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to me, tliat in the first days of December, with a cloudless sky, 
hut an oppressively sultry atmosphere, about 11 a. m. suddenly a 
subterraneous noise like thunder was heard, lasting for the space 
of 1 '/a hours; meanwhile, there was not the least concussion of the 
ground noticeable, such as is generally felt during an earthquake, 
and Lake Taupo was quiet as before. Only the hot springs of 
Tokanu were in an unusual commotion, throwing out intermittent 
spouts of water with great power to the height of 30 feet. The 
natives at once ascribed the roaring noise to the Tongariro, the 
top of which, however, is not visible from Tokanu on account 
of the protruding Pihanga. A week later, on his return via One- 
tapu, Mr. Smith noticed with great astonishment, that the Ngau- 
ruhoe, which a fortnight before when seen from the same point, 
showed an unbroken peak, was now broken in and had two sharp 
horns. There being nothing seen of an ejection of ashes or other 
substances, the whole seems to have been an eruption of vapors 
and hot water, which in connection with an explosion burst the 
upper crater-lip. 
The Ngauruhoe does not reach the limit of perpetual snow; 
yet, the native assured me, that in winter-time, when the lower 
parts of the mountain are covered with snow , the latter would not 
stick to the Ngauruhoe; so that the whole cone seems to be heated 
from within. 
The Ngauruhoe, however, is not the only crater in the Ton- 
gariro system. Bidwill mentions, that from the top ot the Ngau- 
ruhoe towards the north he noticed upon another part of the Ton- 
gariro a circular lake. This remark most probably has reference to 
the truncated peak immediately north of the Ngauruhoe, which the 
natives designate as Ketetahi, the crater of which acts periodically. 
In the year 1855, at the time of the earthquake hi Wellington, 
an eruption of ashes seems to have taken place from it, and the 
mountain is since seen to steam from time to time. From the 
Northcnd of Lake Taupo, on the 21 th April, I saw large and dense 
volumes of steam, larger than those from Ngauruhoe, emerging 
from the Ketetahi crater. To the northwest of the Ketetahi there 
