462 
THE GEOLOGY OF NEW ZEALAND. 
summit of the two mountains, St. Peter and St. Paul. The 
same is the prevailing rock at Taranaki, and of the inter- 
vening peaks between it and Tongariro ; there scoria and 
fused rocks prevail to such an extent, that it is difficult to 
say what is the basis of the mountain ; obsidian and pumice 
abound near Taupo ; the Tararua range, which terminates at 
Te Pari-pari, near Kapiti, has a compact slate for its base ,* 
copper has been discovered at Doubtless Bay, and at the 
Kawa-kawa and Barrier Islands ; coal is found of good 
quality up the Mokau, Waikato, and Wanganui Rivers, and 
there is every reason to suppose that it will be a very abun- 
dant mineral in these islands, as the grand basin extends 
nearly the entire length of the western coast ; gold has been 
discovered in Coromandel harbour ; there the rocks are of 
remarkably pure white feltspar ; the gold contains one-third 
silver, and is found in thin plates, but more recently in large 
nuggets and greater abundance : it is said to have been also 
discovered at Ahuriri, and other localities. 
Of the Middle Island it may be stated that in its grand 
mountain range, which extends its whole length, and attains 
an elevation of near 14,000 feet, the primitive formations pre- 
vail, and already are found to be rich in gold and precious 
which was soon passed ; having ascended the opposite side about twenty feet, 
and creeping through a narrow passage among stalactites, which were united 
with the floor, we entered another apartment hung with transparent ones of 
every form and size, which gave it quite a fairy look ; thence we entered two 
other rooms, equally ornamented ; as we had no ladder, we could not reach 
other passages, which were some height from the floor, and, evidently, led to 
other rooms : travellers who had visited this cave, had made dreadful havoc 
amongst these natural beauties, breaking off more than they could carry away, 
but many had evidently been broken long before Europeans could have done so, 
and formerly the natives were too superstitious to enter such spots : large frac- 
tured stalactites, having smaller ones attached to their extremities, were ob- 
served ; the solid rock, too, on both sides, was cracked in regular lines, this 
had evidently been done by earthquakes, which, most probably, had caused 
many of these pendant masses to fall ; some of the stalactites must have weighed 
a ton, and were full eight feet long, and two in diameter : the rock was of a 
pure cream color ; under the stalagmite which covered the floor there was a 
layer of dark vegetable soil, but, although it was dug into, no bones were 
found ; the length of the cave was estimated at about a hundred feet from the 
entrance ; the natives stated that there were many similar ones, some of which 
are quite filled with Moa bones. 
