Overview
Sun. Apr. 28
Lovely fine monring. Clif + I set out from Cheslyn Rise on horseback at 7.5am for Te Paki trig + the head of the Tokomaru Valley. Taking aneroid set at Cheslyn Rise (227'), we rode over to Arapaepae road via [Tillrory] 7.11am (front gate 151'
[page break]
corrected 152'). Bridge foot Ihakara's reserve terrace 7.29am (aneroid 69', corrected 73'). Law's gate 7.50am (279', 286'). Dip before Buckley Road 8am (64', 45'). Buckley Road 8.3am (94', 71'). Corner at Shannon 8.15am (109', 69'). Shannon Rly [Railway] station 8.18am (84', 83'). Reset aneroid to correct all at station. Corner at Shannon 8.22am (68', 69'). Otauru Bridge at Honeymoon Farm 8.52am (216', 225'). Took a 1/2 pl[ate] photo here of (1) the bridge over otauru with Honeymoon Farm on left + Clif with horses on the road. We tunred up the narrow tributary valley of the otauru + just below the first house on spur overhanging the gorge, I took photo (2) looking up valley, showing the first house near at hand + the second house away beyond. Both these houses have remarkably similar sites - perched on the extreme end of a spur dropping almost sheer to the stream. 1st house + foot of spur I asended Dec[embe]r 10th at
[page break]
9.22am (540', 557'). The sharply winding road is extremely narrow + when approaching the 2nd house, a motor-car, with four men in it overtook us + had a job to get past. Clif's steed, Dolly, was really frightened + made such a plunge as the car passed her, as to almost slip into the gorge below. The leader of the motor party was the owner of the largest house in the Tokomaru valley (now burned down) + he asked us to join him at afternoon tea at his whare. He also gave us an outline of the hydro-electric scheme. I believe he was Mr Nash of Palmerston [North]. 2nd house (top side) at 9.48am (1238', 1264'). We left horses here + walked along the crest of the ridge to Te Paki. Photo just north of old timber tramline (3) of the trib[utary] valley of Otauru + coastal plain round about Shannon. Old timber tramline saddle at 11[am] (1548', 1588'). Took another photo (4) of the coastal plain
[page break]
just before reaching Te Paki. Te Paki trig at 11.40 (2136', 2185'). Collected a few small specimens of Olearia Colensoi for planting at Woodside. We took a round of bearings with compass from trig + retraced our steps to the old tramline + descended by it into the Tokomaru valley. The remains of an old mill with the usual pile of sawdust lies at the foot of the tramline. A good graded bridle-track has been constructed along the valley bottom since the stopping of the sawmill. The head of the valley is a nice open basin + apparenty this will be the site of the reservoir when the valley has been damned up. Set aneroid at 12.35pm, 1000', corrected later to 1061', at flat alonside sawdust heap + on edge of terrace about 15ft above the level of the stream. Regained bridel-track + followed it down valley. About 16 or 18 chns [chains] below themill site + sawdust pile the track curves round eastward + at this point the valley narrows in+ the
[page break]
Tokomaru flows in a deep narrow gorge. The upper end of this gorge seems to be the place for the dam. Bend of bridle-track at top end of gorge at 12.41pm (1056', 1116). Photo (5) of basin-like head of valley from this spot. Continued diwb tge bridle-track, making a sketch plan of the valley as I went. Reached junction bridle-track + Tokomaru Valley Road at 1.20 (925', 976'). Followed road back to road saddle, getting there at 1.30 (1215', 1264'). Took a round of bearings with compass from a knob just above + a few chains south of road saddle. We had a snack + then set out for home. Rain came on but not heavy enough to wet us badly. Home between 4 + 4.30pm.
Previous diary entry Next diary entry
[High resolution image of whole page is available by scrolling through images attached to George Leslie Adkin personal diary, May 1917-February 1919