﻿Smith, 
  — 
  On 
  Traditional 
  Change 
  in 
  the 
  Coast-Une 
  at 
  Manuhau 
  Heads, 
  61S 
  

  

  walked 
  by 
  an 
  ordinary 
  pedestrian 
  easily 
  in 
  one 
  day, 
  being 
  only 
  about 
  

   twenty-five 
  miles, 
  

  

  Ailiepene 
  also 
  told 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  Maniikau 
  bar, 
  even 
  within 
  the 
  memory 
  

   of 
  those 
  living, 
  was 
  dry 
  land 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  he 
  himself, 
  when 
  a 
  boy, 
  had 
  accom- 
  

   panied 
  his 
  parents 
  to 
  the 
  bank 
  on 
  which 
  H.M.S. 
  " 
  Orpheus 
  " 
  was 
  wrecked, 
  for 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  fishing 
  and 
  collecting 
  birds' 
  eggs. 
  The 
  natives 
  did 
  not, 
  as 
  I 
  

   understood 
  him, 
  live 
  upon 
  these 
  banks, 
  but 
  used 
  to 
  make 
  periodical 
  visits 
  to 
  

   them 
  in 
  their 
  canoes, 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  for 
  fishing 
  purposes, 
  Uving 
  in 
  

   houses 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  constructed 
  there. 
  

  

  I 
  much 
  regret 
  that 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  make 
  further 
  enquiries 
  of 
  the 
  

   old 
  natives 
  living 
  at 
  Waiuku 
  and 
  its 
  neighbourhood, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  getting 
  

   corroborative 
  evidence 
  of 
  these 
  changes. 
  With 
  respect 
  to 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   story, 
  however, 
  which 
  relates 
  to 
  Manukau 
  bar, 
  I 
  think 
  there 
  could 
  be 
  no 
  

   mistake, 
  as 
  my 
  informant 
  said 
  he 
  had 
  himself 
  visited 
  the 
  place, 
  and 
  I 
  can 
  

   conceive 
  of 
  no 
  possible 
  reason 
  for 
  his 
  imposing 
  on 
  me, 
  especially 
  as 
  the 
  

   information 
  was 
  volunteered. 
  That 
  such 
  changes 
  do 
  take 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  

   coast-lines 
  of 
  various 
  countries, 
  without 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  submergence 
  or 
  elevation, 
  

   is 
  well 
  known, 
  as, 
  for 
  instance, 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  England, 
  where, 
  within 
  

   the 
  historical 
  period, 
  vast 
  changes 
  have 
  taken 
  place 
  ; 
  villages, 
  the 
  names 
  

   only 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  preserved 
  in 
  old 
  records, 
  have 
  entirely 
  disappeared 
  — 
  

   swallowed 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  ever-encroaching 
  waves. 
  

  

  As 
  for 
  any 
  evidence 
  remaining 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  low, 
  sandy 
  country 
  having 
  once 
  

   existed, 
  I 
  think 
  we 
  could 
  scarcely 
  expect 
  much. 
  The 
  Admiralty 
  chart 
  of 
  

   that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  is 
  very 
  bare 
  of 
  soundings, 
  and 
  those 
  given 
  do 
  not 
  differ 
  

   much 
  from 
  soundings 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  shore 
  for 
  many 
  miles 
  

   both 
  north 
  and 
  south, 
  until 
  the 
  great 
  " 
  bottomless 
  pit" 
  is 
  reached, 
  north 
  of 
  

   Kaipara 
  Heads. 
  The 
  present 
  coast 
  is 
  an 
  almost 
  continuous 
  line 
  of 
  steep 
  

   cliffs, 
  with, 
  at 
  their 
  bases, 
  in 
  some 
  few 
  places, 
  a 
  small 
  strip 
  of 
  sandy 
  flats, 
  

   generally 
  covered 
  with 
  high 
  manuka 
  ; 
  but 
  even 
  these 
  are 
  fast 
  disappearing, 
  

   as 
  I 
  learn 
  from 
  a 
  settler 
  resident 
  in 
  that 
  locality. 
  These 
  cHffs 
  are 
  covered 
  

   on 
  top 
  by 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  sand-dunes, 
  which 
  extend 
  uninterruptedly 
  from 
  

   Manukau 
  to 
  Waikato, 
  and 
  are 
  the 
  source 
  from 
  whence 
  is 
  derived 
  the 
  strip 
  

   of 
  fertile 
  land 
  lying 
  immediately 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  them. 
  The 
  origin 
  of 
  these 
  

   sand-hills, 
  occurring 
  as 
  they 
  do 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  perpendicular 
  cliffs, 
  is 
  often 
  

   obscure, 
  for 
  we 
  cannot 
  suppose 
  the 
  sand 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  blown 
  perpendicularly 
  

   upwards 
  from 
  the 
  beach, 
  in 
  direct 
  opposition 
  to 
  gravity, 
  although 
  in 
  the 
  few 
  

   gaps 
  or 
  gullies 
  breaking 
  through 
  the 
  cliffs 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  beach, 
  the 
  sand 
  

   undoubtedly 
  gradually 
  is 
  forced 
  upwards 
  by 
  the 
  strong 
  westerly 
  winds, 
  and 
  

   then 
  accumulates 
  m 
  dunes 
  on 
  top. 
  But 
  on 
  the 
  supposition 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  

   of 
  the 
  submerged 
  country 
  as 
  described, 
  occupying 
  a 
  position 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  

   an 
  older 
  coast-line 
  now 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  present 
  cliffs, 
  a 
  probable 
  origin 
  

   is 
  suggested, 
  thus 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  