On the evening of the 20th May we sailed from Otago Heads, with a fair breeze from the north-east, but it died away during the night, and till the evening of the 24th we drifted slowly along with only light but favourable puffs of wind. The weather during this time was delightful, and there was nothing in the clear warm air, richly tinted sky, and delicate veil of haze that hung over the land, to remind one that it was only a month from the shortest day. At night the sea was rendered brightly phosphorescent, principally by swarms of minute ciliagrade medusæ.
A constant current sets up this part of the coast to the northward, and is stated in the 'N. Z. Pilot' at from 1 to 1¼ mile per hour. This may be the case close in shore, but as our course lay 7 miles from land, we did not find it to exceed ¼ mile per hour. When anchored in the channel within the bar at the Heads, the current was found to run at the rate of 2¼ knots per hour alternately with the ebb and flood tides, and the temperature of the ebbing wmters to be 1° Fahr. lower than that of the flood, this difference being constant both with day and night tides, the ebb being 50° and the flood 51°. When 6 or 7 miles from land, the temperature was, however, constantly 51°.
During the 24th there were signs of stormy weather brewing in the south, so that we hugged close to the land between the Nuggets and Tautuku Bay. The coast here is picturesque, being precipitous with numerous indentations. The cliffs, which rise to an average height of 270 feet, are composed of stratified rock, dipping to the north-east, with from 12° to 20° inclination to the horizon.
On the 25th I landed in Riverton Harbour, and engaged the services of a native crew to accompany the Expedition in one of their large sealing-yawls. I moreover engaged a native seaman named Henry, who was strongly recommended as being well acquainted with the West Coast. I was detained in Riverton, bargaining with the Maoris and by other delays, until the 11th of June. Riverton Harbour is not suitable for a vessel of more than 100 tons, as the river is too narrow to permit a large craft mooring with the strong currents that set with both the ebb and flood tide. That with the ebb ordinarily runs at 4 knots per hour, and is greatly increased during freshets.
At 9 a.m. on the 12th June we crossed the bar, just at full tide, the depth of water being 7½ feet. On quitting the roadstead, which is that portion of the bay sheltered from the west by Howell's Point, we found it blowing a stiff breeze from the w.s.w. This wind suited us very well, as my object was to reach Port William in Stewart's Island, there to await the first easterly breeze we might have.
The coast of Stewart's Island is bold but not precipitous, and thickly wooded to the water's edge. There are several snug nooks
