Overview
Sun. Feb. 15.
Took it easy – photo (92) 1/4 pl[ate] of Self, Nancy + Clyde in hammock on veranda. Maud, Dora, George Nancy + I bathed in the place along beach – photo (93) 1/4 pl. of shore platform showing greywacke + slate strata +fault, a little north of McKenzie’s (Nancy in view). The fault-lines on the shore-platform have been made prominent by being hollowed out by the sea. After dinner Maud + I walked down to the ruined fort near Pukerura via sky line + took photos (94) + (95) 1/2 pls at distant + near view of the ruins. The walls are two ft + a half thick + are built of shore boulders + brick at corners. Returned along beach – strong south wind blowing but had enjoyable walk. After tea walked through
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extension, past Karehana PT [Point], and climbed the cliffs just beyond Mr Francis house. The rocks in the cliff are mostly massive boulders of greywacke in a nearly vertical altitude, but in one place on the hillside there is a wide band of very fissile slate + this coincides on the shore-line with a gap in the shore-platform + in the gap a little sandy bay. If all the rocks hereabouts were as soft as this slate there would be no shore-platform to mark the uplift that has taken place. Walked along the summit of the round-topped hill at the seaward end of the ridge between spring + Motohara Valleys – the sand beds of the Pukerura series are not visible capping the greywacke cliff nor on the hilltop, though on similar rounded hilltops their presence is often revealed by little heaps of sand at the entrance to rabbit burrows. The peneplain surface borders the eastern foot of the coastal ridge on the north-east side of Spring Valley but it here has a less-extensive flat surface than distinguishes it further to the NE, being cut at short intervals by streams tributary to the one in Spring Valley. Walked to the saddle on Pukerura Road at head of Motohara Valley. This ridge has a core of very complete decapitated
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greywacke + is capped by a bed of Pukerura sands 5 or 6 ft thick. Going down the road the cuttings reveal the sands resting on salmon-coloured residual clays derived from the greywacke. Though present, the sands in this locality are not so distinctive as at Pukerura + along the sky line but there is no mistaking them. Further down the road rather less weathered greywacke (bottom rock) appear in the cuttings + the sands are not seen again. In evening commenced packing up preparatory to our departure tomorrow.