100 Historical Notes on the 



here, from whence they prospected the country in the neighbour- 

 hood. The traces of the night's frost soon disappeared before the 

 powerful sun, and we followed for more than three miles a well-beaten 

 track along the banks of the lake, through high flax and small groves, 

 consisting of Cojorosma, Veronica, and dwarf totara bushes, intersected 

 with grassy flats. Owing to the variety of means of human subsistence 

 presented on the one hand by the sea, on the other by the lake and 

 the open ground around it, it is easily understood that such a favourable 

 locality would not escape the attention of the native inhabitants of 

 this island ; and this well-beaten track, the numerous remains of 

 whata's (provision stores), palisadings around graves and huts, show 

 that formerly a much larger population than that at present existing, 

 had peopled these interesting shores. The sleek and spirited appearance 

 of the horses, when compared with their usual miserable condition 

 on the Coast, testified that the grass growing here alongside the 

 lake was both abundant and nutritious. 



About a mile from the outlet of the Okarita lake, which, like that 

 of Poerua, is situated at its southern extremity, we fell in with an 

 encampment, consisting of several tents and provision stores, mostly 

 occupied by one man, the only representative of a prospecting party, 

 who had left one of their mates behind to look after the provisions and 

 horses during their absence. Being told that the headlands between the 

 Okarita and the "Waiau were impassable for horses, we left ours and 

 part of our provisions behind, and proceeded at once to the outlet of 

 the lake, which is so broad and deep that it can only be crossed with a 

 mokiki. Some of the diggers had hollowed out from a drift tree a 

 kind of canoe, about eight feet long — the stern, originally open, being 

 closed with some sods, through which the water found its way during 

 the passage. In this frail bark, kindly lent us by the diggers, and 

 which we strengthened by a bundle of flax-sticks on both sides, we 

 crossed two at a time, and camped that evening on the southern 

 side, under the shelter of a manuka grove, and in a commodious 

 whare, built a few weeks before by a large party of Natives who had 

 gone south prospecting. 



The next rnorniDg, June 14th, we continued on foot with heavy 

 loads, so as to be prepared for a spell of bad weather, which might 

 possibly overtake us when near the head waters of the Waiau. Lake 

 Okarita is bounded on its southern side by a headland, formed by a 

 lateral moraine, without doubt belonging to the "Waiau system, and 



