Overview
Sun. Apr. 3.
Left home on horseback with cameras at 8 am to visit the Mangaore Valley, Mr. V. Croon, manager of the Arapeti Company’s block, having invited me to inspect a supposed seam of graphite. Reached Ron Law’s at 8.45 + crossed his farm to Buckley Rd. Left horse on roadside below Arapaepae No. 3 + ascended to the trig arriving at 9.30. Descended into the flat-bottomed valley immediately to the north of “The Heights” Basin. ½ pl[ate] photo (1) of the gorge in the northern rim of “The Heights” Basin. Proceeded down valley, the main stream of which hugs the foot of facetted [sic] spurs on its
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left-bank side. In this respect and also as regards the topography of its bottom it closely resembles this valley very closely resembles [sic] that on the Waireka Stm [Stream] situated on the other side of “The Heights” Basin. Passing the junction of a large tributary on its right bank, I reached the upper end of Pretoria Rd. Then ascended to the crest of the flat-topped spurs which here divide this stream from the Mangaore. This flat top evidently marks the level of the valley-fill of the Mangaore in the Early Pleistocene alluviation but as it stands at a higher level than the spurs of high-level alluvium in the valley of the stream rising in Arapaepae No. 3, it would seem that the corresponding level in the last-mentioned valley has been entirely removed. Crossed Mangaore St. + ascended to Mr. Croon’s homestead (good house, big wool-shed + other b[ui]ld[in]gs + sheep y[ar]ds +c [etc.]) which is situated on the surface of the Mangaore valley-fill on the right-bank of the stream. Reached homestead at 10.30 + found Mr. Croon awaiting me. He showed me the supposed graphite but it proved to be dark slickenside slate + fine crushed mullock of slate. After dinner I took ¼ pl. photo (2) of Mr. Croon, daughter + two boys, Lloyd + Charlie.