Geological Survey of Canterbury. 53 



mountains, are generally covered with dense forest, in which the Rimu 

 rivals in magnitude the still prevailing Black Birch. But small patches 

 of open scrub occur also, which offer, occasionally, better travelling 

 ground ; the soil on many spots is very good, and the river, from the 

 junction of the Clarke to its mouth, favourable for rafting. Now and 

 then a rocky point, the outrunning spurs of the mountains, reaches 

 the river, against which the water sets, and which we bad to climb over,, 

 but generally a level travelling ground was prevalent. Having passed 

 an important mountain torrent, which in the smallest fresh would be 

 uncrossable, the river again changes its direction, and runs for six and 

 a half miles south-south-west. The forest still continuing to be open, we 

 pursued our way, in splendid weather, till we arrived at a point 

 where the river changes its course to the north-west. We had some 

 trouble to cross this point, rising almost vertically from the water's edge 

 to a great altitude ; but having conquered this difficulty, we were gratified 

 to observe that the mountains gradually decreased in altitude, and that 

 we were not far from the sea. For six miles we continued in this 

 north-west direction, meeting with the usual travelling ground, shingle 

 reaches, with backwaters and quicksands ; the forest now beginning 

 to be encumbered with Supplejack (Bhipogonum scandens), and the 

 mountain sides sometimes covered with large blocks of rock, which, as 

 they were very steep, and the whole vegetation interlaced with Supple- 

 jacks, gave us, at times, hard work. We reached, at last, a spot where the 

 river-bed extended in width, and where a large tributary, which I 

 named the Thomas, entered from the north-east, the valley of 

 which divided the Coast range from the higher mountains inland. 



On February the 18th, while crossing the last spur which extended 

 from the Coast range into the river, we were at last rejoiced to observe 

 the sea horizon over a large plain covered with dense forest, in which 

 small conical hills, only a few hundred feet high, rose ; and with renewed 

 ardour we continued our journey ; but we did not anticipate that a very 

 arduous task still lay before us. From this point we were about six 

 miles distant from the sea ; the distance from the junction of the Eiver 

 Thomas with the main river being ten and a half miles, with a north- 

 west by north course. The river-bed, which up to the crossing of this 

 last spur, had offered us, between the mountains, occasional shingle 

 reaches, dry water-courses, open scrub, and comparatively good forest 

 travelling, set now against its northern bank, continuing so to its very 

 mouth. As it was impossible to travel along its banks, we had to keep 

 entirely to the forest, wdiich now became almost impracticable. At many 



