Mangawhare Station History 1873-1883

INLAND PATEA COACH ROUTE VIA TUTAEKURI RIVER
(material currently researched.)

2.5.1873 – (Ham Russell diaries) Rode to Tunanui [Tunanui] to examine line for sale to Kinross.

27.5.1873 – Rode to Tunanui with Kinross – he buys about 1000 acres.

15.9.1873 – Shield [Sheild] signed agreement to buy Konini – est. 3,500 acres.

24.9.1873 – (Balfour diaries) Rode to Tunanui to see Milne again about the posts – saw Turley laying off the Konini cutting.

1.10.1873 – (Balfour diaries) Commenced making a dray road to join the Konini –

29. 10.1873 – Finished the road to Konini, a distance of about 9 miles.

10.11.1873 – Piloted Pat to Konini with the dray, being the first dray ever went from Incline to Konini. [First link between Mangawhare and Konini?]

25.12.1873 – Went to the Woodthorpe races at 4pm and saw the first horse race I ever saw.

6.1.1874 – (Balfour diaries) Came to Bicknells and waited for him till nearly dark – saw him about carting stores. [Dray road?]

17.1.1874 – (at Redclyffe) Saw Captain Russell about Konini cutting.

19.1.1874 – Rode up and met Captain Russell at Tunanui – went with him to Konini – got the men to make the road passable.

20.1.1874 – Went down with Peter Russell and the first load of wool that ever went down that road.

22 .1.1874 – Went down again with Peter and another load of wool – got upset near Shield’s proposed homestead.

26.1.1874 – Balfour took 9 bales to Konini and sledged five down the hill at once in two sledges, one chained behind the other.

23.2.1874 – Went to Konini to see about top part of road.

7.3.1874 – Went to Blowhard and then along range to Herrick’s gate. Met Donnelly driving sheep into Patea. Camped with him.

20.4.1874 – Heard that Robert McDougall [MacDougall] had sold Mangawhare thereby leaving me without an employer.

21.4.1874 – Found it was correct and Kinross wished me to remain manager just as I was before.

5.9.1874 – Went to Konini to see the new chain road men and gave them all the instructions I could.

12.9.1874 – Rode down with Mr. Burgess, showing him the ins and outs of the road and went to Bicknells to see about the shifting of road men and back home again. [Working at Dartmoor?]

18.9.1874 – Rode to Konini – found new chums doing as little as possible

27.10.1874 – Three of Mr. Bold’s men came to lay off Patea road at about 7pm.  9pm Bold, Downie and Kennedy came.

28.10.1874 – Went with Messrs Bold, Downie and Kennedy through the gorge to Blowhard and on to Kuripapango.

30.12.1874 – The first load of wool went from the station by horse drays

2.2.1875 – (H.B. Herald) Wonders of Rymer’s Puketapu coach service.

2.3.1875 – Provincial Gazette contains receipts and disbursements of Tunanui [Tuna Nui] Road Board for year ending 10.6.1874.

4 .3.1875 – (Balfour diaries) Bold and Kennedy at work again. Downie came out later.

21.5.1875 – (H.B. Herald) Contract let for Omahu bridge to Messrs Mackay and Monteith of Waipukurau for 2,400 pounds.

11.6.1875 – (H.B. Herald) No removing timber from Tutaekuri – G.T. Seale, Rissington.

13.7.1875 – (Balfour diaries) Splitting trees in Blowhard.

19.7.1875 – the road men were making road on Deviation flat.

27.7.1875 – Explored for a dray road to Blowhard. Found one that the empty dray can go up.

28.7.1875 – Heard Mr. Bold was at the station.

30.7.1875 – Went to Dispute with Messrs Bold and Downie and showed a passable road via Brown’s hill.

31.7.1875 – Went to see men at road. They are getting on very very slow and trying to introduce the 8 hour system which won’t wash here.

6.8.1875 – Walked to Blowhard with the Govt road men.

7.12.1875 – (H.B. Herald) Inquest into hanging at Puketapu. Evidence of W. Pulford: I am one of gang of contractors under Road Board.

19.11.1876 – (Balfour diaries) Travelled to Mangawhare in Rymer’s coach

5.12.1876 – Mr. W. Hallett came yesterday to lay off road from Baracade [Barricade]  to Tunanui.

11.3.1876 – lists places on route from Springfield to Mangawhare.

17.5.1876 – purchase of Konini store.

9.7.1876 – Rymer’s trap comes up to take Balfours down to Springfield.

22.7.1878 – Jones came with New Express to take us up to Mangawhare.

28.7.1878 – Jones drays came up and brought the lost mail.

7.8.1878 – Jones brought mail at 8.30pm.

12.8.1878 – Laid off some roads at Blowhard. Mr. Shield came for me to go and see Konini road tomorrow.

21.8.1878 – Mr. Ellison and party came to survey.

16.9.1878 – then over Blowhard hill and down Burke’s track – explored for track across gully.

17.9.1878 – The surveyors came up from below.

12.10.1878 – Messrs Cameron and Studholme came back from Kuripapango – river too high to cross.

8.11.1878 – Saw Ellison, surveyor and gave him a lot of stores.

22.12.1878 – Saw a great fire on the McIntosh.

7.1.1879 – With Hamil flagged and chained from Tareha to Detection.

14.1.1879 – (H.B. Herald) Puketapu – Mangawhare, 20 miles declared a County road.

15.1.1879 – (Balfour diaries) Murphy with Birch’s men taking their timber to Kuripapango.

25.1.1879 – saw O’Brien’s hotel (Konini) burn down.

27.1.1879 – (H.B. Herald) Report – Konini hotel burns

25.1.1879. 28.1.1879 – Waikonini estate advertised – 11,700 acres.

11.2.1879 – Konini hotel fire inquest – report.

12.2.1879 – Okawa Road Board notice displayed at Puketapu school.

1.3.1879 – (Balfour diaries) Hamil flagging Patea track.

1.10.1880 – advertisement by William Jones announcing opening of Waikonini hotel. Now open for customers on the Napier­Patea road. Carting services also provided.

27.9.1881 – Balfour goes to Kuripapango with W. Stevens (future proprietor of Kinross hotel at Kuripapango) to select a site for hotel. Got a good one on south side of road at top of approach cutting with a spring on the same level distant 100 yards and failing that a good creek 315 yards distant – with no good land on western side of road.

6.11.1881 – Balfour went to Kuripapango to fix site of hotel for carpenter.

15.11.1881 – W. Stevens called on his way to Kuripapango.

1882 – (Harding’s almanac) McDonald [Macdonald] A. publican – Kuripapango.

7.1.1882 – (Balfour diaries) Balfour and Tod laying off new road to the lakes.

25.1.1882 – Waikonini – John Casey, Boot and Shoemaker.

31.1.1882 – (H.B. Herald) Kuripapango hotel first advertised. W.F. Stevens proprietor.

2.4 .1882 – (Balfour diaries) Kinross and Balfour ride to Kuripapango in 2 hours 45 mins.

13.7.1882 – F.S. Waterhouse wouldn’t sign pound petition because Kinross and he had some row about McDonald settling at Kuripapango.

6.9.1882 – (Daily Telegraph) – the following appointments have been made in the postal services for the district of Hawke’s Bay to be postmasters – A McDonald, Kuripapango.

22.9.1882 – (Balfour diaries) On return from Owhaoko had lunch and fed horse at Stevens. (Kuripapango hotel?)

25.9.1882 – We hear that the H.B. County Council proposes to take advantage of the Roads Construction Act of last session for the purpose of completely forming and metalling a considerable portion of the road between Omahu and Patea.

2.1.1883 – Woodthorpe races. 600-700 attended.

6.1.1883 – Mr. Tracey, road overseer for the H.B. County, reports the completion of the road from Kuripapango to Taruarau, a distance of twelve and a half miles. The completion of this section of the road opens the Inland Patea district to wheel traffic, and now loaded drays can go from Napier to Messrs Birch’s station.

10.1.1883 – (H.B. Herald advert.) Kuripapango Hotel – W.F. Stevens proprietor. Malt Liquors, wines and spirits of the best brands kept. Good accommodation for travellers and visitors and well-watered paddocks adjoining.

11.1.1883 – (Daily Telegraph) The coach road having been opened for through to Kuripapango, Mr. Rymer will on Tuesday next, commence a line of coaches which will meantime ply weekly between Napier and that place. These coaches have, we understand, been built to Mr. Rymer’s special order for the trade in which they are to be employed, and have already, on trial, proved their adaptability for the road. It is intended to increase the service as soon as circumstances warrant. Further particulars will be found contained in an advertisement elsewhere.

11.1.1883 – Mr. Rymer has extended his line of coaches to Kuripapango and on and after the 16th instant a passenger coach will leave Newton’s comer every Tuesday at 11 am., returning to Napier every Thursday morning.

13.1.1883 – Messrs Glendinning and Griffin, contractors for the extension of the Kuripapango bridge, have commenced work. The three concrete piers are to be encased with concrete, and built up to replace the trestlework supporting the roadway, and an extra span is to be added to the length of the bridge.

16.1.1883 – (H.B. Herald – County Council minutes) – from the Treasury stating that 700 pounds has been paid to the credit of the Council on account of the grant for the road from Kuripapango to Inland Patea.

12.1.1883 – The Patea Rates. We are pleased to see by the last Gazette that the attempt of the Rangitikei County Council to steal a slice from Hawke’s Bay has been defeated. At present a large part of the Patea country is in the Rangitikei County, and another part, (including a portion of Mr. Birch’s run,) though in Hawke’s Bay County, is in the

Rangitikei Road Board district. The only body which has done anything to open up the Patea is the Hawke’s Bay Council, but the greater part of the money raised by rates goes to the two Rangitikei bodies.

12.2.1883 – (Daily Telegraph – County Council minutes)

Mangawhare-Kuripapango Road – owing to the heavy wool traffic now on this road there are three surfacemen employed keeping the same in decent order.

Kuripapango-Taruarau Road – the widening of this road in steep grades is being proceeded with as authorised.

The Okawa Road Board – From the chairman Okawa Road Board enclosing vouchers amounting to about 170 pounds paid out of the Board’s rates during the last seven months for work done on the Woodthorpe-Patea road, and requesting the Council to place a sum of 100 pounds to the credit of the district on account of same.

13.2.1883 – Mr. C.D. Kennedy, engineer for the County of Hawke’s Bay, proceeded today to Kuripapango to lay off an extension of the Inland Patea road from the Taruarau to the Rangitikei via Erewhon, Messrs Birch’s station.

15.5.1883 – (Daily Telegraph) HB County Council notice: tender for 6000 yards of metal for Omahu-Kuripapango road.