Old District Landmarks Disappear

Chronicle (Levin), 24 March 1949, Page 2

Old District Landmarks Disappear

W, M.

Simcox)

"(By

A fev^ months ago the 'last of four trig -stations in the Otaki -distffyt was blown down. This was the Waitohu trig station, the most important _of them all. The others were situated on Pukehou £fill, Kapiti Island .and the southern end of the Tangata Ridge, a high .point overlociking the Otaki Gorge, 3019 feet above sea level.

The Kapiti .trig and that on Pukehou were blown ' dowri many years ago, while that on Tangata, hidden by undergrowth for the preceding 40 years, fell some three years ago. v Situated on the high sand ridge overlooking the Waitohu Stream .to the south and the Otaki-Foxton coach road and "golf links to the liorth, the Waitohu trig commanded an extensive yiew of the country from the beach to the ranges and from the Manawatu River to Paekakariki. The Waitohu ■ survey district, lying to the west of the railway line, and bush cleared farms along the east side, extends along the beach from the Mangaone Stream to arnile south of Hokio, a'distance of 13-2- miles, and then inland to the *61d Maori pa, Horowhenua, on the northwestern shore of Lake Horowhenua, four miles from Hokio. From this point the boundary line crosses the lake, cutting off onethird at the southwestern end, taking a straight line pSst Ohau to the Poroporo trig, two miles east of the railway • and half-way betweeri Ohau and Manakau. Thence it runs to the Tangata Ridge, two and a half miles beyond Mt. Thomson, in all about 13 miles as the crow flies. Then it turns at right angles back to the Mangaone Beach, a distance of eight and a half miles, crossing the Otaki River by the Wairarapa trig and block and also the Ringawhati trig and road.

These four trigs were built of pit-sawn totara boards, one and a half inches" thick, and.. were eight feet square at the lower." edge, tapering to a point at a height of some ten feet. They stood on solid totara piles at each corner, three feet off the ground. Hinged shutters, two feet wide, opened up on each side for observation purposes and a flat topped post, four feet high, stood- in the centre of this shelter from. bad weather, or sun. The stations were painted white.' They were probably erected over 80 years ago and were carried to their sites by the surveyor and his party. Many weary trips, each with a heavy load of timber, etc., were necessary through thick bush and steep rough' hills, where pack horses could not be used.~ This Waitohu trig, with very few repairs, could be re-ereeted at small cbst and trouble, and Would still prove invaluable to survey work apart . from re'storing a very old landmark. I for one would like to see this done and would help to do it provided the Survey Department does not consider it worthwhile. ■ The long paddock, with this ridge 'and trig, has the Waitohu Stream on its southern boundary. In the coaching and droving days up and down the beach it had the name of "Steveps Paddock," given after Mr. Bob Stevens, a well-known drover of fat bullocks for -Wellington companies. These cattle came down the beach from Foxton and were always paddocked there.