CHAPTER III 
Letter III. Ohinemutu. — The story of Hinemoa — How Hatupatu raced 
the giantess — Tikitere — The Gates of Hades — The Inferno — Tarawera 
— Tauranga — The Gate Pah disaster — Hauhauism — The evil eye — 
The valley of the Shadow — A poisonous insect — Flax — Travelling 
companions — The chief geysers — Wairakei — The Huka Falls — Ton- 
gariro and Ruapehu. 
Ohinemutu. 
We made up a party next morning and drove to Rotorua 
and from thence took the steamer across the lake to 
Han-marana. From here we went in a boat up a 
small picturesque river to its source, where the clear 
icy cold water wells up from a very deep chasm in the 
hill-side. Pennies and other things that we threw in 
quickly came back to us, from the great force of the 
water coming up. Gertrude tried hard to push her 
oar down, but had to confess herself beaten. In 
January and February the natives fasten a net across 
the stream and catch blind fish. After lunch we 
steamed over to Mokoia, an island in the lake which 
they say the Maories have cultivated for 400 years. 
Here we saw on the edge of the shore Hinemoa’s 
steaming bath, and heard as pretty a love-legend as 
many in classic lore. In fact the story of Hinemoa 
and Tutane Kai occupies as important a place in 
Maori folk-lore as does that of Hero and Leander in 
Grecian mythology. The story goes that Hinemoa 
was forbidden by her tribe to meet her lover, who 
