The general opinion is that the Rakaia is now tending rather to the northern side.A fresh comes down upon a crumbling bank of sand and loose shingle with incredible force,tearing it away hour by hour in ravenous bites.In fording the river one crosses now a considerable stream on the northern side,where four months ago there was hardly any;while after one has done with the water part of the story,there remains a large extent of river-bed,in the process of gradually being covered with cabbage-trees,flax,tussock,Irishman,and other plants and evergreens;yet after one is once clear of the blankets (so to speak)of the river-bed,the traces of the river are no fresher on the southern than on the northern side,even if so fresh.
The plains,at first sight,would appear to have been brought down by the rivers from the mountains.The stones upon them are all water-worn,and they are traversed by a great number of old water-courses,all tending more or less from the mountains to the sea.How,then,are we to account for the deep and very wide channels cut by the rivers?--for channels,it may be,more than a mile broad,and flanked on either side by steep terraces,which,near the mountains,are several feet high?If the rivers cut these terraces,and made these deep channels,the plains must have been there already for the rivers to cut them.It must be remembered that I write without any scientific knowledge.