68 
DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE OE JOURNEY.. 
In the afternoon we arrived at a small stream, which we 
ascended for half a mile, and then climbed the steep sides of the 
Kauranga mountain, 1,200 feet in height, on whose ridge we con¬ 
tinued for a mile, when we again descended to the rocky beach. 
This, however, was the end of our hard walking. A quarter of a 
mile further brought us to a beautiful sandy beach, which we 
followed to lima Tuaroa point, consisting of cretaceous rocks, 
bearing a great resemblance to a ruined castle. 
From this point, looking towards the north, the coast line is 
smooth, and we saw before us the heads of the West Wanganui 
harbour, above which stood the rocky points of Cape Farewell. 
Towards the east the low country was bounded bv the Wliaka- 
marama range, which, with the Haidinger peak, was visible, whilst 
to the south lay the rocky road around and over which we had 
travelled for the last few days. 
I may be permitted to warn persons who are liable to giddiness 
not to travel by this route, but rather to select that which leads 
up the Aorere valley, and from thence to the Heaphy ; but for a 
man with a stout heart and a strong head, nothing can be more 
interesting than the journey along this coast, particularly if 
accompanied by a friend possessed of the same qualities. They 
may, it is true, meet with disagreeable mishaps, but they will be 
amply compensated for their troubles by the wild beauty of the 
scenery, which is such as cannot well be described in words. 
We were now near the end of our journey, and we hurried on 
as much as my pursuits would permit. 
On the 15th of August, after two miles’ walk over a hard sandy 
beach, we arrived at the mouth of the Awaruatoa, but the tide 
being too high to permit us to cross then, we had to wait two 
hours. This delay produced a good deal of impatience amongst 
my party, lor we saw on the other side, in a conspicuous position, 
a whata, or provision store, and although we had not, since we 
left the Buller, been short of provisions, except sugar, we all 
longed to know the contents of the whata, and, what was of more 
importance, we expected to find in it letters from our friends. 
There are two fords over this rather deep and wide river; one 
inland, and one near its mouth, close to the surf. Me selected 
the latter, and although the water reached to our arm-pits, we all 
got safely over, ihe whata contained flour, sugar, and tea, sent 
by Mr. James Mackay, at the request ol the Provincial Govern¬ 
ment of Nelson, which had thus done its best to facilitate my 
Proceedings through the country. I now take this opportunity 
o thanking Mr. James Mackay for his many acts of friendship, 
am for the \ aluable information which X from time to time re¬ 
ceived from him during my journey. 
Continuing our route, we passed the Pi vers Anaweka and 
uima ui-hui, walking partly on sandy beaches and partly over low 
crt aceous rocks, and after having travelled ten miles, we camped 
