29 July 1861 Maraekakaho My dear Donald I hope you will have received my letter of 17th inst with all the weight of the wool and other information. I am happy to say we are all quite well here. I went to the port from Mr Alex place hearing that Keane was in but was disapointed. I got the gross weight of the 17 bales of wool of Stewart & Kinross books which I enclose. Alex did not sell it to them. They only sent it home on his a/c and I trust therefore he will be able to a/c for it in a more satisfactory way than I expected however he should not keep things in such a bungle and try to evade gaving account of his doings. That is the only thing that grieving me above all things. I saw Kinross & Roy who said he was driving the sheep to the station and they both gave me very favourable accounts of him. Kinross said that young Boaler who went down with them said that they got the sheep across the Molinue [?] with the loss of only one sheep. From the port I went to the Maori feast with Kinross & others as I promised our chief friends to be their and I was much gratified to find them so loyal and our flower was the first grownd after their own. The first 10 bags I sent turned out 8 bags of very good flower and 5 of bran. I have sent the rest down, nearly 2 tons more and I expect it will be ground by this time so if we go on at the rate we are doing flower now it will last us a year. A great number of those low travelers that used to frequent the station do not come so much about now for I do not tolerate them and it is a blessing but still there is a few does come. We are as frugal as possible. Catherine has finished a box of tallow mold candles for you about 35lb weight and she is making 6 mutton ham for you and commenced a small crock of butter for you. Page 1 Diary 5 May Went to Napier on station busness regarding Maori matters to see Mr Alex. Monday 6 At Napier. Saw Mr Alex and got him to write a letter to the Maories in my behalf. Tuesday 7 Came home. Found all well. Wednesday 8 Fine weather. Plowing the large padock. Self employ clearing feurn. Thursday 9 Windy. Bullocks, harrowing & clearing the ground for sowing grass seed. Friday 10 Fine weather. Sowing grass seed and harrowing it in. Saturday 11 Fine. Employed as yesterday. Sunday 12 Pleasant warm weather. Wind northerly. Monday 13 Plowing with the bullocks. Tuesday 14 Showery could not work the bullocks. Wednesday 15 Soft weather. Plowing part of the day. Self planting out trees. Page 2 Thursday 16 Plowing, weather soft, self planting out trees. Friday 17 Very dark hazyy weather. Plowing and harrowing. Saturday 18 Dark and hazyy. Plowing & harrowing. Self at work in gardin. Sunday 19 Heavey rain & disagreeable weather. Monday 20 Very heavey. Rain all day. Employed indoors making bags for the wheat out of condemned wool bales. Tuesday 21 Fine weather. Plowing . Went to the port. On station duty. Wednesday 22 Fine weather. Bought a small stove with all the appendages for £5. Returned home. All well at home. Plowed. Thursday 23 Heavey rain. The chief Renata and 4 natives at the station. Friday 24 Heavey rain. All day at work making bags & Renata's men grinding wheat. Renata very agreeable eating with self and Catherine. Highly pleased. Saturday 25 Raining still heavey f[l]oods in the rivers. Renata left for the bush. Planted 10 blue gums. Page 3 May Sunday 26 Showery weather. Monday 27 Cleared up. Employed plowing. Planted 14 blue gums and 15 peach & apple trees. Killed 4 wethers. Tuesday 28 Damp weather. Plowing. Got a man to assist me in the gardin to prepare it for trees at the rate of £40 per annum. Wednesday 29 Fine weather. Employed plowing. Self planting trees. Bought 200 blue gum .... 20/- per 100. 30lb flower to Miss M'Rae 4lb tea & 20lb sugar. Thursday 30 Heavey dull weather. Employed getting fire wood & sundry jobs. Planted 10 Nio trees, 100 blue gums. Friday 31 Heavey rain & very unpleasant weather. Planted 70 blue gums. Men mending their clothes. June Saturday 1 Heavey rain throughout, could not work outside. Planted 36 blue gums in the evening. Sunday 2 Heavey rain throughout. Monday 3 Showery disagreeable weather. Self and man employed in gardin. Sent 10 bags wheat to the mill. 37 bushels & 20lb. Tuesday 4 Fine weather. Employed plowing. Planted 60 blue gums. Page 4 Wednesday 5th Pleasant weather. Employed plowing. Got the sheep in and sold Rich 109 @ 18/-. £50 of the money received by Alex in advance. Planted 60 gr... Thursday 6 Employed plowing. Duncan Liveston 3 days away of duty. Killed 3 wethers. Nelson employed with self flooring the kitchen. Friday 7 Employed plowing. 1 man in the gardin, self & Nelson carpentering. 1 man making a drain to let the water of from round the house. Saturday 8 Fine weather. Wind N.W. Employed draining the little paddock behind the house. Planted out 8 apple trees. Sunday 9 Fine dry weather. Wind N.W. Monday 10 N.W. wind & fine. Plowing wheat ground. Sheepherds gathering the sheep to dock the lambs. Killed 2 wethers. Tuesday 11 Employed plowing wheat ground. Meachal Baldwin broak the milch pale. Carless. Planted 120 gums. The sheep came late ready for docking. Page 5 Wednesday 12 All hand, Nelson & neighbours employed docking. Lambs docked 1138 lambs. The 1st [?] lambs docked here without grog. Everything went on very pleasant. Thursday 13 Employed the sheepherd & self mustering lambs. Archy plowing. Planted 10 red gums. Put the rams into the padock. Friday 14 Fine weather. Got in a few stray sheep and docked 24 lambs. Employed gardining & plowing. Killed 2 wethers. Several callers. Saturday 15 Fine weather. Employed plowing wheat ground. Employed gardining and putting in a few native trees. Sunday 16 Fine dry weather throughout and cold. Monday 17 Good Weather. Employed plowing wheat ground. 1 man digging gardin myself. Carpentering, fitting up kitchen. Tuesday 18 Employed plowing wheat paddock. 4 callers. Killed 2 wethers. Self as yeasterday Wednesday 19 Employed with horse harrowing the ground. Went to the out station Page 6 and took all the things home out of it and the McRae woman. Thursday 20th Employed sowing wheat. Went to the port with the McRae woman & to pay some bills for things for station & freight on the gig & luggage that came with wife as per a/c. Friday 21 Fine weather. At the port. Bought some nails at a sale cheap and a bag of rice for station use. Went to Paw Aciro [Pa Whakairo] and met Mr Alex their waiting me. Saturday 22 Came home after a long favourably conversation with the chief Renata. Kill 2 wethers. Sunday 23 Heavey rain. McRae 3 day of[f] duty at the port. Monday 24 Showery weather. Could not get the bullock. Self employed putting a lever two to the scible [?]. 1 man in the gardin digging. 2 visitors. Tuesday 25 Strong N.W. wind & dry. No plowing. Nelson & self putting up lean two. Boy out after the horses. Wednesday 26 Employed at lean two. Old Archibald making wheat bags. Digging in the gardin. Page 7 Thursday 27 June Occational showers. Employed in the gardin & sundry jobs. Could not cross the river for the bullocks. Friday 28 Dry weather throughout. Employed carpentering. The men indoors, the ground being two wet to work. The gardening man digging. Saturday 29 Got the sheep in and sold to Rich 119 wethers. Sunday 30 Blowing weather with hale showers. A man named Locker [?] cook for Capt Russel was most meracelously saved after wandering for three days the other side the Nararuru without any food, came here and we did all we could for him. So ends this month. That is a copy of my diary it is as correct as can be. Only I cannot [e]numerate every little thing however it will gave you some idia of what is going on.