George Leslie Adkin diary entry Monday 3 February 1919

Mon. Feb. 3

Trained to Lyttelton arriving about 9.am Set aneroid at railway station [Note. In Canterbury, to reduce railway altitudes to the correct height above mean sea-level add 4ft ] + started off for Sumner. After leaving the town the road winds round the hills more or less parallel to but considerably above the north-west shore-line of the harbour. A neat low wall made of blocks of red volcanic rock cemented together guards the outer edge of the road for some distance + beautiful views of the harbour are obtainable. (10) 1/4pl. South-east shore of Lyttelton Harbour at Diamond Harbour showing nearly horizontal flows of lavas of 3rd [third] Phase, + long slopes up to Herbert Peak (under cloud) Purau Bay on extreme left.

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Further on the road runs under the knob on which the Observatory stands+ then passes the Lyttelton Borough quarry - a most interesting spot geologically. I made a sketch of the main face of the quarry + also took a 1/2pl photo (11) of same. The stratified yellow, green + brown tuffs + brown, red + purple lavas, are cut by a great dyke of trachyte, nearly vertical + 171/2ft. in width (maximum) The rock is of a pale greenish grey colour with very large phenocrysts of hornblende. The entrance to the quarry is along the line of the dyke. A borough workman came along in the nick of time + was included in the photo to show scale. At the salient bend of the road a little beyond the quarry there is a huge yellowish (weathered surface) dyke-like mass of rock (this rock is of a light grey colour with pinkish markings) + cut on its western side by a smaller dyke that shows as a recess on the roadside - the stone having been weathered out or perhaps removed for a short distance for building purposes. Took a 1/2pl photo

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(12) showing the entrance of Lyttelton Harbour raised shore-platforms on its NW shore + the huge dyke (?) running down to the shore. The road then turns into a valley, past the military barracks + one or two ancient cannon in concrete emplacements + then winds out round another spur. Photo (13) 1/4pl. of Purau Bay with lava-flows of 2nd Phase on hillsides on the left. Further on an outcrop of volcanic agglomerate is seen just above the road, the blocks being one to 2ft. in diameter + then there is another dyke recessed at each end of its exposed portion. This dyke is practically vertical, slightly sinuous + consists of a grey rock with a silvery sheen, which is perhaps produced by the first stages of weathering. Its width is 13ft. + it is inclined to be horizontally columnar. Took a 1/4pl. photo (14) of one of the recessed ends of this dyke, showing a glimpse of the harbour beyond. Beyond this the road rises in a series of sharp zig-zags to Evans Pass, 625ft. Exactly at the top of the pass is another dyke, 18ft. in width, vertical attitude + consisting of a grey rock

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with white + black photocrysts - a trachyte. The road winds down to the head of Sumner Creek + thence down the right side of its valley to Sumner Flat. Photo (15) 1/4pl. looking down Sumner valley to S.[umner] Flat. Walked through Sumner + checked aneroid by mean tide level - it being then low tide + the high tide line being plainly discernible. Explored Cave Rock which is a shell, honeycombed with caves, which must have been excavated when the land was slightly lower since high tide now only reaches to the entrances of those facing sea-wards. [Note: I was later informed by Mr. R. Speight that the present sandy beach is a quite a recent formation + that formerly the sea ran right through Cave Rock at high tide. I also found that von Haast in his "Geol. of Canterbury" gives a diagram of Moa Bone Point Cave showing that its floor lies below the high tide level. If these are true facts these caves must be ascribed to marine erosion of the present cycle. The caves at Taylor's Mistake are, however certainly above the present high tide level.] Photo (16) 1/4pl. Cave Rock looking shorewards +

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showing smaller end of cave that goes right through + also the beach of sand. The latter at Cave mouth is ^'at' about ordinary high tide level. Photo taken at low tide. The rock is lava in part agglomeratic + scoraceous. (17) 1/4pl. Cave Rock looking seawards + showing largest cave + rock arch, latter due to erosion of thin bed of laterite or red tuff. Trammed back to Ch-Ch [Christchurch], + went to pictures at Everybodys Theatre - star film "Thais" + some good comics On returning to Excelsior had a miscup [sic] with a motor-car - knocked down + badly bruised on both hips. At dinner was introduced by Mr Moodie to Mr Duff, sub-editor of "Sun" newspaper, + Mr Grant, supervisor of technical schools in Canterbury. In evening went to Fullers Vaudeville in Opera House - good entertainment Very stiff in legs + only just able to walk