GEOLOGY OP NEW ZEALAND.
203
longing to the system in boulders in the Waitaki * ; but the rocks
have not yet been detected in situ. The southern development of
the system is on the coast between the rivers Clutha and Mataura,
passing inland through the Hokanui Mountains to beyond lit.
Hamilton. This is the best locality for making out the series of
rocks forming the system, a work which has been ably accomplished
by Mr. S. H. Cox f.
The rocks are principally blue slates and green or brown sand-
stones, with beds of conglomerate sometimes passing into breccias.
There are no limestones. In the lower series beds of greenstone
ash occur, and in the upper thin seams of coal. It is a littoral
formation, plant-remains being found throughout. The thickness
has been estimated both by Mr. Cox and by myself at between
20,000 and 25,000 feet in Southland.
This system is undoubtedly unconformable to the Maitai System,
but it not easy to get good sections to prove this. The best is
perhaps in Southland, at the Takitimu Mts., where I reported an
Fig. 3. — Section from Oreti Eiver to the Tcikitimu Mountains.
(Distance 12 miles.)
N.E. s.w.
Orgti Haycock Takitimu
Eiver. Hills. Mt. Hamilton. Mts.
d. Maitai System.
/. Waipara System.
e. Hokanui System.
g. OamarvL System.
unconformity in 1872 J, and this has since been confirmed by
Mr. Cox § (fig. 3, e). In no place, however, is it known to rest on
the Maitai System.
The Hokanui System forms the upper part of Dr. von Haast's
" Mt. Torlesse formation." It has been divided into a considerable
number of series, all conformable to each other, but distinguished
by their fossils. The fossils, however, have not been described ;
and, although it may very probably be true that all these series
will be found to be necessary, at present it is impossible to recognize
them in the field, and it therefore seems to me preferable to reduce
the series to three at the most. The KaiMJcu Series forms the base
of the system ; but fossils are rare, and I doubt much whether it can

• Reports of Geological Survey, 1881, p. 77.
  

t Eep. Geol. Surv. 1877-8, p. 25.
t Eep. Geol. Surv. 1871-2, p. 103.