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to us beforehand a long, difficult and tedious road. Close by our 
camping-place we crossed the Mangateka, the last creek on our 
road , belonging to the sources of the Mokau. For an hour the road 
was quite level, leading partly through bush, partly over marshy 
grass-plains and through a thicket of Manowai-bushes ; then it com- 
menced to rise. Now wo were once more upon a clearly beaten 
path leading quite steep up-hill through the bush. The mountain- 
range we had to ascend, is called Tarewatu. The summits of the 
mountains above us were wrapped in clouds ; bad weather was ap- 
proaching. On the slopes , 1 in consequence of numerous cavings, 
horizontal beds of shale and finely granulated brown sandstone are 
laid open to view, containing indistinct and broken fossil shells. 
The height of the pass 1 estimated at 1580 feet. The summit, 
however, was somewhat to the right of our road, and probably 
reaches a height of 1800 above the level of the sea. From the 
height wo descended a steep slope of about 400 feet into the ravine 
of the Mangatahua, — the first branch of the Wanganui river, — 
and on the other side we had to scale another, higher mountain- 
range, Tapuiwahine (1933 feet). We reached the summit about 
noon. A hut made of the bark of the Totara-pine afforded us some 
shelter from the pouring rain. Heavy banks of clouds, piled along 
the whole horizon, deprived us of the charming prospect, which is 
said to be otherwise had from this point. A short distance from 
our road, we passed upon the highest ridge over a perfect tapestry 
of the tender foliage of Hymenophyllum and Trycliomanes , of a growth 
more luxuriant than I have ever seen; thence the descent is quite 
steep. Having crossed the water-shed we encamped in the bush 
under gigantic Rata-trees at the source of the Waikaka. Here I had 
ample opportunity to gather a number of beautiful and rare ferns. 
Having warmed and invigorated our frames with tea, we con- 
tinued our journey. It stormed and rained, as though the firma- 
ment were ready to burst over our heads. Where the woods opened 
now and then for a moment, we had a fleeting view of dark ravines 
and gloomy, wood-clad mountains, along which misty clouds were 
1 The natives have two words for cavings: pari-horo and whati-horo. 
