THROUGH THE WANGAPEKA WITH A GEOLOGIST. WITH A GEOLOGIST.

Colonist, Volume XXXI, Issue 5174, 29 March 1888, Page 3

THROUGH THE WANGAPEKA WITH A GEOLOGIST.

WITH A GEOLOGIST.

(Continued). FBOM THE DABT TO BOlitiXKa RIVER.

Passing the terraces with the blackened

stumps, we appreciate the beauties of nature

unmarred all the more for the blot we have left behind. Once more the river is visible upon our right, the water sparkling in the sunshine, with gleaming masses of rook here and there which retard the onward stream, and cause it to foam as it leaps downward to more placid reaches. Oar track is between a mass

of verdure, and many of the shrubs are of great beauty. One has commanded our

attention a3 a stranger; it has large handsome leaves something like those of the loquat, and its flowers are like bunches of

: large gowaus. My friend tells me it is tho Srinecio Hectori, named after Sir Jas. Hector, who first discovered this variety in the Owen Valley. It must" be a hardy shrub, and should be a favorite in the Old Country. We picked some of the seed to send away. A* we walked we had splendid opportunities of observing the geological formatioa of the country, for not only in the river bad itself and in its steep rocky boundaries, but where the rocks skirt our track, or are exposed where small streams have cut channels in j

their rush to the main river, we can examine the rocks and note their course and dip. After leaving the limestone behind we como

ipon blue calcareous

slate, whioh in

turn is auoceeded by an intensely hard grey cherty sandstone, in whioh bedded impregnations of quartz ara common, the quartz being ef a white crystalline structure, with a pearly lustra which does not. augur well for tha discovery of mineral deposits in this rock. Till about half way to the Boiling Eiver the dip of the rocks is to the east, but beyond this the dip changes to the west, and at this point we obseive a splendid exan-ple of cause and effect, allowing how valleys are formed. Of course the change of the dip of solid bedded rocks can ouly be brought about by aome very powerful agenoy, such as the forcing upward of a mass of underlying rook. To illustrate what I mean, let it be supposed that a book is opened and placed with the open pages downward, let a hand be thrust beneath the centre of the book and raised, whertupen the book will assume a ridgelike position. Now, if a level surface of slate or sandstone rook be in the same position as the book and a mass, say of granite, be forced upward, as the hand has been,—forced possibly owing to the contraction of the earth's crust, and perhaps so slowly that the movement would only be percebtible after years of observation-the bed of .elate, for instance, would then gradually lose its horizontal position, and approach the vertical till the angle of its dip became greater aud greater, and a ridge-like hill or meuntain was formed. At the top of this ridge, however, the strata, unlike the supple back of the book, would be broken or shattered by the immense strain it had borne, and first tha mere trickle of water, then the mountain torrent, aod ultimately tha river would find in this fracture an easy place for forming its bed. In course cf time a valley might thus be cut out below where the highest peak had been, and an examinatien of

this vail y would show the dip of the rooks on one side of tho val «y to be in the opposite direction to their dip on the other side of the valley. At the point I have indicated there is tha leading valley, with two other small valleys at about right angles, and these have actually been formed in just such a way as I have endeavored to explain, without the use of technical phraseH which might not be understood by some. Our path along this part of the river is at times considerably above its level, and then we look down oa the rock-bound stream, watch the water dashing over rooks still undergoing the process of wearing down, and note by trees perched on some of the highest what a formidable river

it must be in times of flood. Wo have passed some fine level flats where luxuriant gra3s is growing, and now, after imagining that we should find no settlers, but only gold diggers and prospectors beyond, we come upon as fine a clearing as one could wish to see. The mixed hush, rimu, piue, aud birch, had already indicated the good quality of the land, but now bvfoie us we observe a neat painted cottage with fenced orchard beside it, and ia front a garden with fenced potato patch of considerable) size, where pumpkins were also growing, Mr Graham, the settler who has formed this pleasant home, has a fine extent of good land on which he has cattle and horses runniug and we found him engaged in getting rid of stumps and partially burnt logs. As we passed, some six or seven ol his children were viewing us' from the house, which liei a little biek from tha road, and surrounded by oliva branabes, a man might find far worsa places than this whereat to form that sacred place -Home. I spoke to one of tha ohildren afterwards, and the boy, an intelligent lad of about ten years old, told me he could read, but scarcely write yet. Of course in such places our State system of Education can do nothing; yet, occupied as their time must be, I noticed that man.of the settlers wore giving their children some education, although it is winter time that is chiefly chosen for the imparting of knowledge. The scenery hereabouts is very charming, aud at aue point where the river beads, the rooks which jutted out into tha water bore evidence of tha strain which had forced them from their original position, for in places the lateral pressure had given them a slightly corrugated form. Till wa reached the point where these valleys met, the dip of the rooks had been to the east, but beyond the dip ohanged to the west, and the beds of slate and sandstone were repeated, the cherts again- appearing at the mouth of the Boiling Biver. Before reaching that river w» had passed another settler's house, and aa we neared tha Boiling «ur patk horse was taken down to the Wangapeka Biver, and it proceeded along the beaches to the junction. We, howover, continued along the hill side, and at length doubting whether we. had not gone past tbe place where we were directed to descend, we forced a path through the scrub on to a rook which almost overhung the river, and something like 200 feet below ua saw the stream and heard a miner shovel-

ling. Th«n continuing on and passing over a slip we saw our track down to the stream, and descending came upon a miner's hut, around which was a garden and small orchard with wqll-ladea apple tiees. Then, stopping beside some great mas3es of bramble laden with large blackberries, we enjoyed tha fruit bafore passing on ta the Bolliug River, which we crossed by means of a primitive suspension bridge, which, has in place of handrail a solitary %ire just sufficient to I guide one across tho oscillating structure. | Aoross the 6tream we found another minerV house wita fenced vegetable garden, and beyond it Chandler and the packhorse were awaiting us, (To be continued.)