Overview
Sun. Jan. 28.
Strong easterly still blowing over my hilltop. Rode up to look + found fire in the bush travelling southward. This fire has spread over SE part of "1st burn" + a large part of the b[oun]d[ar]y fence skirting same has been destroyed - the wire damaged + scores of battens burned but hinau posts have resisted the fire wonderfully. There has, however, been a good clean up of the masses of logs through enormous quantities of debris remains. Walked along as far as L-Top p[addock] fence - good clean up on "2nd burn" at top of Trunk Spur + rimu slabs for battens burned, but remainder of log is now available. Fire is still travelling thro' bush just
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inside from bdy but more of the fence will probably be damaged. Except for the spoiled wire the fires will do a great deal of good, and . . . [sic] give me a huge amount of extra work. In pm wind increased + the big side spur on Sputh side of Main Wedge caught fire. Rode up to Top p. to see. Wrote to L. Harry McCalman. Read "1914" by John Oxenham.