Auckland Institute. 477 



" Note. — The quantity of water furnislied was far too small to admit of 

 a complete quantitative analysis. — W. Sket. 



" Forwarded for Mr. Grillies' information. 



"James Hector. 

 " New Zealand Greological Survey Laboratory, 

 " 24th September, 1868." 



HOT SPRINGS. 



Mr. Gillies, referring to the water taken from the neighbourhood of 

 Wangape, said the spring was so hot that eggs could be boiled in it. 



Captain Hutton gave a description of the spring in question. It was 

 about four miles from Lake "Wangape, in the Waikato. There were several 

 hot springs close together, but this was the largest of them, being about 

 fifteen yards long by five yards broad, and it was very deep. The water was 

 so hot that it was impossible to bear the hand in it for more than a second ; 

 and on one occasion when he was in company with others in the neighbour- 

 hood of this spring, having caught a pig for dinner, they fastened it with 

 flax and threw it into the spring, and on taking it out it was perfectly 

 scalded, and they had no difficulty in scraping the hair off. The temperature 

 of the spring was from 160° to 200° at the very least. The water itself was 

 almost tasteless ; he had drunk it himself. He thought it was the chloride 

 of sodium which gave it the reaction referred to. What its effects would 

 be as a mineral spring he could not say ; but it was easy of access, was very 

 prettily situated, and was not above iifty miles from Auckland, and he 

 trusted that some day it would be called into use. 



Mr. Gillies said, with regard to the hot springs at "Waiwera, when he was 

 there last year he took samples of water from the three springs and for- 

 warded them for analysis. The coolest of the springs ranged from 110° 

 upwards. He believed that many of our Auckland residents had derived 

 much good from bathing in these springs for the purpose of curing 

 rheumatism. 



REMARKABLE CIRCUMSTANCE CONNECTED WITH THE SAVING OF GOLD. 



Mr. "Whitaker said that a most remarkable circumstance had come to his 

 notice, which he thought, now that the subject of water was under discus- 

 sion, was well worthy of being mentioned. Close to the Kurunui there was 

 another claim called the " Long Drive," from which came a small stream of 

 water, which was used by the Kurunui Company to work their machine. 

 To this machine there were two batteries, one of which was worked by the 

 water he had mentioned, and the other by water which came from the hill 

 above, by the Kurunui Creek. It was found that the battery worked by the 

 water coming from the creek always produced more gold than the one worked 



