Overview
Sun. Jan. 26
Maud, Nancy + I drove to Foxton Beach. Left Woodside 8.50a, taking aneroid. Arapaepae corner 9am aneroid 165'. Drove to Koputaroa via Tavistock Raod. Koputaroa stm [stream] 9.30 20', reset 25'. Thence along Foxton-Koputaroa Road. Height on road 9.35 aneroid 6-', corrected (61'). Summit of sandst[one?] alongside last 72', (73'). Davies homestead 9.40 20' (22'). East edge old flat of Manawatu 9.44 10'. (12'). West edge ditto 9.50. 4' (9'). Kilsby's gate 959, 44' (51'). Junction with Levin-Foxton Road 10.7, 60' (69'). Just beyond this, took a 1/4 pl[ate] photo of a long low dune. Beyond the first corner there was a very fine + heavy crop
[page break]
of oats on ploughed sand-dunes, + further on the flats between the long sand-ridges change from sandy to silty + are thus part of the old flood-plain of the Manawatu River. Good silt flats with occasional dune-ridge on the east side of Oturoa Road junction. Curved angle of road, 10.20 34', (45'). Oturoa Road junction 10.22, 38' (50'). beyond this the road bends round the terminus of a weries of long dune ridges. 2nd corner from Wirokino Bridge 10.30, 0', (14'), 1st corner ditto 10.32, 2', (16')/ Middle Wirokino Bridge 10.35, 22' (37'). Above the bridge the river-channel is bouned by low levees, 2-3 chns [chains] in width, that on the left bank being backed up swamp track. The river banks are of grey silt. Beyond the bridge the road crosses a wide alluvial flat 10.40 -8' (8'), quite free from dune-ridges being protected from sand-drift by the great north-trending bend of the ridge. The dunes are again present however at the corner where the road turns west alongside the big drainage canal. 1st corder bydrainage canal, 10.45', -10' (7'). beyond the canal occastional [rotated] dune-ridges
[page break]
lie athwart the road + diversify the adjacent flat. Corner of road just in Foxton Borough 11.1, -11' (7'). South end Mai Street 11.5, -5' (14') North end ditto 11.9, 5' (25'). Prominant dune ridges lie within the Borough + many residences have been built upon them. Took the Beach Road - this at first skirtss old fixed dune-ridges, extensively planted, + then traverses a stretch of semi-fixed + drifting sand country. Manawatu heads, as Foxton's watering place is called, is situated along the upper margin of a broad sandy beach, 8 to 10 chns [chains] in width, bordering the Manawatu River, and nearly a mile from the open ocean beach. At ManawatuHeads the present course of the riverbends west + makes an angle with an old course which trends north-west. This old course is now marked by a broad level stretch of bare sand blocked at the old outlet by lowdunes; it appears to stand at the height of from 10 tp 15 feet above the present level of the river, so must have been silted up to a considerable extent, probably during floods. Sea level 11.40, -26' (0'). I left Maud
[page break]
+ Nancy just east of the signals + walked past them to the open sea beach which is about 5 chns wide. Could just see the Hydrabad. The old harbour light shown on available maps as being situated on the south of the river mouth, is now on the north side + is about half-way between the old + present outlets - this seems to show that the river changed its course at a very recent date. Returned to gig via old course. Photo of Maud + Nancy paddling. left for home at 1.12pm. Manawatu Heads consists of about 40 houses including many good bungalows, a church, store + private hotel. A pier crosses the broad beach to the river's-edge on the SE side of the village. The great north-trending bend of the Manawatu at Foxton seems to have progressed northward in recent times, the convex side at its extremity being low + swampy + not high dunes like the remainder of the loop-enclosed area. Time available was insufficient to examine the banks of the river closely. Between Wirikino Ridge + Oturoa Raod junction I noted an out
[page break]
crop of rather hard red (oxide stained) blown sand - this outcrop is about 1/4 mile from the river. Re-set aneroid at Foxton-Koputaroa-Levin roads junction: 2.44pm anceroid 60' (69'). Corner west of Maori church 2.57, 75' (85'). Cornder east ditto 3pm 55' (66'). Cornder of Porotawhio 3.4, 55' (66'). Slight corner height of road 3.6, 70' (82'). Top sandstone alongside 3.6, 75' (87'). Swamp (lowest on road) 3.9, 44'. (56'). McD Homestead road 3.11, 50', (62'). Heatherlee cross-roads 3.21, 15' (163'). Reached Woodside 4pm. Distance covered about 34 miles. Gertie + I rode to church in evening.
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