The natives carried their superstition so far as to request us not to eat them and we fearing they were poisonous did not, but we were afterwards told, that they were perfectly harmless. We also saw a great many plants of Curramiko in this part of the Mountain. About this place our party divided, the majority considering that an easier ascent to the top might be found more Westward and accordingly tried this place which abruptly terminated at a considerable height in a perpendicular precipiece. The other party was more fortunate but still unable to ascend the summit being stopped by a precipiece which he considered to be the lip of the crater. The snow was exceedingly hard and very dirty from the sand and pieces of rock being blown into it from the adjacent rocks. The top of the mountain must be considered considerably less than mentioned in Dieffenback's New Zealand, we had no opportunity of seeing the country from this elevation, as the top of the mountain was hooded in the clouds, seeing no prospect of an immediate change, we descended and being now out of provisions made towards the Wanga-ta-tu river with the intention of walking down its bed to the nearest native settlement wh. the natives said was about 20 miles distant and thereby most reluctantly compelled to abandon our intention of returning by the West boundary of the New block. Had we persevered in this scheme we must have been (supposing we had the finest weather) at least 5 days without provisions. After descending about 2 Miles we came to fire wood but not water, wh. having little or nothing to cook was of little consequence and therefore determined to encamp for the night. After passing a most miserable night we started at day light for the river before spoken of and walked about 3 miles, down its course, the rain