March 1865

Wednesday 1st   The tides continue to keep very high.  Alfred went on taking the stumps out near the chimney.  Cut a Vegetable Marrow.

Thursday 2nd   The “Isabella“arrived in harbour from Auckland in the afternoon.  John Wyatt came up by her, he brought me two letters one from Janie and the other from Fanny with one from Lizzie enclosed

Friday 3rd   Got the cask of Porke up from the rocks that John Wyatt brought from Auckland for me.   Fastened strips of wood over the seams in the chimney.

Saturday 4th  Put strips over the seams in the chimney.  Alfred hoed up some ground.  Made a new stool and washed some clothes in the afternoon.  Cut 2 Vegetable Marrows.

Sunday 5th  It was a beautiful day.  Jim Anderson came for dinner.  We all had a bathe in the afternoon and also went to the Maori Rock;  everything is looking well except the pumpkins which they will have very few of, they have a great quantity of Maize, Kumerus & Water Melons, the latter grew very abundant and large.

Monday 6th  We recommenced at the wharf again, but the swell was so strong that we could not work there long.

Tuesday 7th  We worked at the wharf in the morning.  I went over to the Andersons in the evening to change some books.

Wednesday 8th  The “Isabella” and the “Industry” came into the harbour in the morning, the “Isabella” loaded with Mr Wyatts firewood and was away in the evening again.  We worked at the wharf in the morning.

Thursday 9th  The wind blew quite a gale from the NE it partly blew the end of Mrs Porter’s house in, the Wyatts, Alfred and I went over to try & repair it but the wind blew so hard that we could not do much with it.  Mrs Porter was afraid to stay in the house alone so Alfred went over to stay with her until the wind subsides.

Friday 10th  The wind continued as high as ever, but it veered round to the NW in the afternoon.  Alfred remained at Mrs Porters.  We commenced our cask of Pork today, it turned out very good.  I took the Wyatt’s over a piece.

Saturday 11th  Alfred came home from Mrs Porter’s.  We split five posts in the morning and went on with the wharf in the afternoon.  Took Mr Wyatt four large Cabbages in the evening.

Sunday 12th  John Wyatt’s wife was confined of a daughter at about 11 oclock in the morning.  Went over to Mrs Porters to have a look round in the afternoon.

Monday 13th  Went on with the wharf.  The “Isabella” arrived in harbour from Auckland, she left the latter place on Saturday.  Alfred and I began to cut firewood in the evening.

Tuesday 14th   Went on with the wharf, it looks a little more like being completed now, we towed some logs from the flat to help to fill up.  Mrs Porter lent me some papers to read.  Cut a little firewood in the evening.

Wednesday 15th  Went on with the wharf.   There are some men living on the shipwrights flat who are  cutting the road from here to Pakiri, a man of the name of Wilson has got the contract.  Went over to the Andersons in the evening, they lent me the Weekly News.

Thursday 16th  We went on with the wharf.   Cut a little firewood in the evening.

Friday 17th  Went on with the wharf.  Tom Wyatt commenced to work on the road today.  The “Isabella” arrived in harbour this morning, she went to Big Omaha in the afternoon to load.

Saturday 18th  The “Banchee”  arrived in harbour early this morning from Auckland, she is on her way to the Kaipara to load with sawn timber.   Hector is xxx xxx (ink smudges) on board of her.

Sunday 19th  It was showery all day.  I did not go out anywhere.  The “Helen” arrived in harbour in the afternoon, she was on her way from Auckland to Whangaroa.

Monday 20th  Went on with the wharf, we levelled the clay that we have thrown down, it looks very well.

Tuesday 21st  We split some rails in the morning and cleared the wood slip (?) in the afternoon.  The “Isabella” arrived in harbour in the morning.  I picked two Rock Melon today, they are the first we have had this season, they are very late.  Mr Wyatt, the Andersons and the Maories have had them ripe a long while.   The “William & Julia” came into harbour.

Wednesday 22nd  Worked on the wharf in the morning.  It came on to rain in the afternoon so that we could not work out of doors, the wind rose also towards night and it blew quite a gale and the rain came down in torrents and we were nearly drowned out of the house.  I went over to the Wyatts in the evening, we were all measured.  I measure 5 ft 8½ inch in my boots.

Thursday 23rd  It was a very miserable morning but towards noon the rain cleared off and the sun came out.  We have had a great deal of rain.   I washed some clothes in the morning.  Alfred and Joe ground two axes.  In the afternoon we split some slabs.  In the evening we cut firewood.

Friday 24th  We had several showers during the day.   These last heavy rain have come in upon our beds and rendered it very miserable, the rain comes through the end of the house.  We have got some slabs and are nailing another thickness over the others, we are making the seams of these come in the middle of the other slabs so that it covers all the holes up and makes it quite dark inside the house.  We cut a little firewood in the evening.

Saturday 25th   The “William & Julia” went away in the morning.  We had a few showers of rain during the day.  We went on putting the slabs up.  I cut a large Rock Melon its dimensions are as follows, length 9 in, girth 2 ft 0 in and diameter 7½ in.  NB The girth is taken in the breadth  and not in length.  I have not any scales or I should have weighed it.  We cut a little wood in the evening.  Cut two Vegetable Marrows.

Sunday 26th  The morning was fine, but looked dull, in the afternoon it came on to rain and continued incessantly all afternoon and all night with thunder and lightning.  I went over to the Wyatts and staid for tea.

Monday 27th  The wind continued very high and it was very showery all day with a very high tide.  We were not able to do much work.  We continued putting up the slabs at the end of the house.

Tuesday 28th  The wind continued to blow high and we had a few showers of rain.  We finished putting up the slabs.

Wednesday 29th  Alfred chopped fire-wood.  Joe and I made a book-case, it looks very well it has  scarlet american cloth tacked on the edge of each shelf.  I received a letter from Mr Foster, one of my old ship mates.  He expressed himself very kindly   and made many enquiries about what I was doing and how I was getting on.
The “Isabella” and the “Dot” came into harbour today.  The former is loading with Mr Wyatts firewood.

Thursday 30th  We cut fire wood in the morning and fell a large pouriri tree.  In the afternoon we went down to the wharf, these high tides have made great destruction with it again and it has sunk a great deal all over.  We cut fire-wood in the evening.

Friday 31st  We cut fire-wood in the morning and we tried to burn off the bush on the hill in front of the house, we burnt a little piece clean, but it did not burn very well.  We cut firewood in the evening.