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CAPT. F. W. HTJTTON OR THE 



14. The Eruption of AIoext TaPvAwePvA. By Captain P. W. Hutton, 

 F.G.S. (Bead February 9, 1 887.) 



The eruption of lit. Tarawera, in the Forth Island of New Zealand, 

 took place on the 10th of June, 1886. I was not able to leave 

 Christchurch at once, but arrived at Rotorua on the 26th of June. 

 During my stay in the district, which lasted till 14th of July, I exam- 

 ined Iiotomahana and Okaro, and went across the Kaingaroa plains 

 to Galatea. Subsequently, with Prof. P. D. Brown and Prof. A. P. 

 Thomas, I visited Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoehu. 



Description of the District. 



About 25 miles south-west of Lake Taupo is Bnapehu (fig. 1), a trun- 

 cated cone 9195 feet high, covered with perpetual snow. Until lately it 

 was thought to be extinct, and is so described by Dr. von Hochstetter ; 

 but for several months past steam has occasionally been noticed 

 issuing from the summit, and on the 16th of April last, Mr. L. 

 Outten, Surveyor, ascended the mountain and found the crater on 

 the top to be 300 feet deep, with hot, eddying, and steaming water 



Pig. 1. — Sketch Map of the North Island of New Zealand, showing 

 area affected by the Eruption of 10th Jane, 1886. (Scale 

 200 miles to 1 inch.) 



at the bottom, which had melted the snow all round for 40 feet, 

 although about 100 feet above the water there was a fringe of ice. 



