The path
led through the same undulating country, the whole uniformly
clothed as before with fern. On our right hand we had a serpentine
river, the banks of which were fringed with trees, and here and
there on the hill-sides there was a clump of wood. The whole scene,
in spite of its green colour, had rather a desolate aspect. The
sight of so much fern impresses the mind with an idea of sterility:
this, however, is not correct; for wherever the fern grows thick
and breast-high, the land by tillage becomes productive. Some of
the residents think that all this extensive open country originally
was covered with forests, and that it has been cleared by fire. It
is said, that by digging in the barest spots, lumps of the kind of
resin which flows from the kauri pine are frequently found. The
natives had an evident motive in clearing the country; for the
fern, formerly a staple article of food, flourishes only in the
open cleared tracks. The almost entire absence of associated
grasses, which forms so remarkable a feature in the vegetation of
this island, may perhaps be accounted for by the land having been
aboriginally covered with forest-trees.
The soil is volcanic; in several parts we passed over slaggy lavas,
and craters could clearly be distinguished on several of the
neighbouring hills.
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