Balfour Diaries Excerpts

(David Hildreth Snr)

83

Balfour Diary 13 Sept 1873

Rode with McDougall [MacDougall], agreed to management 15 Sept also Kinross £125 p.a.
Sept 20 1873.   Kuripapango.  Cattle Hill over part of Herricks Run (Otamauri?)
Oct 1  To Blowhard
Commenced dray road to Konini road making Oct 2-3-4-16
Oct 12   Rode Percys whare – Puketitiri Track into Mangatutu down to Tutaekuri
Nov 11   Commencing muster.   Blowhard
Nov 12   Commencing muster   River Flat
Nov 13   Commencing muster   Shotspurs
Nov 14   Docking & drafting
Nov 15   Dry sheep to Jardine Pdk
Nov 19   Hunting Castle rock flats.
Nov 20   Hunting Kaweka   slept on top.
Nov 21   Hunting Kaweka   slept on top
Nov 22   Hunting Kuripapango
Nov 25   Hunting Cattle hill   Shearing
Dec 5   Shearing 6447
Dec 11   Shearing
Dec 20   Hunting Nikau Corner, Shearing 8637
Dec 23   Races at Woodthorpe   all hands except Duncan & Pals
Dec 28   Mustering Birch Range from Carswells. Camped Peaks.
1874   (Macintosh musterer.)   Devils Corner.
Jan 4   Took out Peak wethers via Barnes.
Jan 5   Saw Capt Russell re Konini Rd, good enough for sledge.
Jan 26   Sledging wool across Konini. Capsized foot of Camerons ‘pinch’
Jan 31   Miller took 78 Herricks sheep.
Feb 5   Looking for Sheilds boundary.
Feb 23   Finished shearing   14226
Feb 26   To Woodthorpe took delivery 1730 5½ft post 135 7ft.
March 7   To Blowhard then to Herricks met Donnelly & sheep going to Patea
March 14   850 sheep from Herricks
March 22   318 sheep from Tunanui   15071
April 5   Examining Black Birch Range for a fence with Carswell.
April 21   Heard that MacDougalls had sold out
April 25   Flagging Sheilds boundary.
June 9   Rode to Blowhard with Mrs Hallett to point out Lake Country
August 17   Sheild stopped road making through his land. Saw Mr Weber in Napier, Sheild must let road go through.

Peter Bloomer

1875

March 29   Arranged with Mr Sheild to fence Otukarara boundary

1874

September 26th.
October 2nd   Wool scouring plant organised
October 4th   Rode with Kinross Saunders by Tareha Pene Blowhard. Birchs Track to Herricks boundary to Limestone Range & Lakes.
October 9th   Rode to Woodthorpe to take delivery 2000 posts, 50 strainers then to Napier
October 11   Rode to Mangawhare with Downie? Who is to look at Patea Road
October 12   Wind storm, chimney blown down
October 13   Walked with Mr Downie to Blowhard by the gorge and down by the main track examining and taking elevations for Patea Rd.

1875

February 16   Found Donnellys sheep in Blowhard Paddock. Charge ½d per load for 1488
March 5   Getting sheep from Beggs Hole [Hollow]
May 4   Hunting to find Donnelly about Blowhard timber
May 14   Flood bound at Mohaka.
(Gail? Museum)
1875 Sep 28   Blowhard yard finished

1877

4 October   Re Shield dispute on roading.

1878

14 March   Cleared road for Hallets sheep. Beggs Hole?
Sept 1878   O’Briens License \25.1.79 O’Brien due[?]
1878 June 15   Started building library
Station hands 10/- each 52 Books.
13 Aug   Konini road as far as Tunanui
1879   February 14. (Waterhouse & Kinross rode round station 15 Feb
May 20 17   Waterhouse took possession?
1879 September 21   Site of Glenross station selected
October 21   Glenross Road begun.
November 21   John Waterhouse shifted sheep
December 5   Glenross road finished
December 31   Glenross house started (1st house)
1880 January 19   Shifted to Glenross
February 11   ½ distance of Kinross-Waterhouse boundary
May 6   Glenross house inhabited

1280 acres surveyed out of Kohurau No 1

1878 June 15.   85

1880 May 15   John McDougall last seen alive
May 16   Anniversary of sale of Mangawhare
Searching for McDougall at Kuripapango  DT’s.
November 13   Woolshed finished

1881 Sept 20   Glenross has 240 vols
Sept 27   Site for Kuripapango Hotel
Nov 6   Balfour to Kuripapango site of hotel

1882   31st Jan   Opening Kinross Hotel   WF Stevens proprietor

1889   J.G. Kinross failed 3rd January.   Personal Diary.
25 July   Mortgage
4 July   Months Notice 16 years. Died Puketapu 13th July 1896