299 
which all the rivers of New Zealand are abounding , did not suit 
my taste. 
March 10. — During the night we had heavy thunder-showers, 
which, however, were after all not sufficient to penetrate our tents; 
whereas innumerable mosquitoes found their way into them and 
cruelly robbed us of sleep. Next morning the sky looked gloomy. 
Tattered clouds came lowering upon the landscape, and were 
gathering themselves into new clouds of rain, until later in the 
day a keen western breeze swept the murky sky, and prepared 
a very pleasant evening for us. 
With a fat pig on board, which had been purchased at Pu- 
katea, we continued our expedition. We kept along the left bank, 
passing the mouth of the Opuatia , and further on the small river 
island Tarahanga with the ruins of a formerly well fortified Pah. 
A solitary falcon had perched itself upon the tall palisades, which 
have remained standing at the Northend of the island, — quite 
the right emblem for a fort in ruins. Thence we drew nearer 
and nearer to the middle portion of the lower Waikato Basin, 
where upon extensive plains on both sides of the river numerous 
smaller and larger lakes are scattered about. First of all, a few 
miles from the left or western bank of the river, lies Lake Wa- 
ngape. 1 At the outlet of the lake into the Waikato, on the 
Wangape creek, there is situated a Maori settlement of the same 
name. We proceeded a short distance up the creek hoping to 
find upon a neighbouring hill a point , from which we might 
enjoy a prospect over the lake; but we had to return without hav- 
ing accomplished our object. The water of the narrow, almost 
stagnating creek showed a temperature of 72° Falir. , the Waikato 
having only 70° Falir. The river here makes a considerable bend 
towards East, and on a second similar bend, which restores the 
river again to its south-northerly direction , on its right bank, lies 
the Pah Rangiriri, at the mouth of the outlet of Lake Waikarc. 
Rangiriri is the chief point in the lower Waikato Basin, being 
situated almost in the centre of the basin. Here we halted. But we 
1 The name signifies a surface or an extension of water. 
