Tuesday 1st It was very showery all day. We continued to clear away for fencing. Went to the Wyatts in the evening.
Wednesday 2nd It was showery again. We continued to clear away for fencing.
Thursday 3rd Herbert Anderson came over in the morning and brought me a letter that Kirkbride had brought from Pakiri. It was from Aunt Anne written by Miss Cooper dated May 19th 1865. Aunt Anne was quite well and so were all Leicester friends.
Mr Wyatt finished fencing this evening, I prepared a corner post and he put it in. It was showery also today.
Friday 4th I dug up a piece of ground in front of the house for flowers and put two spouts up in front of the house & put a cask at each end to catch the water that runs off the house.
The Wyatts went to Great Omaha in the boat and brought home a load of pippies, they gave me some.
They brought a parcel of letters for me which Mr Foster had sent up by the Cutter “Isabella“, the vessel was going to Auckland today and would have taken the letter back again, so it was fortunate that the Wyatts went today. The letters were from Janie & Fanny dated April 19th & May 24th 1865, all well.
The “Dot” commenced loading with Mr Porter’s firewood round at the front. The “Isabella” commenced loading with fire-wood in the harbour.
Saturday 5th The “Isabella” sailed for Auckland in the evening, I went up to town with her.
Sunday 6th We arrived at the North Head about 9 oclock AM, the tide was coming out so strong that we could not get up to Auckland, so we anchored at the North Head and McKenzie & I went ashore, we had breakfast at Mr Allisons, a friend of McKenzie’s, he has a very nice garden and is building a splendid house.
We went over to Auckland by the PS ‘Waitemata” and arrived about 12 oclock, I walked up to Mrs Stewarts where I took up my abode, Mr Foster has left there and gone to live with the Loverock’s with whom he has commercial business as bottlers of ale etc.
I went to the Cornford’s chapel in the evening.
Monday 7th I went to the Post Office and received the Powers of Attorney that Mr Dalton had sent out for me to sign, also two letters. I found out Mr Foster in his place of business in High Street and spent the evening with him at Mr Loverock’s house in Edward’s St.
Tuesday 8th Had a good look round the town, called on Mrs King in the afternoon and drank tea at Captain Pulham’s.
Wednesday 9th I walked over to Onehunga in the afternoon to see the Philp’s, they persuaded me to stay for a few days. Mr Philp is Manager of the Bank of Auckland at Onehunga and lives on the premises.
Thusday 10th Mrs Philp, the children and I went out for a walk in the morning to see what there is to be seen in Onehunga.
Friday 11th Mr & Mrs Philp and I went a walk in the afternoon on to the beach and up the old Auckland Road, we met Captain & Mrs Suter & they made us return with them to drink tea at their home, Miss Reed (Mrs Suter‘s sister) and the two Mr Gibbons’ were there, we spent a very pleasant evening.
Saturday 12th I returned to Auckland in the buss, had dinner & tea at Mrs Stewarts, met Mr Goldie on the wharf in the afternoon, he has bought 6 acres of land at Shoal Bay, North Shore for £50 an acre, he has had a small weather board house erected on it and is living there now, he invited me to go over with him this evening to spend Sunday, I arranged to meet him on the Wynyard Pier at 11 oclock, it rained all afternoon and evening but cleared up a little before ten, I met him as agreed apon and we sailed over in his boat to Shoal Bay, it took us about twenty minutes. His house is nice and snug. Its dimensions are 18 ft x 12ft with a corrugated iron roof, a broad bench runs the whole length of the house about 3ft 6in broad, Mr Goldie intends this for a potting house eventually, it also contains an American cooking stove, after having a good supper we went to bed, the rain which had kept off so that it enabled us to get over dry began to come down again.
Sunday 13th It was a very showery day so that we could hardly get out to have a look round, from the window you can look across the Waitemata & see Auckland stretched out before you with Mount Eden & the Wind Mill in the background, there are no other settlers near Mr Goldie, but you can see Stokes Point & a few houses across the bay.
Mr Goldie is having two acres fenced in with a post rail & palising fenced by contract, the contractor finds all materials, brings them on to the ground & puts it up for £5.10s per chain, there are Maori pigs in the neighbourhood so that palings are necessary to keep them out, the land is pretty level and covered in tea tree scrub, the soil looks very good, it is black with a great many shells mixed with it about a spit deep and the sub-soil a brown loam, it seems very well fitted for the purpose Mr Goldie intends it for, ie a Nursery Garden. The rain cleared off the latter part of the afternoon and we took a walk to the sea beach looking toward Rangitoto, there was some nice sands there covered with beautiful shells, we should have gone to the Tapakuna Lake which is only a mile distant if we had had time but as it was we only got back as it was getting dark.
My friend Goldie has a very nice library of books, he has two splendid works, “Animated Nature” and a book on “Vegetable Physiology”, he lent me “Cooks Voyages” to take home with me.
Monday 14th Mr Goldie wished to go over to Auckland so he took one over in his boat, I was very sorry to part with him, he is such a very nice fellow and improves very much on acquaintance, he is very kind and good natured, quiet but sensible.
He came out here in the same ship as myself – ie – “Queen of Beauty” and has been in the province of Canterbury a year.
I dined at Mrs Stewards and went to see my friend Mrs King of Brookville in the afternoon where I drank tea. Mr King is down in Tauranga managing a store.
Tuesday 15th This is the anniversary of my natal day, I am now 22 years old today, the thought of which does not give me pleasure, to have lived so many years and to have done so little good to myself or to my fellow creatures, and as year succeeds year and one finds oneself struggling on in the same course, without improvement, but clinging to the same bad habits or evil courses instead of having cheerful thoughts. I think a person should feel remorse on ones birthday, another year is gone by and one is a year nearer his grave, a year wasted, time unimproved, talents that are given to us pass unheeded, the day I think ought to be spent in serious consideration, I trust that God will assist me to pass the next year more profitably and that as I grow in years I may grow in grace.
I took the Powers of Attorney and release to Mr Hughes a Solicitor to get them properly attested and he arranged for one to draw a bill on Mr Parkes for £100 at 30 days sight through the Bank of Auckland who advanced me £99 which I left in the bank to draw at pleasure.
Wednesday 16th Was busy writing letters to Mr Dalton, Mr Parkes, Tom & Aunt Anne to leave in Auckland to go by the next mail.
Thursday 17th The “Isabella” is lying along side of the wharf and will start for Little Omaha, I intend going by her this evening.
Was busy in making purchases and getting all the things on board, had tea at Mrs Stewarts and embarked on board the “Isabella” at about 8 oclock in the evening, Mr Whitton the nuseryman at Pakiri, was also a passenger, we met with no accident except running foul of an immigrant ship the “Winterthur” and our foremast got stuck fast in the ropes under her bow sprit, but the sailors helped our men to clear her; there was no wind and the tide was coming in so we anchored near the North Head until the tide should turn.
Friday 18th We weighed anchor at about 5 oclock in the morning and proceeded on our jouney, there was scarcely any wind, we did not get to Little Omaha until about 3 oclock in the afternoon. I was very glad to get home again after my long absence, Hector McGuire is living on the flat now and intends building another vessel there. Alfred has been trimming and morticing the post since I have been away in preparation for fencing.
Saturday 19th Put all the things away and straitened up the house. It commenced to rain the latter part of the afternoon and rained all night.
Sunday 20th It rained nearly all day so that I could not go out for a walk. We went over to the Wyatts in the afternoon to drink tea as it is Mrs Wyatt’s birthday.
Monday 21st We bored and morticed posts in the morning. It came on the rain in the afternoon and was showery all night.
Tuesday 22nd It was a beautiful day and quite hot in the middle of the day. We bored and morticed posts. Tom and Joe Wyatt came over in the evening to have a chat.
Wednesday 23rd This also was a beautiful day and quite enjoyable after so much wet weather as we have had. We finished morticing the posts and we made a corner post for the top corner.
Thursday 24th It was a fine day but we had a shower of rain in the afternoon. We got up the Potatoes & Beef from the rocks & erected the grindstone in the evening. Alfred began to clear for the fence in the afternoon, I went over to the Andersons in the afternoon and took my pie melons for Mrs Anderson to make me some jam. I staid for tea there. There are four vessels in the harbour now, “Isabella” the “Dot” which came in this afternoon & two cutters both of which came in this afternoon, the “Nymph” and “Elfin Queen“, the latter is bound for the Hokitka Gold Fields laden with Potatoes & flour, she has on board several passengers.
Friday 25th It was a fine day with a few showers.
I received this morning a book sent me by Aunt Anne which came by book-post to Pakiri and was brought on by Angus Kemp who is now working for Hector down on the flat.
The book is named ‘Industrial Biography’ by Samuel Smiles, the same author who wrote ‘Self Help’, ‘Life of George Stephenson’ etc, the book I think will be very interesting and I am sure it was very kind of Aunt Anne in sending it.
We continued clearing for the fence to come up.
I went over to the Andersons to fetch over the Pie Melon Jam that Mrs Anderson has made for me. It took 16 lbs of sugar.
The two gentlemen who have charted the “Elfin Queen” came up here to have a look round.
Saturday 26th It rained all last night so that this was not a very nice morning, we also had some showers during the day.
We ground our axes in the morning and cleared for the fence.
Tom & Joe came over for tea.
The “Nymph” has gone out of harbour but the others are still in. The “Saucy Lass” is at Matheson’s loading firewood to take down to Tauranga, the “Queen” is in Great Omaha.
Sunday 27th It was a showery day. I went over to see the Porters and the Andersons in the afternoon, I had tea at the latter place. Joe Anderson is come up to live here now.
Monday 28th The “Elfin Queen” tried to proceed on her voyage but had to come back into harbour in the evening as the wind was too strong for her when she got to the Hen & Chickens. Alfred & I helped the Wyatts to burn all the bush & logs that are lying on their ground which have fallen from my ground when we fell the bush for them to fence.
Tuesday 29th The “Elfin Queen” went out of harbour in the morning to proceed to Hokitika. It was showery as usual. We continued to burn off on My Wyatts land, it was so wet in the afternoon that we could not continue with it.
I finished the life of “Charlotte Bronte” by Miss Gaskell in the evening.
Wednesday 30th We continued to help the Wyatts to burn off, it was a fine day.
Jim & Sid Anderson came over in the evening to have a chat, also Mr Wyatt, Tom & Joe, so that we had a house full.
Thursday 31st It was a beautiful day. We continued to burn of & finished. A cutter came in in the morning. Captain Williams was on board of her.