Wednesday 1st It was a beautiful day. We continued to make log fires and clear away. The Maori’s brought some fish to sell, I bought 8 large snapper for 2s
Thursday 2nd At a little before 4 oclock we were aroused by a loud knock at the door, we got up & found it was Tom come back, he came up by the “Argo” which was en route for Whangarei, she put him & his things ashore here.
We got all the things up in the morning. I went over to the Andersons in the morning to pay them for the ducks. I also went to Mr Porters to take them some things that Tom had brought up from Auckland for them. Had a bathe in the evening.
Friday 3rd We continued to cut surface roots scrape them up into heaps & burn them. It was a very hot day, we want rain very much. Tom & I went over to the Andersons in the evening.
The “Ida Zeigler” came in early this morning.
Saturday 4th It was a very hot day. We continued to make log fires.
I went over to the Kirkbrides in the evening to take them some newspapers. I said some time ago that Hector McGuire was up here preparing to build another vessel, he has got almost all his timbers cut also the keel, they got the keel up between the ways in preparation for splicing and laying it.
Sunday 5th The weather proving fine, I, accompanied by John, Tom & Joe Wyatt & Jim Anderson went to Pakiri by the new road. We went by Mr Whittons house, but they were holding a meeting there so we did not go in. We next went to Mr Dyers, he has got a very nice place there, the ground is very good & level & he has a very nice wide and deep creek just before his door, we also went to see Mr McLiver’s saw mill, Pakiri is a very nice place & it might be made a very nice settlement, there is a great deal of level land fit for cultivation and it is nicely sheltered from the cold cutting southerly and westerly winds, the only drawback to its advancement is the want of a harbour, the creek is not large enough for a vessel to come up it & having a sand bar at its entrance adds greatly to its disadvantage. Vessels have to lay in the roadstead or rather open sea and when an easterly wind sets in the surf is something dreadful & all communication between the sea & the creek ceases as no boat can live in the surf, the vessels have to quit their anchorage and have to come into this harbour or Whangarei. We returned by the beach and called in at Mrs Monkhouse’s it being very low tide we got some shell fish called Paua and brought them home with us.
We started away from at about 8.30am and got back about 6pm. The “Ida Zeigler” had sailed for Auckland in our absence, and Mr Anderson went down in her. Jim staid here for tea and Tom & I took him over in the boat in the evening.
Monday 6th It was a fine day. We continued to chop up and stack into a large heap to burn. Monkhouse’s Joe came over in the morning to sell some butter, he staid for dinner.
Tuesday 7th It was very hot today. Tom & I had a bathe in the morning. We continued to clear away and stack it on the large heap we set fire to it in the evening and it burnt very well. Jim and Sid Anderson came over in the evening.
We saw a cutter go out of Great Omaha in the morning supposed to be the “Isabella“, we also saw a steamer going up to Auckland in the evening, supposed to be the PS “Sandfly“.
It looked very much like rain in the evening. I hope we shall have some. The peas are coming up in the front of the house.
Wednesday 8th We continued to clear and burn. We had a shower in the afternoon, but not enough to soften the ground.
Tom & I went over to the Andersons in the evening to have a look round. All their crops are looking well, the wheat is coming into ear, the maize and pumpkins that were planted at the little bay are coming up & it has only been in ten days and the seed not soaked. The “Dot” came into harbour this evening at about 8.30pm.
Thursday 9th We continued to clear away and burn, we fell all the trees that require to be fell, we stumped some of the trees, this can be done on some of the trees whose roots are principally on the surface, the roots are cut through and if the tree leans at all it will drag up the roots with it, this saves a great deal of labour & is the easiest way of getting the stumps out, and it also makes it easier to hoe up. We also cut the surface roots & burnt them.
The “Dot” is still in the harbour. I hoed up a row of Potatoes down on the flat in the evening and also flat hoed between the Peas. Everything is looking well.
Friday 10th The “Ida Zeigler” arrived in harbour this morning from Auckland. The “Dot” sailed for Auckland in the morning, Mrs Monkhouse went down by her.
We began to scrape up and chop surface roots. Tom had the tooth ache very bad so that we did not get on very well with it.
Tom & I went over to Porters in the evening, Tom went to Kirkbrides to enquire the way to Dr Cruikshank of Matakana as he is thinking of going there tomorrow to have his tooth taken out.
Saturday 11th Tom started off for Matakana early in the morning to have his tooth out & returned in the evening after dark. Joe & I finished chopping surface roots & scraping up, we also set some heaps on fire.
Sunday 12th It was a fine day. In the afternoon I went to the Pa accompanied by the Wyatts & Jim Anderson, afterwards we went to have a look round Anderson’s ground.
Monday 13th The “Dot” called in on her way from Auckland to Pakiri to put some things ashore here.
Mr Monkhouse came up by her.
We put four panels of the fence up, we had a bathe in the afternoon.
Mr Porter came over in the evening to return me the flour he borrowed.
The “Ida Zeigler” went out of harbour in the evening.
Tuesday 14th We continued to fence & put up 4 panels besides splitting some rails.
The “Flora McDonald” called in to put some passengers ashore, she was bound from the Waipu to Auckland.
The “Dot” came in here from Pakiri on account of the surf that is driving in there.
Mr Wyatt & John went fishing in the morning off the Maori Point & caught one Wabuka and one Barakuta & several Snapper, they gave me two Snapper and a piece of the Wabuka.
We had a nice heavy shower of rain in the afternoon, it is what we have been looking and wishing for a long time, after the shower we hoed up the Potatoes down on the flat. In the evening Tom helped me to stick the row of Peas up here near the Pouriri Tree.
Wednesday 15th We fenced a small piece of ground in to plant with melons etc, we scrapped the ground, made a heap & burnt it & planted Pie, Rock, Water & Apple Melons & Cucumbers.
The “Dot” went out of harbour in the evening to proceed to Whangarei with a load of shingles.
Thursday 16th We finished planting the little piece of ground that we fenced in yesterday.
In the afternoon we planted two rows of Maize in the large piece. Commencing from the road we set the line & hoed the ground up in a narrow drill for the Maize 10ft between the rows and planted Vegetable Marrows in hills half way between the rows of Maize & 5ft in the row.
Friday 17th We had several nice growing showers during the day. Tom made the wheelbarrow during one of the showers.
We moulded up one of the rows of Potatoes in front of the house. We continued to plant Maize etc. I am only going to have two rows of Vegetable Marrows, 40 hills, 17 of my own sort & 23 of Mr Wyatt’s variety.
Saturday 18th We had some very heavy rain in the morning accompanied by thunder and lightning.
We moulded up five of the rows of Potatoes in front of the house. In the afternoon we planted two rows of Maize & two rows of Pumpkins, one of ordinary sort, the seed of which was given to me by Jim Anderson, and one row of Pie Pumpkins.
Sunday 19th Mr McKenzie, who is working on the flat, brought me up a newspaper that one of the Kemps had brought from Pakiri, it was sent me by Mr Foster.
It was showery all day. Tom & I walked to Peter Cuckoo in the afternoon, we called in to see Mrs Monkhouse on our way, we got up on to the range and returned by the road, we met Mr Kirkbride. Mr Greenwood has made a great improvement in clearing more of his land next to the road.
Monday 20th It was very showery all day. We continued to plant. We planted two long rows of Maize and three rows of Pumpkins, we also planted three short rows of French Beans between the Maize.
Tuesday 21st We had a nice shower during the night & several showers during the day. We continued to plant Maize and Pumpkins.
Wednesday 22nd We finished to plant the piece of ground behind the house & the following is a complete list of the things & the quantities planted.
16 Rows of Maize
47 Hills Vegetable Marrows
25 Hills Pie Pumpkins
222 Hills Pumpkins
16 Hills Water Melon
7 Hills Calabash
3 Hills Cucumbers
1 Hill Choice Nasturtiums
Thursday 23rd We continue to put up the fence & put up five panels besides splitting rails.
We saw the mail steamer go up to Auckland in the afternoon, she is one day behind her time. Went over to Mr Wyatts in the evening. He is making a stock yard the other side his fence on his last acre.
The “Ida Ziegler” arrived from Auckland.
Friday 24th We continued to fence, but only put up two panels as we had to split more than 30 rails. The “Dot” came into the harbour.
Some of the Cucumbers are coming up in the orchard, also the Maize, they have only been in 8 days, the maize seed was soaked but the Cucumbers were not.
We had a nice shower in the evening.
Saturday 25th It was a beautiful day. We finished fencing down to the Pohutikova, it being six panels. We also fell the Pohutikova at the end of the fence, also two other trees, and sawed off two mira logs to make the terrace in front of the house.
Tom & Joe Wyatt are leaving me today, as I am not able to keep them any longer, my expenses are very great and as nothing is coming in I must try & economize a little.
I went to Mrs Porter’s in the evening to take some clothes to be washed. I called in at the Andersons on my way home, Jim & the boys were out getting a bee hive.
Sunday 26th It was a beautiful morning. Tom & Joe Wyatt took all there things away & now I am left all alone in my glory, my God protect & take care of me in my loneliness. I went a walk in the bush in the afternoon with Mr Wyatt & Tom, Tom came and had tea here.
Monday 27th It rained all day with scarce any intermission so that I was not able to do any work out of doors.
The wind is from the SE. I went over to the Wyatts in the afternoon and staid for tea.
Tuesday 28th It rained all last night & nearly all today, it held up a little in the afternoon which enabled me to mould up two rows of Potatoes. Tom came for tea & staid the evening.
Wednesday 29th It rained all last night and nearly all today. I earthed up one row of Potatoes & also finished reading Captain Cooks Voyages.
The wind is from the NE. I went to the Wyatts in the evening.
Thursday 30th It was a fine day with a few slight showers. I finished earthing up the Potatoes. In the afternoon I commenced to stick the peas down on the flat, they have been let go too long without sticking that they have grown so high that they have fallen down on the ground and then grown up again so that they are very hard to stick.
Another thing too respecting them and which will serve for my future guidance is that they are planted too close between the rows, the distance only being 3 feet, now they are stuck there is hardly room to get up between the rows, they ought in future be planted 4 feet apart from row to row.