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SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS OF NEW ZEALAND. [Physiography, Geology. 



somewhat indented in former times, but 

 the prevailing westerly gales and heavy 

 seas have cut back the promontories and 

 left a fairly simple coast-line. The eastern 

 coast, being the sheltered side, has not 

 suffered so much from marine erosion. The 

 south coast of Adams Island is also com- 

 posed of precipitous cliffs, with only one 

 small indentation — Fly Harbour — near its 

 eastern end. This bay, according to 

 Chapman, affords perfect shelter inside a 

 remarkable bar of kelp which crosses the 

 harbour at its entrance. 



The most remarkable physical feature 

 of the coast-line is Carnley Harbour (fig. 2). 

 This runs almost east - and - west, with 

 numerous arms running to the north, but 

 with a fairly uniform coast-line on the 

 south. The two largest indentations on 

 the north are Musgrave Harbour and North 

 Arm. The latter runs up for nearly six 

 miles, and is about three miles wide at 

 its widest part. To the west of it, and 

 separated from it by Circular Head, lies 

 Musgrave Harbour, and just inside the 

 western entrance is a sheltered sheet of 

 water called Western Harbour. The main 

 harbour has two entrances — ^the eastern, 

 a mile and a half wide ; and the western, 

 extremely narrow and partially blocked 

 by a small island, close by which strong 

 tides ebb and flow in a constricted and 

 somewhat shallow channel. The western 

 entrance is not safe for large vessels. 

 There is a slightly indented bay outside 

 the narrows, which has no doubt formed 

 part of a valley running west. The force 

 of the waves must be very great at this 

 point ; they run up into this funnel-shaped 

 bay with the weight of the westerly gales 

 behind them, and water pours in enormous 

 masses over parts of the low ridge 50 ft. 

 high (fig. 3.) The height to which it 

 reaches in storms is shown by the fact 

 that starfishes have been found cast up 

 on the cliffs 150 ft. above sea-level. The 

 ridge is in process of rapid demolition 

 from the action of the sea (fig. 4). 



A similar case occurs at the head of 

 North Arm, but the destruction has not 

 reached such an advanced stage. Barely 

 a mile of land separates the northerly 





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