Britannia
The Heretaunga, or as Wakefield renamed it, the Hutt River, flowed with an elegant but moody grace through the low-lying plains of the fertile valley. Fed from a dynamic range of hills called Tararua, it meandered in a general southerly direction and flowed into the northeastern end of Port Nicholson. Mostly, it was wide and shallow, and when the sun shone, the water appeared golden, sparkling with an almost majestic, serene quality. During the frequent winter rain the Hutt River changed personality and little could be done to temper its fickle disposition.
Heavy torrential downpours lasted days and the passive river that Wakefield admired so much eventually burst its banks and flooded all the dwellings in the new settlement that lined either side of the single main track run
