Geological Survey of Canterbury. 9 



weather was most lovely, no clouds in the deep blue heaven ; but in 

 the afternoon, the wind, coming from the south-west, brought well- 

 shaped cumulus clouds, which appearing on the mountain summits, 

 up which they seemed to have crept, instead of continuing their course, 

 rapidly fell down the nearly vertical and ribboned walls, soon disappear- 

 ing entirely from our sight, being condensed when they reached the neve. 

 We returned to our camp, and had a heavy thunderstorm during 

 the night, the loud peals of thunder awakening a thousand echoes in 

 the mountains, the wind was so high that we thought every moment 

 our tent would break down. The river near our camp roared every 

 moment louder and louder, and we could distinctly hear the boulders 

 roll along its bed, borne on by the furious w r aters. Towards 

 morning the storm subsided, blue sky was visible between the 

 rapidly flying clouds, which followed each other in apparently 

 endless succession. It being impossible to continue my researches up 

 the swollen river I examined during the day the mountain side above 

 our camp and the descending streamlets. Their waters were already 

 clear again, whilst the Havelock for many days continued to be not 

 only very high, but also yellow and thick from suspended matter. 



Having a long day's work before us, we started next morning before 

 daybreak ; the stars of smaller magnitude had already disappeared, and 

 the first light very soon began to illumine the sky. The huge 

 mountains round me stood in all their stern majesty, having a cold, 

 steely, and frozen appearance, but now the sun smote their highest 

 summits with his golden beams, throwing a deep rosy hue over their 

 vast snowfields. A wonderful change took place in their appearance, 

 filling the soul with admiration and delight. Soon on our way, 

 following up the main stream, we had a troublesome walk over 

 boulders of very large size, nearly filling the valley, here a mile 

 wide from side to side. The rise in the ground became now more 

 visible, and the river, still high, dividing and uniting every moment, 

 roared loudly. With every footstep new views were obtained. High 

 upon the mountains considerable snowfields were visible, with glaciers 

 of the second order descending to the steep sides, from which fine 

 waterfalls hung like silver threads upon the mountain walls. 

 The ranges grew gradually more gigantic, and the river which still 

 had a general south-easterly by south course, here turned south- 

 south-east, flowing along the main chain. At this turn it is joined by 

 two other tributaries, coming also from large glaciers. 



The valley from the turn became much narrower, and we had to 

 climb every moment over rocks and ridges jutting into the foaming 



