202 CAPT. F. W. HTJTTO]S OK THE 



them, in 1866, fossils wMch. were said to be Inoceramus *. For 

 these reasons I have, in my report on the Geology of Otago (1875), 

 associated Dr. Hochstetter's Maitai slates with the Wairoa Series ; 

 and Dr. Hector in 1877 considered them to be the same as the 

 Kaihikn Series of the J^uggets and Mt. Potts t. But on the other 

 hand these slates resemble in lithological character those fonnd in 

 other parts of ITew Zealand underlying the Hokanui System ; and 

 there is therefore some doubt as to the true position of the Maitai 

 slates. Consequently I should have preferred to retain my name 

 of " Kaikoura " for this system ; but the term Maitai has been 

 largely used by the Officers of the Survey for the present group 

 of rocks, and I do not vsdsh to destroy this approach to uniformity 

 by insisting on the desirability of employing some other name. 

 I am the more ready to do so, as I think it probable that the 

 superior position of the Maitai slates to the Wairoa Series near 

 !N^elson may be due to inversion t, and that the supposed Inoceromus 

 may belong to some other genus of the same family. 



Hokaniii System. 



This system is found in the JS'orth Island between Kawhia and 

 the "Waikato, and again at Port Waikato (Putataka Series) §. It 

 also occurs at "Wellington, in the Euahine range, and again in the 

 Eaukamara range, near the East Cape. In the South Island it is 

 found on the eastern side of the ge-anticline, outside the Maitai 

 rocks, and occujDies part of the synclines, 6, c, and d, already 

 mentioned (fig. 1), as well as the Southland syncline {g). In 

 Westland and in the north-west of the j^elson Province it is quite 

 unknown. A small patch is found near jS'elson (Wairoa Series), 

 but the two largest areas covered by this system are on the north- 

 east and on the south of the island. Commencing in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Kaikoura peninsula, it skirts the main range to the 

 Hanmer plains, sending northwards a long tongue towards the 

 Wairau gorge. To the south it reaches the Canterbury Plains 

 at the gorge of the Ashley. It reappears in the Malvern Hills, 

 and in the north branch of the river Ashburton, whence it runs 

 southwards to the neighbourhood of Mt. Peel, extending in- 

 land through the Clent Hills and Rangitata Eiver as far as the 

 junction of the Clyde and the Havelock, near Mt. Potts. Another 

 exposure of these rocks occurs somewhere near the Mackenzie 

 Plains, in the centre of the basin formed by the main anticline and 

 its easterly extension in Otago («, a, fig.l), and the secondary anticline 

 (e) running from Hunters Hills towards Mt. Cook. Mr. A. M^Kay 

 has proved the existence of this exposure by finding fossils be- 



* Eeports of Geological Survey, 1870-1, p. 113, and 1878-9, p. 117. 



t Eep. Geol. Survey, 1876-7, p. v. 



+ M'^Xay, Eep. Geol. Survey, 1877-8, pp. 155-158. 



§ Eocks of this age were said by Dr. Hector to occur north of Auckland, 

 near Mahurangi (Geol. Eep. 1874-6, p. vi), and doubtfully at the island of 

 Kawau (Geol. Eep. 1868-9, p. 45) ; but this has not been confirmed by Mr. Oox 

 (Geol. Eep. 1879-80, p. 14). 



