Overview
Fri. Feb. 28.
An excursion for persons interested in the Mangahao Hydro-electric Scheme having been arranged for today to inspect the site of the future works. Father, Clif, George Broomfield + I decided to attend same. Left in car at 8:30 a.m. called in for Ron Law + Dora showed us over house + gardens reached
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Shannon about 9:30 + good number of motorists + equestrians ready to set out for the hills. We took the car about a 1/4 mile past the Mangaori Bridge + left it on the road-side in the Mangatangi Valley. Then walked up road past the first house to the terminus of the old hill -tramline. Here Father took Jim Law s horse + continued via the road with the other people, while the rest of us followed in the tramline over-the-hill. Summit at 11:15 a.m. ¼ pl[ate] photo (1) of our party ascending the tramline. On arrival at the old mill site we found a large number waiting + I took photo (2) of them from the top of the cattle-yard fence. When father arrived we set out for the Mangahao River. The track thence crossed the Arapetu Stream just above the old mill + follows a good leading spur to the top of the Tokomaru Mangahao divide 12:15 p.m; it then turns NE into the bush + follows the divide nearly to trig. Z. (official plan). Photo (3) looking down Arapetu valley from a point on the leading spur just above Arapetu ford. The bush track along the divide is very beautiful. Near trig. Z. the track runs down into the Mangahao valley, finally descending in a steep zig-zag to the tributary. Blackwood Creek, about 15 chains
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above its Junction with the Mangahao. Photo (4) of group in Blackwater Creek. On reaching the Mangahao we found the Minister of Public Works (Hon. Sir William Fraser), Mr Evan Parry (Hydro-electric expert), Mr L Birks (Mr Parry's successor) + Mr Kissell (surveyor of the Mangahao Scheme). Mr Parry pointed out on a blue-print map the sites of the dams + tunnels +c + explained the scheme to us. I asked if copies of the map could be obtained + Mr Parry promised to send me a copy. At this point the Mangahao has a bed about 3 chains wide, covered with big boulders, averaging say 2 ft. in diameter. Here + there are occasional big boulders up to 12ft in diameter, + a few patches of sand in sheltered nooks, but practically no fine gravel. The banks of the river are bush-clad + steep + I took a photo (5) showing same just below Blackwood junction. We went down the river as far as the site of the dam in No 3 Gorge. 1.5 p.m. Photo (6) looking down Mangahao to site of the dam; + (7) No. 3. forge with group (now) in front. At this spot the river-bed contracts to a rocky gorge about 5 chains in length + less than one chain in width. The walls are sheer for about 25 ft. above the river
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which is here deep + reaches from side to side. Returned to Blackwood Junction + had a snack at Mr Campbell Thomson, of Dannevirke, + I set off on return journey ahead of the others + missed track on the Tokomaru divide + luckily so, because we came out on the little clearing at trig. Z + got a good view of the Mangahao valley right up to Mount Dundas. Took a photo (8) of this view of mtn. tops. After a rest regained the track + returned to the old mill where we found a hot tea + bread + cheese awaiting us. The assistant engineer, a young fellow named Borer, had a copy of the map we saw before, + further explained the scheme one remarkable fact is that the flow of the Mangahao varies from 20,000 to 30 cubic feet per sic. The tunnels through the ridges the Tokomaru Mangahao + Tokomaru Manga -tangi divides are 80 chains + 127 chains in length res + their size is 8 x 8 , thus:-
[map/plan/sketch here]
or about 56 sq. ft of a face. The tunnels from the Mangahao to the Surge Chamber about the Power-house (which is situated at the Mangatangi - Mangaore junction) run about level + then there is to be a pipeline with a final drop of 900 ft.
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Got back to car at 4:30 + return to home very interesting excursion. Developed photos all good
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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