98 ADVENTimE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. IV. 
former period, and will again, discharge more dangerous 
materials. «l 
On the north-eastern side of the spur, we crossed the 
TVanganui itself, where it just trickles l^etween the 
stones which form its winter bed, and was not al)ove a 
yard wide. It rises from the N.W. side of Puki Onaki, 
and after being swollen by the ff^akapapa and Tawai, 
flows away towards the W.S.W. From the highest 
point of our path, we could trace the broken country 
formed by its valley for many miles almost directly to- 
wards Mount Egmont, which glittered gaily over the 
far horizon. The whole country to the W. and S.W. 
seems one sea of wooded mountain. The northern side of 
Puki Onaki slopes down very suddenly to the shores of 
a small lake, called Roto Aera, or " Lake Yes-indeed."* 
On the western side of this lake, the land is flat and 
clear for eight or ten miles, when it becomes hilly and 
wooded, though a glade of the prairie there runs to the 
northward. The eastern end of the lake is also level 
and clear ; but of that I shall speak hereafter. The 
northern end of the lake is separated from the southern 
end of Tawpo lake by two mountains, called Kakaramea 
and Pihanga, and the wooded ridge which unites them. 
From the spot where we jumped over the Tf^anganui 
to the west shore of Roto Aera is about five miles, the 
last two through a swamp in which we sank up to our 
knees at every step. 1 remember being much exhausted 
by this last exertion at the close of the hard day's 
journey. We were faint with hunger, sore-footed, and 
speechless from fatigue ; but we could not help smiling 
at the absurdity of each other's appearance, when occa- 
sionally resting by standing still up to our knees in 
water, unable to sit or lie down. 
The greatest length of the lake is from N.N.W. to 
* The Roto Iti, or " little lake," of Mr. Bidwill's ' Rambles.' 
