Overview
Sun. Nov. 29.
½ pl photo (1) of rock-lily in bloom & ½ pl (2) Long-leaved Cabbage-tree in bloom – growing in our garden. At 9.30 we all set out in car & drove via Beach & Hokio Roads to ford on Hokio Stream, ¼ mile or so below outlet of Lake Horowhenua. Left car in front of Hector McDonald Snr’s old homestead (now occupied by Maoris) & followed Hokio Stm down on right bank. ½ pl. photo (3) Clyde with eel trap in Hokio Stm. ½ pl (4) Another view of eel-trap. This is constructed of thin plaited lianes or vines, which have dried hard & woody. ½ pl (5) of old eel-weir, Hokio Stm. The stream flows swiftly here & I noted near margin of water in one place, a bed of stiff ferruginous clay with a few greywacke(?) pebbles, outcropping at the base of the sandy bank. This deposit is something of a problem but may be a deposit of the Ohau River at a time immediately prior to the forming of Lake Horowhenua. Below the clay outcrop the stream flows in a narrow trench between steep grassy dunes. Near Winiata’s homestead we left stream & crossed low grassy dunes to the foot of steep face of advancing sand, taking en route ½ pl. photo (6) a general view of grassed dunes, with broken dune in centre [inserted word ‘Komokorau’ above text here], with stretches of one kind of manuka (scrub) on flats & dense thickets of isolated specimens of tree manuka of the slopes & tops. ½ pl. (7) of steep sand-drift advancing on grassy flat. Maud rested while Nancy, Clyde & I climbed to top of broken dune & took ½ pl. (8) of Lake Horowhenua, Levin, Tararuas under clouds, & course of Hokio Stm below lake, manuka flats etc, using Wratten K2 Screen (exposure 1 sec. automatic). Found a beautiful creeper with long narrow dark green leaves & tiny waxy flowers growing on manuka. ½ pl. photo (9) of broken dune from foot (children on summit) showing vertical streaks formed by sliding tongues of sand (screen 1 sec auto) Returned to car & had a snack. Walked along left bank of Hokio to outlet of lake. Left for home at 1.40 pm & took it easy rest of day.
½ pl photo (1) of rock-lily in bloom & ½ pl (2) Long-leaved Cabbage-tree in bloom – growing in our garden. At 9.30 we all set out in car & drove via Beach & Hokio Roads to ford on Hokio Stream, ¼ mile or so below outlet of Lake Horowhenua. Left car in front of Hector McDonald Snr’s old homestead (now occupied by Maoris) & followed Hokio Stm down on right bank. ½ pl. photo (3) Clyde with eel trap in Hokio Stm. ½ pl (4) Another view of eel-trap. This is constructed of thin plaited lianes or vines, which have dried hard & woody. ½ pl (5) of old eel-weir, Hokio Stm. The stream flows swiftly here & I noted near margin of water in one place, a bed of stiff ferruginous clay with a few greywacke(?) pebbles, outcropping at the base of the sandy bank. This deposit is something of a problem but may be a deposit of the Ohau River at a time immediately prior to the forming of Lake Horowhenua. Below the clay outcrop the stream flows in a narrow trench between steep grassy dunes. Near Winiata’s homestead we left stream & crossed low grassy dunes to the foot of steep face of advancing sand, taking en route ½ pl. photo (6) a general view of grassed dunes, with broken dune in centre [inserted word ‘Komokorau’ above text here], with stretches of one kind of manuka (scrub) on flats & dense thickets of isolated specimens of tree manuka of the slopes & tops. ½ pl. (7) of steep sand-drift advancing on grassy flat. Maud rested while Nancy, Clyde & I climbed to top of broken dune & took ½ pl. (8) of Lake Horowhenua, Levin, Tararuas under clouds, & course of Hokio Stm below lake, manuka flats etc, using Wratten K2 Screen (exposure 1 sec. automatic). Found a beautiful creeper with long narrow dark green leaves & tiny waxy flowers growing on manuka. ½ pl. photo (9) of broken dune from foot (children on summit) showing vertical streaks formed by sliding tongues of sand (screen 1 sec auto) Returned to car & had a snack. Walked along left bank of Hokio to outlet of lake. Left for home at 1.40 pm & took it easy rest of day.