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through a deep valley between steep-rising mountains; its floods, 
whirling and foaming round two small rocky islands in the middle 
of the river, were dashing with a loud uproar through the defile 
of the valley. Along its banks white clouds of steam were ascend- 
ing from hot cascades falling into the river, and from basins full 
of boiling water, shut in by a white mass of stone. Yonder a 
steaming fountain was rising and falling; now, there sprung from 
another place a second fountain; this also ceased in its turn; then 
two commenced playing simultaneously , one quite low at the river- 
bank, the other opposite upon a terrace; and thus the play con- 
tinued with endless changes, as though experiments were being 
made with grand waterworks , to see whether the fountains were 
all in perfect order, and whether the water-falls had a suf- 
ficient supply. I began to count the places, where a boiling water- 
basin was visible, or where a cloud of steam indicated the existence 
of such. I counted 76 points, without however being able to survey 
the whole region; and among them there were numerous, intermitt- 
ent, geyser-like fountains with periodical water eruptions. The sketch 
which I drew on the very spot, can be but a faint illustration of the 
grandeur and peculiarity of the natural scenery at Orakeikorako. 
The region of springs extends along the Waikato a distance of 
about a mile on both banks, from the foot of the steep Whaka- 
papataringa mountain South , as far as the foot of the wood-clad 
Mount Tutukau North. The larger portion of the springs is situated 
upon the right bank; it is, however, difficult of access, since the 
rapid river cannot be passed close by the springs themselves, but 
only far above or below; and then it would be necessary to climb 
along the steep-sloping river-banks covered with dense undergrowth, 
where the traveller upon a soil totally softened by hot vapours would 
be every moment in danger of sinking into boiling mud. I was 
obliged to content myself with a closer inspection of the springs 
situated on the left river-bank just below the village. 
The most remarkable springs of the whole region are comprised 
within a large whitish mass of silicious deposit, 120 yards long, 
and of equal breadth, by the natives called Papa Kohatu, the fiat 
