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Old Westland

two chains of which were washed out to sea. As a result of this the Government depot, which had been erected three chains from the river, was left in a precarious position, and John Revell deemed it wise to build another store at the head of what was afterwards known as Revell’s Lagoon.

On March 29th, W. H. Revell returned by the alpine route, a number of prospectors from the Buller having arrived during his absence. On April 9th, Tarapuhi, Chief of the Mawhera Pa, died. He had been an exceptionally good friend to the early explorers, and had always supplied them with food and given them shelter. It was Tarapuhi, it will be remembered, who came to the assistance of James Mackay in 1860, when travelling up the Grey River. He was buried in a cave near the Mawhera Pa.

A few days later, Maoris reported to Revell that four white men, who had been prospecting at the junction of the Greenstone Creek with the Taramakau, had struck gold. There was at this time a native camp at this point which was known as the Hohonu, and the resident Maoris had thus learned of the discovery. Regarding this particular locality it has already been stated that Albert Hunt had been engaged in prospecting there for some time, with the result that he had got together about 20 ozs. of gold, despite the fact that he had the most primitive contrivances for saving the royal metal.