FARTHEST NORTH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 179, 1 August 1939, Page 8

FARTHEST NORTH.

NEW SNOW RECORD.

FALL AT CAPE MARIA. FIRST TIME IN HISTORY. Tor about half an hour yesterday snow fell at Cape Alalia van Diomcu. Thi* is the first record in history of surli an occurrence and there w nothing in the mythology of the Maori predecessors* of the present settlers to suggest that such a. thing has happened before.

As the most northerly point in New Zealand, the rape usually enjoys a subtropical winter climate, but yesterday n ridue was covered for some, distance by a light fall of snow.

In the morning bitterly cold but sunny conditions prevailed at the cape, but ihi' sun was clouded over shortly after 1.30 o'clock in the afternoon.

Jt was then that one of the keepers at the lightlion*p. which stands ah.ml a quarter of a mile off-shore, was amazed to eee snow f;illinsr on a ridge of a hill on the mainland about a mile distant. The hillside, which was les.s than llMlft above sea level, war; c<ooll covered by a white mantle, drifts funning in crevices and at the foot of rocky slopes. Tim flakes fell only oil a sharply defined patch of ground. The fall lasted for about half an hour and at five o'clock drifts of snow were .still visible on portions of the range that had not been exposed to thu afternoon sun. Though no other .-now was recorded in the Far North, unusually cold conditions prevailed at Te Paki station, Te Hapiui, Jlouhora and Kaitaia.