Chap. VI. APPEARANCE OF COUNTRY. 145 
advantage of a fine north-east breeze off' the land to 
run along close to it, towards the place we sought. I 
remained in the main-top most of the day, gazing with 
delight on the extensive tract of level plains which 
stretched back far as the eye could reach from the edge 
of the cliffs which form the shore. Smokes from 
two or three bays to the northward apj^eared to in- 
vite our approach. As we ran along under all sail 
in the smooth water sheltered by the land, in some 
places within less than a mile of the shore, we at one 
place got into shoal water, six and then four fathoms 
as we neared a stony point. E Kuru warned us to 
stand off* before his caution was confirmed by the lead. 
The weather was too thick for us to distinguish the 
mountains, which lie far distant to the east and south- 
east. We stood off" for the night under easy sail ; and 
found ourselves in the morning abreast of the river's 
mouth, about three miles off". A sandspit on the south 
side seemed to shut up all but a narrow channel with 
foaming breakers. We now bade farewell to E Kuru 
and his attendant, who got into a boat with Barrett. 
The chief was landed at a pa about two miles up the 
river ; and Barrett returned after sounding on the bar; 
just in time, for the wind had freshened fast from 
the time he left, and shifted round to west-north-west 
in a squall, so that we were soon obliged to beat off' 
the coast under close-reefed topsails in a smart gale. 
Barrett reported two fathoms as the shoalest water 
on the bar at half-ebb, and deep water when once 
inside. He described the natives as much alarmed at 
our close approach to the coast, dreading some repeti-* 
tion of the expedition made by the Alligator in 1834. 
We gathered from him that the coast is quite low, 
backed by barren sand hummocks, along the whole 
distance between pf^aikanae and Tf^anganui ; to the 
VOL. I. i^ 
