224 Physical Geography of 



river near its mouth. It is a sluggish water-course, but justly cele- 

 brated for the luxuriance of the forest vegetation growing along 

 its banks. Four miles south of the Hokitika bar, it issues from Lake 

 Mahinapua, which lies close to the coast-line, but is separated from it 

 by a moraine wall about fifty feet high, the lowest remnant belonging 

 to the Hokitika basin. This shows that a branch of the Hokitika 

 glacier during its greatest extension, after passing Koi-te-rangi, an 

 isolated roclie moutonnee lying near the centre of the Hokitika 

 plains, followed a straight course so as to reach with its terminal 

 face the point where Lake Mahinapua is now situated. 



The Mikoti. 

 Passing over the Totara river, having its sources in the Coast 

 ranges, we reach the Mikonui, the sources of which are situated in 

 the high chain branching off from Mount "Whitcombe, and accompany 

 the left bank of the Hokitika river in its upper course. 



The "Waitaha akd "Wangaitui. 



The two next rivers, the Waitaha and Wanganui, both con- 

 taining a large quantity of water, take their rise in the central chain, 

 their sources being formed by glaciers descending from Mounts 

 "Whitcombe and Eamsay. 



The Poeetta. 

 Travelling south along the coast, the Poerua is the next river 

 originating from the central chain. Its glacier sources are derived 

 from large snow-fields on the western slopes of the Mount Tyndall 

 range. The Saltwater or Poerua lagoon, situated between it and the 

 Whataroa, is a fine tidal estuary surrounded on three sides by densely 

 wooded moraines, over which one of the finest views of the Southern 

 Alps is obtained. It is the receptacle of the drainage of these 

 extensive accumulations. 



The "Whataeoa. 



The Eiver "vVnataroa is also a true glacier river, its main sources 



issuing from several large glaciers on the south-western flanks of 



Mount Tyndall and the western slopes of Mount Petermann, the 



Keith Johnstone and Hector ranges. After entering the lower ice- 



