Overview
July 3 Wed.
Decided to visit Te Horo + Waikanae to obtain data to complete the table I am compiling of altitudes of inner margin of coastal plain between Paekakariki + Manakau Gorge. Rode to Levin on horseback + caught the 9.15am train. Arrived Te Horo 9.50 + set aneroid at station, 60'. Cold southerly wind but a fairly bright day. Started off along the road leading towards the hills, passing a public hall +then a school on the right. Junction of road leading off up Mangaone Valley at 10.10, aneroid 210' (corrected 211'). There is a church at the corner + another a little further on along the Valley road. Just behond the junction the straight road runs over the shoulder of a small hill of sandstone, 12.12, 173' (174'). Crest of this hill, 1013, 210' (211'). Walked over to foot
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of hills (gate at foot of spur 10.27, 230' (232')) to see if any sandstone patches rested on the spurs but could see none. Turned west + walked to the top of each of two small conical hills of sandstone, the northerly 10.37, 252' (254'), the southerly 10.40, 253' (256'). The latter is the highest point of this area of sandstone, which is about 250 ares [sic] in extent. Looking south I noticed about a mile away a ridge of sandstone not far from the foot of the hills + set out for it. From each hill gully a well-defined broad flat fan has been built outby the streams. These fans are gravelly with small boulders on the surface near the foot of the hills, but further down towards the railway, they merge intoeach other + form a wide alluvialflat, free from stones. On reaching the sandstone ridge, I found it to be long + narrow, with an east-west trend + bounded on north side by a fair-sized stream. Bed of stream about 1/4 mile from hills 10.58, 245' (249'). Summit east end sandstone ridge 11.1, 310' (314'). From this point I took a 1/2 pl[ate]
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photo (1) looking back to the sandstone area east of Te Horo + showing fans in foreground + the Pukehou Range in the distance. Got into conversation with a couple of men erecting sheep-yds near by + they identified the big stream, lying 30 chns [chains] south of the sandstone ridge, as the one marked on the Horowhenua County map, + called it Hadfield Stream. Returned to Te Horo crossing first the fans + then the sandstone area lower down, [vc] further west, than the line of my outward route. Te Horo station 12.2, 52' (60'). Re-set aneroid to 60' + set out alog the mai roadfor Waikanae. The following atltitudes needed no correction as the aneroid on arriving at Waikanae registeredtheexact altitude, viz 102'. On the west side of the main road about 15 chains south of Te Horothere is a small flat-toppedrise of gravel 16ft high but as it seems to be in a dip, its summit is only 12' higher than the flat Te Horo stm. Main road, opposite corner of road on other side of rly, 12.14, 59'. Just here I left road + ascended the fixed sand-
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dunes + took a panorama 1/4 pl[ate] photo (2) of them looking south. Continued along main road, which is skirted on the west side by the dunes, + reached bridge of stream that skirts the sandstone ridge at 12.50, 91'. About 15 chns beyond this the cliff which overshadows the railwayon its east side commences. It consists of sandstone, capped by gravels to a greater or less thickness. North of the HadfieldStream it (the terrace or cliff) has a flat smooth top [ex-] back towards the small fans at the foot of the hills. Summit of the terrave near its norhtern end, 1pm, 12'. Followed the top of the scarp or cliff + in two places found the sandstone capped by gravels from 12 to 15 feet thick. As there is no break in the flatsandstone terrace-top at these two places, the gravels must lie in channels in the sandstonewhich channels ^Probably old channels of the Hadfiled Stream^ are filled level full. [Summitt] of sandstone terrave (sandstone to [illeg] here) in front of house overlooking the small gorge of the hadfiled stream, 1.10, 144'. Bad [of] Hadfiled Stream or east side of rly, 1.12, 90', + at bridge on main road 1.18, 69'. On the south
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side of the Hadfield Stream, the terrace is so heavily capped with gravels that the sandstone is not visible. Walked along the main road for 3/4 mile, noting exposures of sandstone in the terrace-face (which is covered hereabouts with bush) here and there, + re-ascended to its top about 1/4 mile north of the Hadfield Road junction. The scarp is of sandstone at this point right to the top, but contains an interbedded seam of gravel 5 ft [feet] thick. The top here is a broad patch of sandstone,quiteflat + separated by a gully from the gravel fans at the foot of the hills; reached this top 1/50; 150'. There is a great contrast between the steep fans + the horizontal beds + flat surface of the sandstone Took a 1/2 pl[ate] photo (3) of flat sandstone terrace top (in foreground) + the steep gravel fans, surmounted by the steep hill-faces (at top of Hadfield Raod). A fine large residence not far away is evidently the old Hadfield homestead. The terrace of sandstone (+ gravels) terminates just south of the junction of the Hadfield Road + the main road, which I reached at (1/4 pl. photo (4) sandstone terrace scarp from main road near Hadfield Stream bridge.)
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(1/2 pl. photo (5) of sandstone scarp, steep forms etc, round about Hadfield Road from Trig on old group of fixed dunes.) 2.2, 50'. About 30 chns south of this I left the main road at 2.10, 45', + crossed a drained swamp, covered with rooted stumps sitting on the surface, to the smooth, rounded hillocks behind Brown's Paetawa flaxmill. Found these hillocks tobe a very old fixeddune, or group of dunes, the unusually smooth contours (for blown sand) being caused by the fact that a large part of the dunes has been ploughed + grassed. Reached trig on summit of the more northerly of the two main dunes of the group at 2.23, 124'. Several nice residences are situated on this group of dunes, + part of their area is usedas drying + bleaching grounds for the flaxmill. Fine flax swamps lie on the west + east sides of these duens. Southward from the main dunes of the group, 3 or 4 lines of smaller grassy duens string out towards the rougher dune-belt lying nearer the coast. Regained the mainroad about 3/4 mile south of the Paetawa flaxmill, 2.52, 58'. From Hadfield Raod to Waikanae, the stream fans slope steeply down from the flanks of the
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hills to the line of railway. East of the group of old fixed dunes, the streams from the hills are too close together to develop individual fans + these are replaced by steep continuous alluvial slopes. just north of Waikane the fan-form again appears + here extends west of the line of the rly + road. On main road at 38 mile pet on rly, 3.6, 78'. Highest part of small fan, 9 chns nearer Waikanae 3.10, 85'. Waikanae rly station 3.20pm, 102'. The broad flat west of Waikanae fan, which appears to estend right out to the dune belt along the coast. As it was yet early, I decided to explore that part of Waikanae township to east of rly line. Inquired at rly stn for map of Waikanae + was directed to ask at the Co-op store - did so + one of the proprietors informed me that his partner had the map away with him but would perhaps post it to me. Made a tour of the streets, taking altitudes + making a rough sketch map. Went right up to foot of hills + returned via the Reikiorangi Road. This road lies on a narrow strip of the
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surface of the Waikanae fan, lying between the small fans from the hills + the high river-terrace which curves round to the railway bridge. In two places the small fans have had their lower edges truncated presumably by the Waikanae River when flowing on the surface of its fan. The sleety rain came on heavier at dusck + I had a two hours wai before my train came in. Home to a good tea after a very successful day.
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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