Moa and apteryx 317 Native girl 330 Woman of the Waikato tribe 333 Te Kooti, from a sketch by the author 335 Te Kooti's wife 336 THE KING COUNTRY. INTRODUCTION. Geographical description of the King Country--Its political state--Efforts made to open it--Condition of the natives--Origin of the journey--Letter of introduction to the king. That portion of the North Island of New Zealand known as the King Country extends (as near as the boundary can be defined) from lat. 38° to 39° 20' S., and from long. 174° 20' to 176° E. Its approximate area is equivalent to 10,000 square miles. In the north the _aukati_, or boundary-line--separating it from the European portion of the colony--passes by the southern shores of Aotea Harbour, thence easterly through the Pirongia Ranges in a direct line to the Waikato River, along which it follows nearly to Atea-amuri, from which point it strikes directly south to Lake Taupo. It takes in the whole of the western half of that lake; it then stretches south along the Kaimanawa Mountains to the Murimotu Plains, whence it goes westerly, round the southern base of Mount Ruapehu to the mouth of the Manganui-a-te-Ao River, and thence north-westerly until it joins the coast at a point a little to the north of Pukearuhe.