Journy to the Waipara and Hurunui, 1867.

Before making my usual autumnal journey into the interior of the Province, I left on January 20th, to visit its north-eastern portion, with which I was still unacquainted. After first visiting Glenmark, I followed the broad valley of the Omihi, crossing near its sources into a branch of the Waikari, and from which the Cabbage-tree flat, the upper portion of the valley of the Greta, is reached. Crossing over into the head waters of the Motunau river, I examined, near Cave station, the beds of brown coal, and other minerals of economic value occurring there. From here I followed the Motunau for a short distance, and then passing over the Coast range, the "Burnt-hut" hills, I arrived at Motunau station, then belonging to Mr. Caverhill. Several days were devoted to an examination of the cretaceo-tertiary and young tertiary beds, tracing the brown coal seams, and collecting fossils. The small plateau lying between Motunau and Stonyhurst Station, which is deeply cut into by Blackbirch and other creeks, was next examined; after which, on February 5th, I crossed over Pendlehill into the Hurunui, which was ascended for some distance. A few days were devoted to an examination of the Greta and the lower Waikari, in the latter of which a fine series of fossils were collected in the middle tertiary beds, so well exposed along the banks of the river. Crossing the ranges again from the Waikari to Glenmark, and thence by the Weka Pass to the Hurunui, I was enabled to unravel the somewhat complicated structure of the different beds by which these interesting ranges are formed. Towards the middle of February I returned to Christchurch.

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The Directors of the Christchurch High School wishing to introduce scientific instruction into their curriculum, I gave, at their request, a course of lectures on geology, in the Town Hall, which was well attended, and formed the beginning of a series of lectures which I delivered at that institution on the same subject, during subsequent years.

Further papers on the Geology, and Physical Geography of Canterbury were sent by me, about that time, to the Geological and Royal Geographical Societies of London, and printed in their Transactions^*