ASCENT OF TONGARIRO.
Physical and geological features--Legend of Tongariro--A break in
the clouds--The start for the ascent--Maories in the distance--The
Waihohonu valley--The ascent--The brink of Hades--The great
crater--The inner crater--The lower cones--Crater lakes--The
descent--A valley of death--Tongariro by moonlight--A cold
night--The start for Ruapehu.
The cluster of trachytic cones constituting the Tongariro group forms
collectively an almost complete circle rising from a level plateau,
which near the base of the mountains has a general elevation of about
3000 feet above the level of the sea. The enormous cone with its active
crater, which forms the central point of the group, springs from an
almost level base, and is flanked on its western and north-eastern
sides by minor conical mountains, which are connected with each other
by high ridges. To the north-west a series of undulating hills roll
down to the plains, while to the south a steep, flat-topped spur juts
out into the plateau which bounds the mountain in that direction. With
the higher mountains are connected lower undulating hills, formed
principally of scoria, and covered, especially towards the plains,
with a luxuriant growth of native grasses, low fern, and dwarf shrubs.
Right in the very centre of this great circle of cones and extinct
craters, the graceful, tapering form of the burning mountain rises from
the bottom of an extensive basin-like depression, which, encircled
as it is by the rugged sides of the surrounding ranges, has somewhat
the appearance of an ancient crater. This beautiful mountain, as it
rears its tall head high above the less elevated cones, especially
when viewed from its southern side, at once strikes the beholder by
its wonderfully symmetrical proportions. With a slope of about thirty
to thirty-five degrees, it assumes as near as possible the exact form
of a sugarloaf, without a twist or a bend to mar the grand effect of
its outline. To describe it, one must imagine this huge mass built up
of trachytic rock, ridges of lava, scoria, volcanic conglomerates,
enormous boulders, and other igneous accumulations to a height of
thousands of feet, tapering off gracefully at the summit as if moulded
by the hand of man. It is not a crater of elevation in the ordinary
acceptation of the term, like its colossal neighbour Ruapehu, but a
complete trachytic scoria cone, which may have originated from some
sudden outbreak of plutonic forces, or from a small aperture in the
earth's crust throwing up particles of volcanic rock similar to those
of which the mountain is composed, until, through countless ages, its
action becoming by degrees more extended, it gradually built itself up
to its present proportions from the matter it ejected from its fiery
mouth, and thus, phoenix-like, rose into being from its own ashes.
When examining the great mountain, it may be plainly seen that the
ridges of trachytic lava, which form, as it were, the skeleton upon
which the whole structure is raised, have generally a vertical strike
from the summit to the base of the cone, converging, however, gradually
towards the top, and while the edges of some are inclined so as to form
an almost horizontal stratum, as shown in many of the gorges, the edges
of the others stand out perpendicularly, like enormous buttresses.
Although the whole mountain is covered with scoria and other volcanic
_débris_, the largest deposits of the former appear to be between the
lava ridges, and this is especially the case on the eastern side of
the mountain, where these extensive accumulations cover a considerable
area of country. Besides the active crater at the summit of the great
cone, there is another to the north-eastern side of the group, known
as Ketetahi, near to which there is likewise an extensive system of
boiling springs. But as I visited these two latter points during
another stage of my journey, I will refer more fully to them in their
proper order.
[Illustration: TONGARIRO.
_Page 180._]
After our ascent of Tongariro, and during our subsequent intercourse
with the natives, we made it a practice to learn as much as we could of
their many interesting legends. The legend of Tongariro was more than
once repeated to us by the tribes both resident near and at a distance
from the sacred mountain, and it is a remarkable fact, as showing the
correctness of the oral traditions of the Maoris, that each one
agreed in all particulars with the current stories.
It would appear, then, that when the _Arawa_ canoe touched the newly
discovered shores of Aotearoa there was among the dusky adventurers a
chief who bore the title of Ngatoroirangi, a name which signifies in
the Maori mythology a high priest or deified man. After the natives had
formed a settlement at Maketu, Ngatoroirangi was the first to set out,
in company with his slave, Ngauruhoe, to explore the new land. Striking
into the interior, he crossed the plains of Taupo, and then along the
lake, into which he cast his staff, which the natives state became a
great _totara_ tree. He also shook his mat over the waters, and from
the strips which fell from it sprang the _inanga_, a small fish which
now abounds in the lake. It was dark and stormy when Ngatoroirangi
came to the lake, but suddenly the clouds broke, and he beheld for the
first time the giant form of Tongariro. With the keen instincts of a
heaven-born explorer, the chief resolved to ascend the great mountain,
in order to get a better view of the surrounding country; but the
snow was deep, and the ice-bound summit of Tongariro was too much for
the adventurous travellers, fresh from the sunny islands of the South
Seas. Prompted by the unpleasant prospect of being frozen to death,
Ngatoroirangi shouted lustily to his sisters who had tarried at Whakari
(White Island), some hundred and sixty miles distant, to send him some
fire. The summons was obeyed in quick time, and the sacred fire was
entrusted to the hands of two _taniwhas_,[46] named respectively Te
Pupu and Te Haeata, who conveyed it by a subterranean channel which is
yet supposed by the natives to connect Tongariro with the still active
volcanic island in the Bay of Plenty. It is related that the fire
arrived in time to save the life of the adventurous Ngatoroirangi, but
when he turned to comfort his slave, he found to his horror that his
trusty follower had given up the ghost. At this juncture Ngatoroirangi
took the sacred fire, and casting it into the extinct crater of
Tongariro, the subterranean fires burst forth. On this account
Ngatoroirangi named the crater Ngauruhoe, in honour of his slave--a
term by which it is generally known to the natives even unto this
day. The great mountain itself, however, with its surrounding cones,
is more usually called Tongariro--a term which means in the native
language "towards the south"--and it is a remarkable fact, as showing
the significant nomenclature of the Maoris, that the compass-bearing of
the volcano is as nearly as possible due north and south.[47] There can
be no doubt that Tongariro is one of the largest, grandest, and most
perfect volcanic cones of its kind in the world, and little wonder,
therefore, that the Maoris, when gazing upon its mysterious fires,
should have linked its name with their songs and legends, and have
rendered it a sacred object in their mythology, just as the Japanese
have done their no less beautiful Fusiyama.
The morning of the 18th of April broke dull and cloudy. We were now
over 3000 feet above the level of the sea at our camp at Pangarara,
waiting, nay, almost praying that the dreary, dismal clouds would break
and give us a gleam of sunshine. We had up to this time been detained
exactly ten days through stress of weather whilst waiting to ascend the
tapued mountain, the dull monotony of our position being only relieved
by the somewhat exciting expectation that the Maoris might be down upon
us at any moment.
The thermometer, which for the three previous days had given a mean
average of 57° Fahr. in the shade, suddenly fell to 43°. The omen
was a good one, and we waited patiently.[48] At about ten o'clock
an invigorating breeze blew direct from the south, the sun shone
brilliantly, the sky was dotted here and there with bright patches
of a vivid blue, and as we looked in the direction of Tongariro, the
whole scene changed before our eyes like a magnificent panorama. The
dark, funereal, pall-like cloud which had up to this time entirely
obscured the mountain, rolled gradually away as if by enchantment,
and the magnificent tapering cone, glittering with ice and snow, and
crowned with its waving cloud of steam, stood out against the azure
sky in grand and beautiful relief. Tongariro to be seen to advantage
should be viewed from its southern side. When beheld from the north
it is to a certain degree dwarfed by the mountains surrounding it in
that direction, while the crater on the north and west is likewise
more depressed, and coming consequently lower down the mountain, thus
detracts from its apparent height. On the other hand the country to the
southward is more open, and the symmetrical cone rises boldly defined
above the lower scoria ridges, which rise in gradual undulations around
the great volcano in that direction. I had seen many grand mountains in
different parts of the world, but never had I gazed upon anything so
sublimely beautiful as Tongariro appeared on this occasion; ice, snow,
and steam all combining, beneath the bright sunlight, to add a magical
effect to this wonderful monument of nature's handiwork.
Although we did not imagine that the weather would clear so rapidly we
determined to seize this, the first opportunity, and to start at once
for the ascent.
We were about two miles away from the base, and we had previously
determined to hide our packhorse away in the bush, and to ride to the
foot of Tongariro with our blankets and tent, make the ascent, and camp
at the foot of the mountain at night.
It took just half an hour to saddle up, and get everything prepared,
and then, skirting the forest near to which we had been camped, we
ascended a hill some 400 feet high, to gain the Waihohonu Valley beyond.
The sun now shone warm and brightly, our course seemed clear, and all
was going as merrily as the proverbial marriage-bell, when Turner
hastily directed my attention to four mounted Maoris coming across
the plains to our rear; but just at the moment we caught sight of
them they disappeared behind a low hill. They were some distance off,
but they were quite near enough to easily discern us, especially as
Turner, with the white tent on his dark pony, formed a conspicuous
object. Fortunately we saw no more of the natives, although we watched
carefully for some time, but they nevertheless haunted us for days
afterwards--during our ascent both of Tongariro and Ruapehu--as we
felt fully convinced that they must have seen us, and we were likewise
equally sure that they could, if they so wished, follow up our tracks,
when, by the marks of the shod horses, they would have at once
discovered that we were Europeans. If we had been going in any other
direction the circumstances would have been as nothing, but riding
as we were straight for Tongariro, we knew that that fact alone was
sufficient to excite their suspicion. When we had ridden across the top
of the hill we were at once out of sight, and we rode as fast as our
weak horses would allow over the scoria ridges which surrounded the
base of the cone. We passed on our right an enormous bluff of volcanic
rocks, and then descended a steep, precipitous incline strewn with
enormous boulders which at some remote age had evidently been hurled
from the fiery crater. It was impossible for our horses to walk down
this treacherous place with their heavy burdens on their backs, even
whilst we led them, so taking them off and putting them on our own
shoulders we made the animals follow us, when they picked their way
over and around the big stones like cats.
At the foot of the incline we gained the Waihohonu Valley, a wild,
desolate-looking ravine with a winding stream running down its
centre. To the left, on the opposite side of this watercourse, was
a dense forest growth, while on the ground around the tussock grass
and dwarfed alpine plants peculiar to this region struggled for life
amidst the huge stones and small low scoria hillocks which were
dispersed about in a confused but picturesque way. At the end of the
cluster of forest towards the mountain a steep wall of lava-like rock
rose abruptly up, and ended in high scoria ridges which closed in the
valley to the south-west. Looking in a north-easterly direction, the
rugged promontories and jagged edges of the broken extinct craters of
the lower mountains rose high in the air, piled about in a confused
mass, and coloured dark red and black by the effects of the volcanic
fires which appeared to have rent and torn them asunder until they
had assumed the appearance of embattled walls and crumbling ruins.
The whole conformation of this valley, which was nearly two miles in
length, assumed a somewhat semicircular appearance, as if, at some
period or another, it had formed part of an enormous crater, out
of which the gigantic cone that towered thousands of feet above us
had ultimately reared its lofty summit. Although the sun shone with
a dazzling splendour over us, and a light-green vegetation clothed
many of the hills around, and even crept up the steep scoria sides of
the great mountain itself, the Waihohonu Valley had a wild, dreary,
and parched-up look, as if some fiery breath had but recently swept
over it, and it was only just getting cool from the effects of the
volcanic fires, which had left stupendous monuments of their work in
the enormous lava ridges, which seemed to have cooled suddenly in their
molten course down the steep precipices; while the gigantic boulders
of black, shining, volcanic rock, which lay scattered about in every
direction, looked like tremendous thunderbolts just newly hurled to
earth by the hand of Titan. Not a few of these enormous stones appeared
to have been rounded by the action of fire, and in some cases to have
been partially melted before being sent high into the air from the
fiery mouth of the crater, to fall with terrific force into their
present positions.
Securing our horses in the scrub, we scrambled for about a mile over
huge boulders, and up rough, narrow watercourses, when, ascending a
steep spur of the mountain, we reached the base of the great cone near
to its south-eastern side, at a point which marked 4000 feet above
the level of the sea. Gazing upwards, the steep, clean-cut sides of
the tall mountain looked almost precipitous, and it was clear, at a
glance, that the task to reach the summit and make the descent by
nightfall would be no easy matter. Just at this part of the cone some
volcanic disturbance, which had occurred probably ages ago, had poured
down a stream of liquid lava, which, cooling, as it were, by some
sudden blast, had congealed into a rugged and almost perpendicular
ridge of dark, lustrous, adamantine-like rock in its overflow from
the summit of the mountain. It was up this precipitous ridge that we
had determined to fight our way. When we first began the ascent, the
steep climbing told severely on our backs and legs, while the enormous
protruding masses of porous lava which fringed the outside portion of
the ridge, and over which we had to climb as much by our hands as by
our feet, were as sharp as if they had cooled and crystallized but
yesterday. Besides the cautious and often dangerous way we had to pick
our footing, it was necessary to be careful, in order to avoid the many
holes in the lava formation, which were just large enough to receive
a man's body, and which, when we threw stones into them, appeared to
be of enormous depth. As we climbed higher and higher, the shelving,
colossal sides of the mountain seemed to become steeper and steeper,
while the summit appeared to get further away at every step we took.
Fortunately the weather kept beautifully clear, and as we mounted
gradually upwards, each hundred feet or so disclosed some new and
enchanting view of the surrounding country, which lay mapped out
beneath us radiant in all the beauties of the creation. At an altitude
of 5000 feet we obtained a magnificent view of Mount Egmont, its
peaked, snow-clad summit rising like a glittering island above the
vapoury cloud that hung around the lower portion of the mountain, which
was a little over eighty miles away from our point of observation,
the intervening country being formed of a wide expanse of broken,
forest-clad ranges of minor elevation, and which appeared, judging
from their numerous valleys, to have a general north-westerly and
south-easterly bearing. At an altitude of 5900 feet the climbing was
very steep, and at 6400 feet we could see open plains in the distance,
towards the west, with patches of forest, which gave them a park-like
appearance. At 6600 feet, two small blue lakes were distinctly visible
immediately below us, situated on the summit of a flat-topped spur,
which stretched out from the base of the great cone in the direction
of the open plains beyond, while about six miles distant, in the
same direction, rose the colossal form of Ruapehu, brilliant in its
fleecy mantle of snow, above which its glacier-bound peaks, rising one
above the other, shot up in the form of glittering cones high into
the calm, clear air. This was the most extended view we had, up to
this time, obtained of the mountain king of the North Island, and we
gazed upon its stupendous form with increased interest, as it was to
be our field of operations for the morrow. Indeed, it was from this
elevated point that we carefully observed all the principal physical
features of the giant mountain, and laid down our plan of the ascent,
which we successfully carried out two days afterwards. At this point,
too, we found the last sign of vegetation in the small alpine plant,
_Gnaphalium bellidioides_.[49] At 6950 feet we found enormous icicles
adhering to the rocks, the lava ridge up which we had with great
difficulty kept our course, became very steep and rugged, while the
climbing was exceedingly difficult and tiring. The mass of dark, black
lava stood out in some places like a huge wall, and while on one side
the thermometer marked 48° Fahr., on the other, where there were big
clusters of icicles over a foot long, it indicated 30°. In this way
we could enjoy a great variation in temperature at any moment. During
the whole ascent we never allowed ourselves more than five minutes'
rest at a time, as we knew that a shift of wind, which might occur
at any moment, would sweep the clouds over the mountain again, when
its steaming vapours would soon envelop it in an impenetrable mist.
Tongariro at all times indicates sudden changes in the weather with
the accuracy of a well-balanced barometer. When its vapour-cloud coils
upward in the form of a feathery palm, the gods are propitious, and
sunshine will be the order of the day; when it shoots out in a long
streak horizontally from the crater, a change is impending; and when
the vapoury cloud gathers round the summit and coils rapidly down the
sides of the cone, as it does often with singular rapidity, it is
time to look out for squalls. For a long distance up the mountain its
rugged sides glittered with icicles, which clustered about the enormous
masses of trachytic lava which cropped up everywhere around, while the
ground was covered in every direction with a thick coating of frost
and frozen snow. At a height of 7000 feet the whole aspect of the cone
had a very bare and desolate look, and, besides the enormous boulders
we encountered, we passed over a steep slope covered with volcanic
conglomerate, which was very treacherous and slippery with sheets of
ice. Here we had to go on all fours, and even in this way it was very
difficult to keep our equilibrium sufficiently to prevent ourselves
from rolling down the precipitous slopes below. We could now smell the
sulphurous fumes of the crater as the clouds of steam rolled over us
while we clambered over the enormous ice-bound rocks in the direction
of the yawning chasm.
We crawled up a frozen, steep incline on to the hot, quaking edge of
the great crater, where a grand and curious sight burst upon the view.
We gained the rugged summit of the cone at its highest side, but just
as we did so the great cloud of steam rolling up from the enormous
basin beneath us swept over us in a dense white cloud, and what with
the loud bubbling of the boiling springs, the hissing, screeching sound
of the great columns of steam as they burst with terrific force from
the rocky vents, the unearthly gurglings of the jets of boiling mud as
they shot into the air, and the strong sulphurous fumes that pervaded
the atmosphere in every direction, we seemed for once in our lives to
be standing on the brink of Hades. Mounting a little to the right along
the hot soil that smoked beneath our feet, we gained the very topmost
point of the mountain, formed by a broken, rugged peak that fell on the
inner side with a precipitous descent into the boiling crater below. We
were now on the windward side of the steam-cloud, and at an altitude of
7376 feet above the level of the sea.
From this elevated position we had a clear and well-defined view of
the whole summit of the mountain, which appeared to be permeated in
every direction by a vast thermal action. The steep, broken sides
of the enormous crater wound before us in the form of an almost
complete circle of nearly a mile in circumference; and it could be
plainly seen that, towards its north-western and western sides, it
was considerably lower than on the side upon which we stood. Within
the great circle, at its northern side, there was a smaller or inner
crater of an almost complete rounded form, the sides of which inclined
gradually towards its centre in the form of a complete funnel. This
minor crater was separated from the larger one only by a narrow ridge
or lip. Looking down into the main crater, which appeared to be about
400 feet in depth, its sides, rugged and broken, as it were, by the
force of volcanic fires, were built up principally of enormous masses
of trachytic rock, lava ridges, and beds of conglomerate, formed mostly
of rounded stones and boulders fused together into a compact mass
by what must, at some period or another, have been a very powerful
igneous action. In fact, it could be plainly seen that the whole
volcano when at the height of its eruptive force must have been the
seat of a powerful volcanic activity, until gradually its exhausted
fires subsided into their present state. In some places the sides of
the crater were perpendicular and fell with a sheer descent, while
in others they were more disturbed and broken. At the bottom of the
crater there were scattered about huge rocky ridges, from the large
crevices and fissures of which enormous jets of steam burst forth with
a roaring, screeching noise, which echoed from the depths below like
the wailings of the condemned. Hot springs sent up streams of boiling
water, which ran over the rocks and then lost themselves in the hot,
quaking soil, which sent them high into the air again in the form of
coiling jets of vapour. Miniature cones of dark, smoking mud rose up
in every direction, while around all was a seething, fused mass of
almost molten matter, which appeared to require just one or two degrees
more of heat to transform it into a lake of liquid lava. In every
direction were large deposits of pure yellow sulphur, some of which
assumed a rock-like formation; at other places it formed a crust over
the steaming earth, and where the thermal action was less intense, the
glittering yellow crystals covered the ground like a thick frost. No
fire was visible in the crater, nor was there any indication of a very
recent volcanic eruption. The whole crater of the mountain was in the
state of a very extensive _solfatara_, which was evidently more active
at some periods than at others. The inner or second crater, which
likewise sent forth a vast volume of steam from its boiling depths,
was in much the same condition of activity as the larger one, only
that the deposits of sulphur literally lined its sloping sides with a
bright-yellow coating, which came up to the very summit of its rim and
looked like a circle of gold beneath the bright rays of the sun, which
lit up the feathery steam-clouds in the most brilliant prismatic hues.
We obtained a complete view of all parts of the great mountain, as
likewise of the smaller volcanic cones and ridges which lay below.
Looking in the direction of the north-east, and down upon the rugged
clusters of minor elevations, we could see several extinct craters of
considerable size; some perfect in their formation, while others had
been rent and distorted by the action of volcanic fires, which had left
their marks upon them in the form of enormous lava ridges and extensive
deposits of scoria.
In the midst of these extinct craters we could see two small blue
lakes; one of a complete circular form, the other, which was only a
short distance away from the first, being nearly oblong in shape. The
lakes, like those on the southern side of the mountain, were evidently
nothing more than extinct craters filled by subterranean springs.
Beyond these lakes we could see the steam rising from the Ketetahi
crater, while further along to the north was a white cloud marking the
position of the boiling springs.[50]
We left the summit of the cone towards sundown, but in place of
descending by the route we had ascended, we came down a very steep part
of the mountain on its eastern side. This precipitous slope, covered
thickly with loose scoria, and strewn in parts with enormous boulders
and rounded stones, was walled in on either side by two stupendous
lava ridges, which ran down the mountain-side and gradually opened out
towards the base in the form of a triangle. The slope of the cone was
here very steep, and the scoria being fine and very loose, gave way
under our feet, and caused us to slide rapidly forward for many feet
at every step. Taking hold of each other's arms to better maintain
our equilibrium, we took gigantic strides, each one, as the scoria
slid down with us, carrying us forward from ten to fifteen feet at a
time. In this way many large and small stones were set loose, until we
had a whole regiment of them bounding on in front of us, and as their
momentum increased at a terrific rate with every foot they rolled down
the steep incline, they soon attained the velocity of cannonballs, and
went crashing with tremendous force into the rock-bound valley below.
So rapid, in fact, was our progress in this way, that, although our
ascent from the bottom to the top of the cone had occupied us nearly
six hours in hard climbing, we made the descent in a little over an
hour and a half.
It was dark when we reached the base of the mountain, but we managed by
slow degrees to find our way over the stupendous masses of rock which
lay scattered over the deep ravine forming the head of the Waihohonu
Valley. Here an enormous fissure ran down along the course of the
dreary-looking gorge, and as it wound along in a snake-like course, it
appeared as if it had been formed by a river of lava, which had been
suddenly cooled, and then as suddenly cleft in twain. We picked our way
for about a couple of miles along its rugged, boulder-strewn banks, and
as the shades of night closed round us the whole surroundings looked
so dismal that we appeared to be passing through a veritable valley of
death. When we arrived at our camping-place our first anxiety was to
see that the natives had not swept down and taken our horses. Luck was,
however, on our side, and we found the animals where we had left them,
but very poorly off for feed. It was evident from the keen feeling of
cold in the air that we were going to have a severe night, as the
temperature was falling rapidly, and as the moon rose bright and clear
a heavy frost set in. We lit a fire, and made a scanty meal of tea and
biscuit; and as we were anxious to get clear of the tapued mountain
with the first streak of dawn, we resolved not to erect our tent, in
order that we might not be delayed in our rapid retreat. We therefore
spread our blankets upon the ground, and made a tolerably comfortable
bed on the scoria.
[Illustration: TONGARIRO BY MOONLIGHT.
_Page 197._]
When we lay down to rest in the dreary valley with its lava-walled
sides, the full moon shone brilliantly, the great cone of Tongariro,
with its feathery cloud of steam, looked grandly beautiful beneath
the clear silvery light, the stars hung like lamps from the cloudless
heavens, and the magnificent constellation of the Southern Cross shone
directly over our heads. Never in any part of the world had I seen
the heavens appear so clear and radiant as when gazing upon them from
the depths of this dark valley. Around us, however, on every side the
whole place had a singularly wild, weird look, and a strange sense of
loneliness seemed to hover around us. We were in a tapued region, which
the superstitious minds of the natives had made the abode of _taniwhas_
and other evil demons. The bones of the ill-fated Te Heuheu lay
somewhere upon the great mountain, and Turner suggested that the ghost
of the great Maori chief might slink down upon us in the night just to
test the thickness of our skulls with his greenstone _mere_. It was,
however, the living which concerned us most, as we still had a kind of
secret conviction that the natives we had seen in the morning had laid
some plan to entrap us.
Sleep, however, came at last, but the cold soon awoke us, and by
midnight the whole valley was covered with a thick coating of white
frost, which glistened like snow beneath the pale moonlight. I had
placed my thermometer close handy, so that I might observe it during
the night, and I now found that it stood at 27°; at four o'clock it
marked 22°; and at six o'clock, just before sunrise, it indicated
exactly twelve degrees of frost. The plants around us were completely
matted together with white incrustations; the icicles rose from the
ground over an inch in length, and in a way that I had never seen
before; the breath froze upon the moustache and beard; the manes of our
horses stood erect, the bristles about their nostrils were transformed
into needle-like icicles, and their backs were covered with a crisp,
white coating of frost.
It did not take us long to saddle up, although we experienced some
little difficulty with the buckles, owing to our fingers being numbed
with the cold; but once on our horses, we rode rapidly away from
Tongariro, and just as the first ray of sunlight swept over the hills
we gained the plains beyond, to begin the ascent of Ruapehu.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 46: _Taniwha_, native name for a fabulous reptile supposed to
inhabit deep water.]
[Footnote 47:
The exact position of Tongariro is--
Lat. 39° 9' 45" S.
Long. 175° 38' 20" E.]
[Footnote 48: Throughout the journey we found that the cold winds from
the south invariably brought fine weather.]
[Footnote 49: For _flora_ of Tongariro, _vide_ Appendix.]
[Footnote 50: It is supposed by many that Tongariro and Whakari (White
Island) are the only two remaining centres of active volcanic action
in what may be termed the Australasian division of the Pacific. This
in reality is not the case. The great volcanic belt which appears to
extend through the Malay Archipelago may be said to stretch as far
south as the New Hebrides. Thus on the island of Tanna there is an
active volcano which attains to an altitude of 1500 feet above the
sea. It is in a constant state of eruption, emitting vast volumes
of smoke, with ashes and lava, from a crater 500 feet in depth. On
the island of Ambrym, of the same group, there is likewise an active
volcano, nearly equal in size to that of Tanna, while on the island of
Vanikoro still further to the north, in the Santa Cruz group, there
is a cone-shaped mountain in a constant state of activity. During a
journey of exploration in the New Hebrides and other islands of the
Coral Sea, the volcano of Tanna was ascended by the author, who read
papers descriptive of the islands before the British Association, at
its meeting held at the University of Glasgow in 1876.]