Smith, — On Traditional Change in the Coast-Une at Manuhau Heads, 61S 



walked by an ordinary pedestrian easily in one day, being only about 

 twenty-five miles, 



Ailiepene also told me that the Maniikau bar, even within the memory 

 of those living, was dry land ; and that he himself, when a boy, had accom- 

 panied his parents to the bank on which H.M.S. " Orpheus " was wrecked, for 

 the purpose of fishing and collecting birds' eggs. The natives did not, as I 

 understood him, live upon these banks, but used to make periodical visits to 

 them in their canoes, for a few days at a time for fishing purposes, Uving in 

 houses which they had constructed there. 



I much regret that I did not at the time make further enquiries of the 

 old natives living at Waiuku and its neighbourhood, with a view of getting 

 corroborative evidence of these changes. With respect to that part of the 

 story, however, which relates to Manukau bar, I think there could be no 

 mistake, as my informant said he had himself visited the place, and I can 

 conceive of no possible reason for his imposing on me, especially as the 

 information was volunteered. That such changes do take place in the 

 coast-lines of various countries, without the aid of submergence or elevation, 

 is well known, as, for instance, on the east coast of England, where, within 

 the historical period, vast changes have taken place ; villages, the names 

 only of which are now preserved in old records, have entirely disappeared — 

 swallowed up by the ever-encroaching waves. 



As for any evidence remaining of such a low, sandy country having once 

 existed, I think we could scarcely expect much. The Admiralty chart of 

 that part of the coast is very bare of soundings, and those given do not differ 

 much from soundings at the same distance from the shore for many miles 

 both north and south, until the great " bottomless pit" is reached, north of 

 Kaipara Heads. The present coast is an almost continuous line of steep 

 cliffs, with, at their bases, in some few places, a small strip of sandy flats, 

 generally covered with high manuka ; but even these are fast disappearing, 

 as I learn from a settler resident in that locality. These cHffs are covered 

 on top by a range of sand-dunes, which extend uninterruptedly from 

 Manukau to Waikato, and are the source from whence is derived the strip 

 of fertile land lying immediately to the east of them. The origin of these 

 sand-hills, occurring as they do on top of perpendicular cliffs, is often 

 obscure, for we cannot suppose the sand to have been blown perpendicularly 

 upwards from the beach, in direct opposition to gravity, although in the few 

 gaps or gullies breaking through the cliffs down to the beach, the sand 

 undoubtedly gradually is forced upwards by the strong westerly winds, and 

 then accumulates m dunes on top. But on the supposition of the existence 

 of the submerged country as described, occupying a position at the foot of 

 an older coast-line now represented by the present cliffs, a probable origin 

 is suggested, thus : — 



