Friday 1st We continued digging in the orchard, the ground is very hard and we cannot do very much in a day.
Saturday 2nd The Bishop of N.Z. preached at Mrs Kirkbrides house last night, all the settlers went to hear him, he gave us a very good sermon.
We continued digging in the orchard.
Sunday 3rd It was a beautiful day. Mr Anderson, Jim, Tom, Mr Allison & Mr McKenzie came up to see me and look round my place.
Monday 4th We dug in the orchard in the morning. I sent Samuel & Tom to buy a fat Pig to kill. We set fire to the bush that Mr Wyatt fell in the afternoon and it burnt very well, only leaving logs behind. We killed the pig later in the afternoon.
Tuesday 5th We commenced to log up the bush that is just burnt, it is very black work but it is a thing that must be done. We had a few showers during the day.
Wednesday 6th We continued logging up, during our work we found the remains of some sculls and bones that we supposed to be Maories, but they are burned so that they crumble to dust when we touch them. We had a few showers during the day.
Thursday 7th We continued logging up. We had no rain today.
Friday 8th We continued digging in the orchard for a spell.
Mr Bruce the Presbyterian Minister of Auckland called to see me in the afternoon, he staid a long time and we had a long chat. He held service in the evening at McKenzie’s house, there were over thirty persons went to hear him; at the close of the service Mr Bruce touched on the desirability of erecting a School Room in this settlement to be used both as a School & a place of worship.
Saturday 9th We continued digging in the orchard. I went down to the beach in the afternoon to see Mr McQuarrie. I saw Mr Matthew of Great Omaha & his cousin Mr Anderson of the Hot Springs, they came up here to look at my place to have a look round and then I put them on the road home.
Sunday 10th Mr McQuarrie who has been ill for some few days past was taken worse this morning so as to require medical advice, so Samuel went on the horse to Te Arai to fetch Dr Dalton, he did not return at night so that I suppose he is staying at Pakiri. Willie Greenwood spent the day here and returned home in the evening.
Monday 11th Samuel returned in the morning from Pakiri, he had slept at Mr Dyer’s all night as the horse was unable to come any further.
We put up the fence round the Maize in the morning to prevent the cattle getting in it, as they have done great havoc to it already.
We dug in the orchard in the afternoon. I discharged Thomas Smith to day as he was very insolent.
Tuesday 12th We continued digging in the orchard, there are so many roots that we can do very little in one day.
Wednesday 13th It looked very dull in the morning and the sun did not come out until the afternoon, but we did not have any rain. We continued digging in the orchard.
Thursday 14th We continued digging in the orchard.
Joe got the two pair of Bullocks up in the afternoon as Samuel is going to plough for Jim Anderson tomorrow, we put them in the paddock.
Friday 15th Samuel & Joe went with the plough to the Anderson’s to plough them an acre of ground. Tom & I continued digging in the orchard.
Saturday 16th Samuel & Joe finished to plough the ground for the Anderson’s, they finished early in the afternoon and then they came and helped Tom & I digging in the orchard, we finished it by tea time, and very glad we all were as it has been a long and hard job.
Sunday 17th It was a beautiful day. The “Flying Cloud” sailed out of the harbour for Auckland, about thirty persons went up in her, so that the population of Omaha has suffered very much by her departure.
I went over to Mrs Kirkbride’s in the afternoon and staid for tea. The Revd Mr Hudson of Mahurangi and Mr Alexander Meiklejohn came in the evening. Mr Hudson conducted a service but there were very few to hear him.
Monday 18th We commenced working in the paddock, we first of all cut down the tea tree scrub and then we began stumping up the ground along by the swamp ready for ploughing.
Tuesay 19th We continued hoeing up in the paddock near the swamp . I sent Tom Wyatt to Pakiri on the horse to post a letter to get a bushel of grass seed of Mr Wright.
Wednesday 20th Tom Wyatt went to Mr Meiklejohn of Great Omaha on his own account to get some grass seed.
Mr Greenwood came up in the “Smuggler“, but found to his disappointment that Willie had gone down in the “Flying Cloud” and had not arrived in Auckland when he left, and also the weather looks threatening and in fact is raining now, so that he cannot burn off his bush. I sent the bullocks & slay down to the beach to fetch up some things that Mr Greenwood had brought up with him. Mr Goldie sent me up four sorts of Potatoes, namely
20 lbs Ash Leaf Kidney
20 lbs Fluke Kidney
20 lbs Wishart Early -Very early, but most fit for use in an early state
40 lbs White Hobartown
Thursday 21st We had a very heavy fall of rain last night and early this morning, so that we could not hoe up ground, we therefore commenced to make the shed, we went into the bush and cut all the sticks that we require and then we got the bullocks up and drew them down to the shed. Mr Greenwood called in the afternoon, he is thinking of going home again on Saturday by the steamer from Matakana. Dr Dalton called here on his way to Mrs Kirkbrides in the afternoon.
Friday 22nd We continued hoeing up in the paddock. It was Joe‘s birthday to day, also Mr Anderson’s, I gave Joe a half holiday and he went home and staid for tea. It commenced to rain in the evening.
Saturday 23rd It had been raining nearly all night and a great part of today, it was too wet to hoe up in the paddock, so we did a little more at the shed.
Sunday 24th Willie Greenwood and Jim Anderson came up from Auckland in the schooner “Blue Bell” to Great Omaha, so that Willie has missed his father again, he staid here all day and slept here at night. I went to the Andersons in the afternoon.
Monday 25th We continued making the shed in the morning and we finished hoeing up in the paddock in the afternoon.
Tuesday 26th It has been very showery for the last few days and the weather looks very unsettled.
We continued making the shed. Mr Wright came in the afternoon.
Wednesday 27th We went to the saw pits and brought home some slabs up to make the shed. The weather continues very showery.
Thursday 28th We went to the saw pits again and brought home some more slabs. We continued making the shed. Willie Greenwood borrowed the horse to carry some things up to his place.
Friday 29th We killed one of the small pigs, it weighed when killed and cleaned 19 lbs.
We finished putting the slabs on to the shed, also the beams and the battens. Set fire to the tea tree scrub and to the heaps of roots, as we are going to ploughing tomorrow.
Saturday 30th Tom & Joe went to get the bullocks up, but were unable to find Knobby, so that Diamond and Spot had to plough by themselves, we used the new plough and it went very well. We had to kill another young pig as it had hurt itself by trying to get out.
Sunday 31st It was a fine day. I went up to Willie Greenwood’s in the afternoon, but found he had gone to Pakiri.