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Southland Times, Issue 1105, 10 February 1869, Page 3

New Zealand AlliGatob (?) — A correspondent of the ' Wellington Independent ' writes, " Last week I heard from L>r Smith of Manawatu, of a stranuo appearance in a lake near Otaki. I wrote to Archdeacon Hadfield, and received this answer : — ' The natives have always told me that there was a large taniwha in Waitaira lake. About the year 1842 they positively asserte 1 that they saw it upset a canoe hi which one of itangihaetas's slaveß was, who was drowned. They have constantly cautioned rny nephews from bathing in the lake. About three weeks ago they were together on a hill four or five hundred yards oft', looking down on the lake, when they saw a ripple on the water which was also very muddy (the lake is always clear, being deep), when they perceived an animal like an alligator, it appeared to have a 1 idge ou its back or neck. One of them considered ir. to be fifteen feet, the other twenty feet in length. It shortly disappeared rouad a point of land in the lake. My nephews are uot imaginative, nor will they now bathe in the lake. The distance at which they were was considerable. On tha other it was a calm, still evening, and the lake has nothine floating about on it.' "