THE ARAPUNI GORGE INTERESTING HYPOTHESTS.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LIV, Issue 9028, 6 November 1925, Page 4

THE ARAPUNI GORGE INTERESTING HYPOTHESTS.

(To the Editor.} Sir. — Souk> lo .ii 20 nolo ~,. „ Waikato luv< r trum Arap;m> o lies a large area oi country 1 the lav observer, piv.stntx sevei-.i deuces of having nine het>u di<- >.,.„„ . . "^lUloi thermal oi tar "lvater ?*. • <- "*« ext^m than any at, present coins/ ~,, : v Zealand. One instance >i thv.se ov j evs will suffice. Tin re ;nv huve !,.,'■* up to a quarter ..| a mile n, These are reinarka-i»J<- in many «■.—" MJtJI. They 1 are often almo-i menhir and ol' the shape of a frying ](:ni% ]y& . .sides of from two to Hiree times th* usual height. Each „f these" h»ll OWg an outlet usually in the form of a rW narrow sully. \vhie.h. lower down, b, comes a still deeper and narrow rocky gorge, bearing evidence of \ once, carried, and been formod bv , fairly large and swift stream. Eac*ji of those hollows has an outlet, lnit— an j here is the significant fact- no , - „u suggesting at oner that the Wa!er which formed the. gully must haw came out of the ground, apparently as large geyser. Now, when largo cjuautil I ties of water are in this manner shot up by subterranean heat to the surface of an area of otherwise waterless conn, try, there must be a constant source of supply of that water from somewhere The configuration of ihe Hun-oundinc eoimtry indicates that the area under discussion is on or near the tjflge of what was once, a, fairly extensive lake which became drained when its out. flowing waters cut what is now known as the "Arapuni,Gorge. The waters of this lake by passing through cracks or other passages to conic in contact with the necessary heat may have provided the supply for the geysers and other thermal manifestations— the largest thermal regions are fo-daj near the edges of lakes in New Zealand. Man is now busy reversing nature's process by blocking Arapuni Gorge. This will have tho effect of recreating the. lake. Will tho reversing process continue to the extent of the lakes' re-creating the geysers, etc? It is an interesting ]>os.sibility that New Zealand may thus become the possessor of thermal wonders of many times greater magnitude than those now in active existence hero. To avoid destroying anyone's peace of mind it will bo M well to mention that fhe area where, according to the foregoing hypothesis, _ thermal activities may re-commence, is - nf- present practically waste lanrl. inhabited only by wild pigs and horses „ for miles in every direction. —T am. etc, " K. A. McKENZTB. Mission Street, Tauranga.