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title would make it appear that the Ruahoro opening was distinct from Keteketerau and was situated about 10 chains to the south of Keteketerau. As Captain Cook's chart of October, 1769, shows the opening at Keteketerau, or Ruahoro, and as the map in Yates' New Zealand, published 1835, shows McDonnell's Cove (which was entered by way of the Ahuriri opening), it can safely be assumed that the Ahuriri opening again came into being between 1769 and 1835. It is, I think, also safe to assume that the Ahuriri •opening was in existence before 1824, because the accounts of the fall of Pakake Pa (which stood on an island where the Ahuriri Railway-station now stands) speak of a break at that time in the coast-line between what is now known as Meanee Spit and Scinde Island. 97. Documentary evidence concerning the condition of this body of water in olden times is, of course, meagre. In Old Hawkes Bay (W. Dinwiddie, 1916), which pamphlet was produced before the Commission of 1920, at page 47 Ave find the following : An interesting description of Ahuriri in 1855 appeared in Chamber's Journal for September, 1857 {reprinted, Herald, April 10th and 24th, 1858). The writer was a Mr. Dodson (Herald, September 4th 1874). He says : " At Ahuriri in Hawkes Bay on the coast of the Northern Island, have been discovered fine plains covered with good natural grasses, combined with the temperate climate due to the 40th parallel of latitude. Many squatters have already settled on extensive sheep runs on the upland Ruataniwha plains, and" these pastoral colonists, will doubtless be followed by agriculturalists as soon as the Government succeeds in purchasing the extensive alluvial plain at Ahuriri . . . The Ahuriri plain is a good type of its kind, and illustrates well the peculiar process of the formation. Six rivers now through the plain into a common channel about 20 miles long at the back of a beach of small moveable shingle. The channel leads to a lagoon about 20 miles in extent, lying at the back of the narrow beach also, and on the side of the plain opposite to Cape Kidnapper. An opening of 150 yards in width from the lagoon to the sea at the island pa is the only outlet for all these rivers in summer, but in winter each river is swollen by heavy rains, bursts through the beach, and makes to itself a separate mouth. Notwithstanding that the tide rushes through the main opening at the rate of six or seven knots an hour, the lagoon is rapidly silting up, and mudflats are appearing wherever there is easy water. . . . The influx of settlers into this favourable district has already raised up at the entrance of the lagoon three public houses . . ." At page 50 Mr. Dinwiddie says : " The description suggests considerable changes in the configuration of the Inner Harbour." 98. At page 45 we find the following : The port of Napier in the early days was at Onepoto where various traders had their stores. Gough Island, now covered with merchant offices, had a native pa or village. Small vessels were dragged over the mud flats to Onepoto and loaded. Napier was still separated from the country by the impenetrable swamp, and a small 4 ton boat, " The Sailor's Bride " which used to ply between the port and Waipureku (East Clive) was the only means of access to the South. Waipureku was then a bustling place of trade. For some time the settlers had a difficulty in getting their wool to port. Goods were got up by the Tukituki in Native canoes, but the Native canoes were extortionate, and at last a pun t was built. The natives charged £5 a load from the port to Waipukurau, and in one case it is recorded that they struck when they got to Rotoatara for another 30s. The trip took three days. At last Mr. Alexander solved the difficulty by starting a bullock team (Herald, June 13th, 1808). Another help to the transport of goods was provided by Burton's boating service. He tendered steamers arriving and took passengers to Poraite (Mr. Alexander's) and Maraetara (Mr. Carter's). In June 1857, when Mr. Stafford, then Premier, visited the farm, he put up at Mr. Alexander's. Burton also has a large punt at Mohaka and a whale-boat at Wairoa. His boats went up to Patangata. Starting from Munn's Hotel they got through the swamp by poling to Tareha's Bridge, then into Tareha's creek to the source of the Waitangi, then they were dragged two or three chains over a bed of mud. After that it was plain Sailing till the entrance of the Ngaruroro was reached where shingle often lodged . . . At page 42 the following passage occurs : —• An interesting description of an early visit to Ahuriri I take from the Hawke's Bay Herald (June 13th, 1868): The writer says : "It was about 1850 that reports first reached Wellington of the fine tract of country open for settlement at ' Hourede 'as Ahuriri was called in those days. There were said to be miles of plain covered with luxuriant grass. He quotes from an account given by an old settler of his

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