CHAPTER VIII. 
GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ON NEW ZEALAND. 
Tue three islands included under the general name of New 
Zealand form a broad strip of land, running in a direction from south- 
west to northeast, and having a narrow northwest prolongation at the 
north extremity. The whole is included between the parallels of 
thirty-four and forty-seven and a half, south latitude. In general 
form, it is similar to that of Italy reversed. In size, it is four times as 
large as the Italian peninsula, the body of the boot being eight hundred 
and fifty miles long, and the foot nearly five hundred miles. Cook’s 
Straits is a passage twelve to sixty miles wide, cutting irregularly 
across the leg of the boot, three hundred and fifty miles above the 
heel, and thus separating the northern and middle islands. ‘The 
middle island is four hundred and eighty miles long, and has an ave- 
rage breadth of ninety miles. ‘The third or southernmost island lies 
near the south angle of the middle island, and is but fifty miles in dia- 
meter. The three form parts of one system, and but for a break of 
twelve miles in two places, would constitute a single continuous chain. 
The aggregate area is about equal to that of England and Scotland. 
A range of lofty mountains traverses the whole length of the 
middle island, and continues its northeasterly course through the 
northern island. In the former they rise in many places into the 
regions of perpetual snow, and contain talcose and granitic rocks, 
besides sandstone and argillaceous strata. In the latter there are some 
lofty peaks, the highest of which are volcanic cones ; of these, accord- 
ing to Dr. Dieffenbach,* Mount Egmont, situated at the southwest 
angle, is nine thousand feet high, and ‘Tongariro six thousand feet. 
In the interior there are many lakes, besides boiling springs or 
geysers, which have resulted from volcanic action. The northwestern 
* Dieffenbach’s New Zealand. He makes 7204 feet the limit of perpetual snow. 
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