Overview
Sun. Jan. 6
Up at 5 am. At 6 rode up to Sonoma + moved ewes + lambs from top p[addock] to 100 ac[re] p. + ditto from lower Leighton p. to Mill p. At 8 am rode up Gladstone Road to have a look at Mr Pee s farm. On passing his entrance gate the road fords the tributary of the Makahika + runs up a narrow gorge between steep high hills sheer drop in some places from road to the river. Above this gorge the valley opens out + there are river flats + one or two nice patches of river-terrace-top. On one of these is the homestead, a rather good house of modern style + a good crop of potatoes to one side. The farm is quite good except for the bad entrance. The western part, steep faces of the Arapaepae Range, is the roughest. Along the south bdy [boundary] are four low hills, part of the old valley plain , terminating to the west in a steep flat-topped rocky hill of equal height. When flowing on the old valley-plain , the Makahika River cuts laterally
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into the Arapaepae Range + then downwards to form the present gorge. This additional rocky area of the old valley plain now forms the steep hill which blocks the approach to the upper part of the Makahika Valley + has not weathered into rounded hills like the gravelly parts of the valley-plain . Another ridge of the old valley-plain runs from the middle of Mr Pees north bdy, north, east through Mr Mortenson s section towards the source of the Otaruru Stream which flows out at Shannon. To the east Mr Pees farm runs up on to the hills bounding the valley + the bdy runs along a long unbroken lateral spur. Charming native shrubberies border the river in several places, horopito predominating. On leaving Mr Pees farm, the Gladstone Rd runs through the corner of one of McDonald s sections as far as Mr Mortenson s bdy where he has erected a galvanised iron whare. In McDonald s, scores, if not hundreds, of foxgloves, 6 ft high, were
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ripe + pouring out seed numerous plants have already spread on to the adjoining farms. Mr Pees is still having bush felled especially round his boundaries which are now defined. Mr Mortenson s 400 ac. section is cleared + grassed along its southern part + felling is proceeding. McDonald s block is a[n] old clearing + is now a wilderness of scrub, fern + long grass apparently abandoned + unstocked. I took a 1/2 pl[ate] photo of (1) Mr Pee s farm from Mr Mortenson s SW corner look[ing] south + one (2) of Mr Pee s farm from the rocky hill on lest back of Makahika Gorge looking north. Returned home in time for dinner. Vivian came over to dinner + spent pm with us. Took ½ plate photo (3) of Maud + Nancy, Vivian sitting on rug in front of house + one (4) of Nancy + her toys on verandah. Drove to church in evening in Cheslyn Rise car.
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[High resolution image of whole page is available by scrolling through images attached to George Leslie Adkin personal diary, May 1917-February 1919