TOTARA
The Westport Daily Times of 8th May, 1869, reported (condensed): “On the 3rd the river had been crossed by one of the coaches having been floated over it; but Rimmer & Forder’s, “Lightning Line,” new vehicle, the Albert, became unmanageable and was washed away by the flood, and was believed to be lost. It was recovered on the 13th and put on the road again. On the 5th, Rimmer & Forder’s “car” was boated over safely; but Simpson & Kiely’s coach (Telegraph Line) fouled a snag while fording the river and nearly came to grief, but serious accident was avoided by the active exertions of the driver and the ferryman.”
On 25th May, 1869, Loring, of Totara ferry, found the body of a brown horse upon the beach south of the river. It had belonged to Mr. Isaac Simpson, of Charleston, who had been drowned. His body was not recovered. A similar tragedy had nearly occurred on 7th May, 1867, when Constable Fitzgerald, of Charleston, narrowly escaped drowning while fording the river on horse-back, having failed to hear the warning of the ferryman. On 19th January, 1868, Mr. W. Allen, of Allen Brothers, Charleston, was drowned while attempting the ford on horse-back, despite the ferryman’s warning.
In consequence of these tragic events, Loring inserted an advertisement in the Westport Daily Times of 31st January, 1868, notifying that: “A red flag will be displayed at the point of the sand-spit on the north side of the river, when it is considered unsafe for horsemen to ford.”
On 26th July, 1869, John Faris, from Tauranga Bay, was granted (Nelson Gazette, No. 27, Vol. 17) the “right of ferrying on that portion of the Okari Lagoon extending in a southerly direction for a distance of half-a-mile from the reef of rocks at the upper end, and to charge a toll of one shilling for every foot passenger.” He was in partnership with Loring, but abandoned the ferry in 1870 and returned to Tauranga Bay. On 18th March, 1870, Loring transferred the ferry to John Molloy (Nelson Gazette, No. 7, Vol. 18). On 19th March, 1873, Molloy transferred his right to Nicholas Beebil (Nelson Gazette, No. 8, Vol. 22) who held it for many years and, it is believed, handed over to George Herring, who held
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