little distance inland. Sweeping round to the south the coast line forms the capacious South Taranaki Bight. Port Nicholson and Palliser Bay are situated in the southern prolongation of the island. Rounding Cape Palliser a long stretch of unindented coast line leads up to Kidnapper's Point at the southern entrance to Hawke Bay. Passing Poverty Bay and East Cape and turning westward the Bay of Plenty is entered. Next comes the Hauraki Gulf, off which are situated the Barrier Islands, with Aiguilles Point on the extremity of the Great Barrier. The eastward coast line of the northern peninsula possesses numerous indentations, the most remarkable of which is the Bay of Islands with Cape Brett at its southern entrance. This inlet is one of the finest harbours in New Zealand, being superior to that of Auckland as regards facility of entrance, and possessing deep water and good anchorage in almost every part. As the name implies, the surface of the bay is diversified by numerous small islands, and these, with their verdurous slopes and lustrous beaches, together with the many beautiful bays and headlands on the mainland, constitute a scene which, for charm, stands almost unrivalled.

General Physical Characteristics.

The main body of the North Island is mountainous, although there are some extensive stretches of plain country, portions of which are of surprising richness and fertility. In the northern peninsula the ranges do not rise to any great altitude, Tutanoe, the highest point, having an elevation of 2,570 feet. Southward from East Cape the highest summit is Hikurangi, which reaches 5,530 feet. On the west coast, south of Whaingaroa Harbour, are Mount Karehoe and Mount Pironghia, reaching an altitude, respectively, of 2,370 and 2,800 feet. The volcanic summits to the south reach a much greater elevation. One of the most remarkable is Mount Egmont, in the New Plymouth District. This is an extinct volcanic cone, 8,260 feet in height, and the summit is clothed with perpetual snow. Rising abruptly from the plain, it presents a sublime spectacle, the cone being one of the most perfect in the world. Tarawera is the well-known volcanic summit in the celebrated Lake District, and rises to a height of 3,600 feet. Farther down are the Te Whaiti Range leading to Kaimanawha, near Hawke's Bay, and the prolongations to Kaweka and the Ruahine Range, ending in the Tararua and Haurangi at Cape Palliser, these successive ranges forming the backbone of the island to Cook's Strait. The Tongariro Mountain in the Lake Taupo District consists of the united outflow of lava from several distinct cones. Ngauruhoe, the highest of these, reaches 7,515 feet. From Ngauruhoe, the Red Crater, and Te Mari discharges of lava took place as recently as 1868, and steam and vapours are still given off from various vents, accompanied by considerable noise. Ruapehu lies south of the Tongariro group, and reaches an elevation of 9,008 feet, being in part above the line of perpetual snow. This mountain is in the solfatara stage, and possesses a crater-lake

which occasionally is troubled by slight eruptions giving rise to large volumes of steam. In March, 1895, an eruption took place, when several hot springs were formed, while the heat of the lake increased. The sides of the depression occupied by the lake are covered with ice and snow, and the water, which is 300 feet below the surrounding crater rims, is inaccessible except with the use of ropes and ladders. This area and the three craters on Tongariro are situated in a straight line which if produced would pass through the boiling springs of Tokaanu on the southern edge of Lake Taupo, the volcanic country north-east of the lake, and White Island, an active volcano in the Bay of Plenty, about 27 miles from the mainland.

The district occupied by the hot springs constitutes one of the most remarkable and interesting features of the North Island. They are found over a large extent of country from Tongariro, south of Lake Taupo, to Ohaeawai in the extreme north, a distance of about 300 miles, but it is in the neighbourhood of Lake Rotorua, about 40 miles north-east of Lake Taupo, that the principal seat of hydrothermal action is encountered. Many of the hot springs have been proved to possess remarkable curative powers in certain complaints, and the Government has taken considerable pains to render them accessible to the visitor in search of health. The beautiful Pink and White Terraces in this district were almost completely destroyed by the eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886, but it is stated that natural agencies are at work which will in time renew them. Some of the hot springs assume the form of geysers, and eject boiling water, fragments of rock, mud, &c., to a considerable height.

Of the plains, the principal are those in the Hawke's Bay District; the Wairarapa Plain in the Wellington District; the West-Coast Plain, stretching from near Wellington to some distance north of New Plymouth; and the Kaingaroa Plain, which stretches in a north-easterly -direction from Lake Taupo to the Bay of Plenty. A great portion of the last-mentioned is, however, covered with pumice sand and is unfit for agricultural or pastoral occupation.

The principal river in the North Island is the Waikato. Rising in the Central Range, near Ruapehu, it flows into Lake Taupo, thence flowing north-westward it enters the ocean a short distance to the south of Manukau Harbour. The river is navigable for 100 miles from its mouth by small vessels. The Thames rises in the high land near the Lake District, and after a course of 100 miles enters the sea at the Firth of Thames. Several small streams, including the Tarawera, drain into the Bay of Plenty. The Wairoa, Waikari, and Mohaka fall into Hawke Bay. The Wanganui flows into the South Taranaki Bight, and the Hutt into Port Nicholson.

A large number of streams drain the Auckland peninsula, their courses necessarily being very short. There is, indeed, little of the North Island that can be passed over without meeting a stream of ever-running water.

THE MIDDLE ISLAND.

Coastal Features.

The

The Middle or South Island, as it is sometimes called, is much more compact in shape than the North Island, from which it is separated by Cook Strait, the passage being about 90 miles across in its widest part, and 16 at the narrowest. From Jackson's Head, in Cook Strait, to Puysegur Point, at the extreme south-west, the length of the island is about 525 miles, the greatest breadth, in the Otago District, being about 180 miles. Sailing across from Wellington, in the North Island, the first port of call in the Middle Island would, probably, be Picton on the opposite shore of the strait, at its narrowest part. Here is the beautiful inlet called Queen Charlotte Sound, which Captain Cook described as a collection of the finest harbours in the world. immense bays in this fine stretch of water were much frequented by whalers in the early days. Westward lies another capacious inlet called Pelorus Sound. The approach to Tasman or Blind Bay, the next important indentation on the north, lies through a narrow but deep channel, between D'Urville Island and the mainland, called French Pass. Shut in by high precipitous hills, the scenery in this passage, with its swift-running current, is remarkably imposing. At the head of the bay is the township of Nelson, encircled by a background of lofty hills, and a few miles eastward is the village of Whakapuaka, where the cable from Australia reaches the land. Golden or Massacre Bay, at the extreme left of the northern shore, was the scene of the murder by the natives of an entire boat's crew belonging to the company of the explorer Tasman. Rounding Cape Farewell, the upper portion of the western coast will be found somewhat deficient in noteworthy indentations. Westport, on the southern shore of the Karamea Bight, possesses a good harbour. At Greymouth, lower down, large sums of money have been spent on the improvement of facilities for shipping, the port being the outlet for a rich mineral and agricultural district. Thence southward the coast line presents no important indentations until the wonderful inlets of the western Otago district are reached. Here, between the parallels of 44° and 46°, the rock-bound coast rises in places sheer from the ocean depths to a height of 5,000 or 6,000 feet, and is pierced by numerous sounds or fiords, which penetrate inland for distances ranging from 6 to 20 miles. These inlets are narrow and very deep. Milford Sound, the finest example, has a depth in its upper part of no less than 1,270 feet. It is surrounded by mountains, which, with the exception of Mount Cook, are the highest on the south coast, and its narrow entrance appears still more restricted from the height of the gigantic precipices on either side. Within the sound, a sublime spectacle opens out, towering mountains rising on both sides of the narrow channel, clothed with verdure at their base, and with magnificent waterfalls tumbling down their flanks. Here and there the cold blue mass of the glacier protrudes itself, while,

far above, the mist-wreathed snow-clad cones rear their heads in silent majesty to the skies. The great Sutherland Waterfall, in the vicinity of the Sound, is stated to be 1,904 feet in height. Of the other inlets of this class to the south of Milford Sound, the chief are George Sound, Doubtful Inlet, Daggs Sound, Breaksea Sound, Chalky Inlet, and Preservation Inlet.

The southern and eastern shores of the Middle Island do not offer

any noteworthy indentations. Close to Invercargill is the Bluff Harbour, a well known port of call for vessels trading to the south. On the east coast the principal harbours are Otago Harbour, at the head of which Dunedin is situated; Oamaru, the outlet for the district of the same name; Timaru, at the elbow of Canterbury Bight; and Akaroa and Lyttelton Harbours, on Banks Peninsula.

General Physical Characteristics.

The inland physical features of the Middle Island are particularly striking. Almost throughout its entire length the island is traversed by a range of mountains called the Southern Alps, which throws off numerous lateral spurs towards the east and west. In the south, a network of ranges spreads out over the Otago district. In the east, towards the centre of the island, are the Malvern Hills and Hunter's Hills, and the ranges occupying the greater portion of Banks Peninsula. The Kaikoura Range runs between Cook's Strait and Banks Peninsula. South of Nelson, the Spenser and St. Arnaud Mountains break off towards the east. The highest peak in the Southern Alps is Mount Cook, situated about the centre of the range, and rising to a height of 12,349 feet. This mountain was called by the natives Ao Rangi, or the Cloud-Piercer. Other notable peaks are Mount Stokes, 12,200 feet, and Mount Aspiring, 9,940 feet. In the southern system are Earnslaw, 9,165 feet; Double Cone, 7,688 feet; and Mount St. Bathans, 6,600 feet.

In point of beauty and sublimity of scenery, the Southern Alps compare favourably with the Alps of Switzerland, while as regards variety they are superior to the European range. The snow line in New Zealand is below that of Switzerland, so that the mountains, while not quite so high as the Swiss Alps, nevertheless present all the varied features of the Alpine uplands. On both sides of the range there are extensive glaciers, those on the western side descending in places to within 700 feet of the sea level into the midst of evergreen forests, and most of them are easily accessible. The Tasman Glacier, on the eastern slope, has an area of 13,664 acres, with a length of 18 miles and an average width of over a mile, and as regards length and width is superior to the famous Alletsch Glacier of Switzerland. The Murchison Glacier contains 5,800 acres, and is 10 miles long and over three-quarters of a mile in average width; and the Godley Glacier, 8 miles long and over a mile wide, has an area of 5,312 acres. In addition to these, there are numerous others of smaller extent, all of

them possessing features of great beauty and interest. The waters produced by the melting of the snowfields and glaciers give rise to numerous rivers, nearly all of which flow through the fertile plains of the east.

The Middle Island possesses numerous lakes, many of which are of great beauty, and some of them are situated at a considerable elevation above the level of the sea. Lake Tekapo, in the Canterbury district, is 2,468 feet above the sea-level, and is 15 miles long by about 3 broad. Thirty miles distant, towards the south, is Lake Pukaki, one of the most picturesque Alpine lakes in the island. It lies at an elevation of 1,746 feet above sea-level, and, like similar lakes in this and other Alpine regions, has probably been formed by the retreat of an immense glacier. Close to the lake, the majestic cone of Mount Cook, crowned with snow and ice, is a conspicuous feature in the landscape. Lake Ohau, near Pukaki, is 12 miles long and 2 miles in width, and its waters are less turbid than those of its larger neighbours. Several fine lakes are found in the Otago district. Lake Manapouri covers an area of 50 square miles, and is nearly surrounded by beautifullywooded snow-capped mountains. Te Anau is the largest lake in New Zealand. It is 38 miles long, and from 1 to 6 miles in width, and has an area of 132 square miles. Wakatipu is 52 miles long, and from 1 to 3 miles broad, with an area of 114 square miles. The lake is situated at an elevation of 1,070 feet above the level of the sea, and, as its depth has been proved by soundings in various places to be from 1,170 to 1,240 feet, a large portion of its bed is considerably below sea-level. Wanaka and Hawea are two beautiful little lakes in the northern Otago district. From what has already been said, it will have been concluded that a great portion of the surface of the Middle island is mountainous; nevertheless there are several fairly extensive plain districts, particularly on the eastern side of the main range. Of these, the most noteworthy are the Canterbury Plains, with a length of about 130 miles, and a width varying from 30 miles north of the Rangitata to very narrow limits further south. In the north are the Karamea Plains, the Waimea Plains, the Fairfield Downs, the Wairau Plains, the Hanmer Plains, and the Amuri Plains, lying between Cook Strait and the Hurunui River. In the Southern district are the Oamaru ́ Downs, Moraki Downs, and the Mataura Plains.

The Middle Island is well provided with rivers, but, for the most part, they are merely mountain torrents, fed by the snows and icefields of the ranges. At times, when there is a more excessive melting of the snows than usual, they are liable to rise in flood, and, where not confined by precipitous rocky walls, form beds of varying width, frequently strewn with enormous deposits of shingle. The Clutha is the largest river in New Zealand as regards volume of water. It drains an extensive area of the southern mountain region, and after a course of 154 miles enters the sea about 60 miles south of Dunedin. navigable for small vessels for about 30 miles from its mouth.

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