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must stop; and as I could not see the least vestige of wood anywhere else, I agreed. After we had been there about half an hour, the clouds rolled away out of the upper end of the valley where we were, and I saw that the cone was close to us, and then found that this, if any, was the proper place to ascend by, which the natives still maintained it was impossible to do. The natives said that no one had ever approached nearer than where we now were, and that formerly, when they passed this point of the road, they used to cover their heads with their mats, because it was tapu to look at the mountain, or at least at the peak. The night was exceedingly cold, but I did not feel it so much as I did on the Waikato.

When I arose in the morning, I was astonished to see the mountains around covered with snow, all except the cone, which was visible from its base to its apex, and appeared quite close. The natives said the mountain had been making a noise in the night, which, at the time, I thought was only fancy: there seemed to be a little steam rising from the top, but the quantity was not sufficient to obscure the view. I set off immediately after breakfast with only two natives, as all the others were afraid to go any nearer to the much-dreaded place; nor could I persuade the two who did set off with me to go within a mile of the base of the cone. They, however, made a fire of such small bushes as they could collect, and waited for me till I got back. As there was no road, I went as straight towards the peak as I found possible, going over hills and through valleys, without swerving to the right or left. As I was toiling over a very steep hill, I heard a noise which caused me to look up, and I saw that the mountain was in a state of eruption: a thick column of black smoke rose up for some distance, and then spread out like a mush

room. As I was directly to windward, I could see nothing more, and could not tell whether anything dropped from the cloud as it passed away. The noise, which was very loud, and not unlike that of the safety-valve of a steamengine, lasted about half an hour, and then, after two or three sudden interruptions, ceased. The smoke continued to ascend for some time afterwards, but was less dense. I could see no fire, nor do I believe that there was any, or that the eruption was anything more than hot water and steam, although, from the great density of the latter, it looked like very black smoke. I toiled on to the top of a hill, and was then much disappointed to find that the other side of it, instead of being like what I had ascended, was a precipice or very deep ravine, with a large stream of water at the bottom. With some difficulty I managed to get down; and on ascending the other side, I found myself in a stream of lava, perfectly undecomposed, but still old enough to have a few plants growing among the fissures. As I progressed towards the cone, which now seemed quite close, I arrived at another stream of lava, so fresh that there was not the slightest appearance of even a lichen on it, and it looked as if it had been ejected but yesterday. was black, and very hard and compact, just like all the lava I have seen in this country; but the two streams were very insignificant, not longer at the utmost than threequarters of a mile each. I had no idea of the meaning of a sea of rocks" until I crossed them; the edges of the stony billows were so sharp, that it was very difficult to pass among them without cutting one's clothes into shreds. I at last arrived at the cone; it was, I suppose, of the ordinary steepness of such heaps of volcanic cinders, but much higher. I estimate it at 1500 feet from the hollow from which it appears to have sprung. It looked as if a vast

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amphitheatre had been hollowed out of the surrounding mountains to place it in. The sides of all the mountains around were quite perpendicular, and presented a most magnificent scene.

The cone is entirely composed of loose cinders, and I was heartily tired of the exertion before I reached the top. Had it not been for the idea of standing where no man ever stood before, I should certainly have given up the undertaking. A few patches of a most beautiful snowwhite veronica, which I at first took for snow, were growing among the stones; but they ceased before I had ascended a third part of the way. A small grass reached a little higher, but both were so scarce that I do not think I saw a dozen plants of each in the whole ascent. After I had ascended about two-thirds of the way, I got into what appeared a water-course, the solid rock of which, although presenting hardly any projecting points, was much easier to climb than the loose dust and ashes which I had hitherto scrambled over. It was lucky for me that another eruption did not take place while I was in it, or I should have been infallibly boiled to death, as I afterwards found that it led to the lowest part of the crater, and that, from indubitable proofs, a stream of hot mud and water had been running there during the time I saw the smoke issuing from the top. The crater was the most terrific abyss I had ever looked into, or so much as imagined. The rocks overhung it on all sides, and it was not possible to see above ten yards into it, from the quantity of steam which it was continually discharging. From the distance I measured along its edge, I imagine it is at least a quarter of a mile in diameter, and it is very deep. The stones which I threw in, and which I could hear strike the bottom, did not do so in less than seven or eight seconds; but the greater

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part of them I could not hear strike against it at all. was impossible to get on the inside of the crater, as all the sides I saw were, if not quite precipitous, actually overhanging, so as to make it very disagreeable to look over them. The rocks on the top were covered with a whitish deposit from the steam, and there was plenty of sulphur in all directions, but the specimens were not handsome, being mixed with earth.

I did not stay at the top so long as I would have wished, because I heard a strange noise coming out of the crater, which I thought betokened another eruption. I saw from the top several lakes and rivers, and the country appeared about half covered with wood, which I should not have thought was the case if I had not gone to this place. The mountains in my immediate neighbourhood were all covered with snow. I could not distinguish the sea in any direction. The natives said that from a mountain near, which they pointed out, I could see Taranaki, and the island of Kapiti in Cook Strait; and as this was much higher, I ought to have seen both places from this spot, but the south and east were entirely invisible, from the cloudy state of the sky. I had not above five minutes to see any part of the country, as I was enveloped in clouds almost as soon as I got up to the top. As I did not wish to see an eruption near enough to be either boiled or steamed to death, I made the best of my way down. It unfortunately happened that the highest part of the crater's edge was to leeward, otherwise I might have stayed there a little longer. I had not got quite down to the sandy plain which I have mentioned, when I heard the noise of another eruption; but I am not certain that it came from the crater which I had just visited. I thought at the time it came from another branch of Tongariro to the north

ward, on the top of which I had seen a circular lake of water when on the peak. I was half frozen before I reached the ravine, and thoroughly drenched by the mist; so that I was very glad when I found the place where I had left the natives and the fire. I got back to the tent about seven in the evening.

EXPLORATION OF THE ERITONGA OR HUTT VALLEY BY DR DIEFFENBACH.

A.D. 1840.

I STARTED from Port Nicholson on the 30th of July 1840. All my companions were Europeans, as I could not obtain the services of any natives. This, however, was of no consequence, as they knew as little of the valley as I did, never having penetrated far into it, from fear of the Nga-te-Kahuhunu tribe, the former proprietors of the place, and their greatest enemies. The river Eritonga forms at its outlet a broad basin in the sandy downs of the coast, and is joined, not far from its mouth, by three tributaries, the Okatu, Emotu, and Waiwetu. During flood-tide it is easily entered by large boats, which can go up for about six miles, after which the shallowness of the water, and the danger arising from the snags which are imbedded in its bottom, prevent their farther progress. I followed the lines which the surveyors had undertaken to cut along the right bank of the river, and which soon approach the hills that bound the valley to the westward. Our road lay over flat, alluvial land, covered to a breadth of about four miles from the sea-shore with a recent but thick growth of underwood. Amongst the trees

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