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DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE OE JOURNEY. 55 
Deep valleys indicated the courses of the great rivers, amongst 
which the valley of the Karamea was most ^ conspicuous. 
Towards the east lay the Lyell mountains, with their boM 
unbroken outline, over which appeared the rugged peaks of 
Mount Owen, and of the mountains at the head of the eastern 
branch of the Matiri. Beyond the Lyell range, where it sloped 
towards the Buller, rose Mount Murchison, the three peaks of 
which, visible from Nelson, are well known. Following the line 
of the large opening between the Lyell and Brunner ranges, and 
the eastern mountain chain commencing above the Top-house and 
running to Mount Franklin, the highest point in the Spencer 
mountains, I observed in front of the latter a series of lower 
mountains, forming regular cones, which plainly told the history 
of this great fissure. The valleys of the Tutaki, the Matakitaki, 
and the Maruia, were also visible, and above the eastern chain, in 
the direction of the head of the Botoroa lake, appeared Tapaianuku, 
the highest summit of the Kaikoras. Towards the south-east and 
south, the rugged lines of the Brunner range were visible, broken 
through by the Awerau, the principal tributary of the Inangahua, 
over the broad valley of which the view reached to the Grey 
country, in which I recognized with pleasure our old friend 
Black-hill. This splendid panorama was further bounded by the 
southern Alps, in front of which Kaimatalay conspicuous. More 
towards the south, across the Buller, I looked down into the 
valleys of the Ohi-ka-iti, and the Ohi-ka-nui, shut in at their heads 
by the rugged masses of the Paparoha chain, the whole presenting 
one of the finest and most magnificent views that it is possible to 
conceive. "Whilst I was occupied in sketching this extensive 
panorama, sitting amongst the snow, and warming my fingers at a 
small fire kept alive with Alpine scrub, Mr. Burnett, at my desire, 
collected specimens of the rocks at the eastern side of the 
mountain, and took measurements of the different strata. For this 
purpose he had to descend the mountain for some distance through 
snow and ice into a frightful gully, and I was glad to see him return 
in safety. In order to complete my work, we, on the next day, 
ascended the mountain for the third time, the atmosphere still 
remaining clear, and the contours of the mountains surprisingly 
sharp. The Papahaua chain consists of two ranges, one near the 
sea, running north, the other, six miles to the east of it at the 
Buller, running north-west, the two afterwards uniting in a 
common centre, at the northern extremity of the range near the 
sea. I named the highest peak, upon which I had fixed my 
station, Mount Bochfort, after the first European who had 
ascended it, the highest point in the eastern chain Mount William, 
and their common terminus on the north, Mount Frederick. 
Between these two chains lies a platform, from 1,300 to 1,800 feet 
high, the three last-named peaks each rising to an altitude of about 
3,500 feet. This plateau is intersected by an incredible number 
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