Page:The journal of the Royal Geographic Society of London. Volume 34, 1864. (IA s572id13663720).pdf/266

60 sea. The Waiau receives in its course, from the west side, the Borland, Monowai, Dean and Lillburn, in the order named; and similarly from the east the Mararoa, Wairaki, Orawea, and many smaller streams; each of the streams just named is of considerable size, and two of them, the Mararoa and Monowai, may be classed as rivers, and will yet be noticed as such further on; still, so far as appearances indicate, there is no very perceptible increase of the Waiau after leaving the lakes; it seems to issue from them full-grown; its average breadth is 150 yards, its depth may be from 10 to 20 feet, and the rate of current, after being joined by the Mararoa, from 4 to 7 miles an hour. Judging of the volume of rivers by the extent of country drained by them, the Waiau would be rated at rather more than one-third of the Clutha. In this case, however, I think, from causes already mentioned, that there will be greater precipitation on the western watershed of the Waiau than on some of the watersheds of the Clutha, many of the latter being secondary ridges of mountains in the interior; if so, then there will have to be an allowance made in favour of the size of the Waiau.

The Mararoa takes its rise by means of two branches in the Livingstone Mountains, which unite together about half a mile above the North Mavora Lake. After flowing due south through the Mavora Lakes for 9 miles, the Mararoa for the next 18 miles of its course flows in a south-west direction through a finely-grassed and well-wooded valley; it then bends to the west a little north of the boundary line between the Otago and Southland provinces; for the next 10 miles of its course it runs nearly due west, running off and on the boundary line during that distance; it then receives the Whitestone Creek, a very considerable tributary that takes its rise near Snowdon, and has a south-west course of upwards of 20 miles through the Te Anau Downs. The Mararoa, after receiving the Whitestone, suddenly bends to the south, and after a further course of 6 miles it joins the Waiau about 4 miles south of the boundary line. The total length of the Mararoa from its most remote source to its confluence with the Waiau is 56 miles.

The Monowai is the outlet of the lake of the same name: the length of the river is 6 miles, and its direction ; it joins the Waiau 12 miles below the confluence of the Mararoa. It was in the middle of November I saw the Monowai; it was then nearly a chain wide, and was from 18 inches to 2 feet deep, and had a current of not less than 5 miles an hour; the Monowai Lake must, therefore, receive the drainage of a very considerable extent of country to the west of the Hunter Mountains. This country, as seen in the beginning of November from the summit of Hindley and from Ardeer Peak, appeared to be very high and mountainous; all the peaks seen were covered with snow.