50 
DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE OF JOUR>'EV. 
On the 11th of June we started from the cave, called by the 
natives Te-ana-o Matuku, respecting which they tell a very in¬ 
teresting tale of a large ngarara, a monster in the form of an 
enormous lizard, which formerly lived here, and devoured all who 
attempted to pass. Since they have become Christians, however, 
they have called it by another name, Te whare Taipo (the Devil s 
house), probably referring the formation of the cave, of which I 
shall speak more fully in the geological part of my report, to 
supernatural agency rather than to the hand of nature. 
After another mile’s walk we again left the limestone cliffs, 
which receded from the coast, and were succeeded by precipitous 
granite walls, here and there intersected by sandy beaches. The 
road here leads to the Tuhinu, a hill covered with rushes, mosses, 
and stunted manuka, at which point it leaves the coast and strikes 
inland. Ascending this hill, we had, as it was a clear sunny day, 
a superb view over the whole mountain chain north of the Grey, 
the beauty of the panorama much heightened by the appearance 
of the Southern Alps in all their glory, high above the sea horizon. 
The road follows the ridge, and after having travelled four miles, 
partly through dense bush, we had, on re-entering the open ground, 
an extensive view of the Paparoha chain. This mountain range, 
running almost parallel with the coast between the Buller and the 
Grey, here attains its highest altitude, the centre of the chain 
consisting of high serrated peaks, with deep ravines and precipices 
between, whilst in the front lie the rounded forms of the granitic 
mountains. It is also from this point that the traveller obtains 
the first view of the extensive tract of level land south of the 
Buller, and of the coast stretching far away to Taura te Weka, or 
Rocky Point. 
We camped in a large plain, which was partly swampy, and 
started early the next morning, notwithstanding heavy ra'in had 
set m, hoping by the next day to reach the mouth of the Buller, 
our provisions, with the exception of a few handfuls of flour, beiim 
exhausted. At the northern extremity of the Tuhinu downs the 
granite again crops out through the post pliocene formation 
through which many little streams fall towards the Wai-takere 
river, which we reached at noon. This is a fine stream, but bein°- 
too deep to ford near its mouth, we crossed it about two miles up 
and after scrambling for some time through thick forest, returned 
to the sea shore. Another half a mile of climbino- over hune 
granitic rocks brought us to a long sandy beach, stretching away 
to Tauranga Point. The country now became very low and 
SnW r k f- he ? ankS ° f the n S6a COnsisted Of hillocks of drift 
sand We continued our route along this beach but on arriving 
after three miles’ walk, at the mouth of the River Totara the tide 
™ not «- it. and werekherefore 
to SK w»’V end , eaTO ™g in the meantime 
io snoot some toreas (redbills), m order to add a little to 
our 
i 
