C.— 13. 
6 
cretaceo-tertiary and coal-bearing rocks, overlain by terrace gravels, extend along the banks of the 
river for some two miles, beyond which granite again appears in the hills on the left bank and 
along the road-line. The granite further down the valley is followed by a narrow rib of slate, then, 
near Junker’s Hotel, by grits, &c., of the lower coal-measures, followed by limestone and dark- 
coloured marly strata which, dipping west underneath the recent alluvial gravel-beds, reach to the 
Inangahua Junction. The granitoid rocks on the north side of the Lyeil Gorge do not extend 
more than a few hundred yards up Lyell Creek, and in the New Creek area they appear to be 
absent altogether. 
Inangahua Valley .- — The Inangahua River and its principal tributary, the Waitahu or North 
Branch, both take their rise in, and draw most of their waters from, the southern end of the chain of 
granite mountains that forms the water-parting between the Martha and Inangahua Valleys. About 
fourteen miles above Reefton, slate succeeds the granite on the south side of the Inangahua ; but no 
slate appears on the north bank in contact with the crystalline rocks, a development of coal rocks 
taking place between the Devonian rocks and the granite on this side of the valley. The junction 
of the two older series is thus obscured. A narrow belt of Devonian rocks extends from the lower 
part of Lankey’s Gully south across the Inangahua to near the source of Rainy Creek. In the 
direction of Deep Creek the rocks show evidences of having been subjected to metamorphic altera- 
tion. They differ indeed from the typical rocks of the auriferous series, but it has not been 
definitely' proved that they are other than the gold-bearing series of Reefton, or of an age greater 
than that of the Carboniferous period. There are some areas of flat land in the valley of the 
Inangahua above Reefton, but these do not appear to have at any time been prospected for gold. 
These alluvial flats are now occupied in part as freehold lands. A very considerable area of the 
range east of Lankey’s Gully, lying between the two branches of the Inangahua, has its higher part 
formed o£ grits and conglomerates, constituting part (the lower part) of the coal-bearing series. 
These are gold-bearing in Murray Creek and in Lankey’s Creek, and probably in other parts where 
they are present. The Devonian rocks form the lower part of the range to the east of Murray 
Creek and Lankey’s Gully, but after a time they sink to lower levels. Along the lino of Garvie’s 
Creek the coal rocks fill a deep syncline, and thus it is not seen what Palaeozoic rocks underlie 
the coal-measures, nor in what manner these make junction with the granite. 
West of the Devonian rocks these are, overlain by the Maitai series, the auriferous rocks of this 
district and the neighbouring mining districts of Boatman’s to the north and of Merrijigs and Big 
River to thevsouth. The district to the south, including the Big River area, has already in this con- 
nection been dealt with. Boatman’s and Larry’s to the northward are in the same line of country- 
rock which, on the disappearance of the Devonian strata, is continued along this side of the valley to 
the Buffer River. The syncline filled with coal rocks, which has been described as extending along 
Garvie’s Creek from the south, to the north branch of the Inangahua, is continued further to the 
north, and has a remarkable development in the upper part of Boatman’s Creek. It does not appear 
to cross or reach as far as Larry’s Creek. The Devonian rocks also are not traceable as far as 
Boatman’s Creek, they in this direction being overlain and surrounded on three sides by the auri- 
ferous series. Near the Town of Reefton the auriferous series are succeeded by' a considerable 
development of the coal-bearing rocks, but the junction between the two is often obscured by 
terraces of river-gravel that are now at a considerable elevation above the lower levels of the 
opposite plain. 
The coal rocks are seen to extend along the lower flanks of the range between the North Branch 
of the Inangahua and Boatman’s Creek, near Capleston. The coal rocks are well exposed in the 
valley of Boatman’s Creek, at the Township of Capleston, and along Little Boatman’s Creek to the 
foot of Specimen Hill. They are followed by a massive development of Pliocene gravels (“ Old-man 
bottom ”) which, forming high terraces or broken hilly country, continue past Boatman’s to and 
beyond Larry’s Creek, and in the same direction across Landing and Coal Creeks to within a short 
distance of the Buffer River. Boatmans, Larry’s, Landing, and Coal Creeks, of which Larry’s Creek 
carries considerably the greater volume of w T ater, are mountain streams, all of them taking their 
rise in the granite mountains to the east of the Inangahua Valley, and all of them traverse the low 
grounds of the valley to reach the Inangahua River, which has its course along the foot of the 
mountains on the west side of the valley'. 
A considerable breadth of the low-lying recent alluvial ground is found between the “ Old-man ” 
formation on the east side of the valley and the river towards the southern end of the plain. This 
area of lower and more recent alluvial land gets narrower as the valley is followed to the north, and 
this for a time terminates at half a mile to the south of the Landing. Terrace flats are developed 
to a considerable extent on the east side of the lower part of the valley, between the Landing and 
the Junction. Below Reefton, Devil’s Creek makes junction from the south. In the valley of this 
stream the fundamental rocks are the auriferous series of slates and sandstones, in the rocks of 
which a considerable number of quartz-mines are being worked. Coal rocks are also developed to 
a moderate extent on the higher lands towards Merrijigs. Deposits of gravel belonging to “ Old-man 
bottom” also occupy the higher ground between the Sir Francis Drake Mine and Merrijigs, and also 
along some parts of Maori Creek. Coal rocks are to a limited extent present in the lower part of 
Devil’s Creek, while towards the Midland Railway-line and the saddle leading to Squaretown there 
is a great development of Pliocene gravels or “ Old-man bottom.” These Pliocene gravels form high 
cliff's on the left bank of the river in its passage from the east to the west side of the valley. On 
reaching the furthest west, the river turns to the north and closely follows the lower spurs of the 
Paparoa Range to its junction with the Buffer. 
Lower Butter Gorge . — From the Inangahua Junction to the ferry at the foot of the gorge, six 
miles from Westport, the Buffer River, breaking through the Paparoa-Papaliua chain of mountains, 
has, for the greater part of the distance (twenty-two miles), its course through a tortuous and deep 
mountain gorge, presenting at places scenes of rare magnificence and savage grandeur. One mile 
