Left Mr. Woon's about 10 in the morning. A very wet and severe day. The road a continuous sheet of water. In crossing one of these long ponds, I fell in to the neck, with Basil Taylor on my shoulders. The rivers, and whole face of the country is so swelled up with rain that we cannot make a good long day's journey. At Kaupukunui, we pitched tent in a miserable deserted native hut. It rained so hard that we did not attempt going to Otumatua this day. We had a difficulty in getting a fire, my matches being damp by my fall in the stream. We succeeded by rubbing two sticks as the natives always do, and got a fire. Some natives, at a distance, espied the smoke, and one came to us, when I despatched him with some of my boys, for a pig and some potatoes, which were soon provided, and my party in good spirits, cleaning and dressing the pig. At the entrance of this river, there is a large tree, called Taraika, which the natives say was a portion of a ridge-pole of an ancient house, of which a portion was once separated for a canoe baler, by Taranaki natives and the canoe, being lost, the baler and owner of it were found connected with this wonderful tree.