level of Coast Line in North Island. 401 



characteristic feature in New Zealand geology. * * * Terraces are 

 found in the south part of the island, as previously stated, at about 1,000, 

 400, and 250 to 300 feet, and decided raised beaches at about 15 and 4 to 9 

 feet. That these extend round the island at similar levels is probable, but 

 more information is required to establish the fact. Between these principal 

 terraces are many smaller ones. Although fossils are in general absent, it 

 is likely that the terraces mark successive rests of the land during its rise. 

 To account for them as lake terraces would require the supposed erection. 

 or rather demolition of a vast number of barriers. At the height of about 

 15 feet above the present sea-level a very well-defined sea-beach is found all 

 along the southern coast, worn into cavities and bored by pholadae. The 

 latest raised beach is that which marks the rise of the land dming the great 

 earthquake of 1855. The upheaval appears to have been greatest at the 

 Mukamulia rocks — nearly 9 feet, and is supposed to have sloped off to nothing 

 at Manawatu." 



The same gentleman, in a paper " on the Geology of the Province of 

 Wellington," read 2nd October, 1869, says, — "A raised beach may be 

 observed all along the coast, except at the foot of the Wairarapa Yalley, 

 where the sea encroaches on soft rocks." 



I would remark that these terraces are particularly distinct as seen from 

 the steamers in passing Cape Palhser ; they are referred to in Mr. McKay's 

 report on " the Southern part of the East Waharapa District," dated July, 

 1879, from which I extract the following: — " Eeturning to the coast line 

 terrace formation, the loosely compacted gravels already mentioned form a 

 level plain stretching round the head of Palhser Bay, which, at one time, 

 appear to have stretched seaward much further than at present, the soft 

 clay beds underneath the gravels yielding rapidly to the encroachment of 

 the sea. At the north-east corner of the bay this terrace is now all but 

 destroyed, and here the first terrace (about 200 feet above the sea) termi- 

 nates. Along the east side of the bay, gravels cap the pareora beds uncon- 

 formably, and form terraces at much greater heights than 200 feet. Accord- 

 ing to Mr. Crawford the higher inland terraces attain to a height of 1,000 

 feet above the sea ; and it may be a questionable classification which thus 

 places them as belonging to the same period as the lower-terraces. The 

 reasons for their being so placed are that these terraces are evidently 

 nothing more than ancient beaches, marking the different stages of the 

 rising land ; while at much lower levels (at the level of the sea at the outlet 

 of the Lower Wairarapa Lake) we have deposits accumulated during the 

 period of depression ; so that if these high-level terraces are to be regarded 

 as older than pleistocene, they must still be considered as younger than any 

 of the fossiliferous pliocene rocks in this vicinity, and to have been deposited 



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