t 
DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE OF JOUENET. 
a fast pace. Towards evening the weather cleared, and after having 
passed over the undulating tract of sandy ground which encloses 
the large tidal inlet of the Otumahana and Karamea rivers, ive 
reached the banks of a lagoon, which we crossed, and camped on 
the northern bank of the first-mentioned river. 
On the following day, which was fine, I crossed the mud-flat, 
for the purpose of establishing a station on one of the sand 
hillocks at the south-western side of the lagoon. This took us so 
much time, that it was twilight when we reached the Karamea 
or Mackay river, having had to wade over two miles of mud-flat, 
in which we sometimes sank knee deep. 
The Karamea is a very fine river, and at our camping place was 
divided into three arms, flowing rapidly over a shingly bed. As 
there was no mokihi on our side, no travellers having re-crossed 
since Mr. Rochfort had passed over it before us, and not finding 
any flax-sticks, I sent one of the Maories to cross the river for 
the purpose of fetching the mokihi, which was hung up to a tree 
on the other side. Seeing that the river only took him to the 
hips, although it flowed very rapidly, I determined that we should 
all venture across with our loads. The water was extremely 
cold, and we had a considerable distance to go, but we got safely 
over. 
From the mouth of the Karamea a magnificent view is obtained 
of the mountain gorges through which the principal stream and 
its tributaries flow, and which unite near its mouth. We con¬ 
tinued our journey in the afternoon to the Oparara, a pretty little 
stream, three miles north of the Karamea, having also a lagoon, 
hut of small dimensions, on its northern bank. 
The weather was very cloudy when we started the next morn- 
ing (August 9), and shortly after a heavy storm came on from 
the north-west, which lasted for several hours, and drenched us 
to the skin; but as we had before us a good sandy beach. I de¬ 
termined to proceed, and if possible to reach the Haihai before it 
had become too much swollen for us to cross it. Three miles 
north ot the Oparara the mountains again approach the coast, 
but the sandy beach continued as far as the Haihai river, at which 
.we arrived at eleven o’clock. As the rain did not cease, we 
camped on the northern bank of the river, near a precipitous bluff, 
against which the waves were breaking furiously. It rained with¬ 
out intermission during the rest of the day and night, and we all 
began to feel very uncomfortable in our leaky tents, which were 
fuff of holes, and were too tender to he niended. The water 
ran roug 1 m streams, wetting blankets and everything that 
Although the rain ceased the next morning early, we could not 
un i noon, because the drying of the tents and clothes, 
had been thoroughly drenched, always took up 
- nsi erable time. As it is impossible to pass round the Haihai 
I 
