Expected to buy farm on flats, but ended up leasing 50 acres The farm was 50 acres only, but the Gordons felt that the opportunity to buy was too good to miss. It turned out, after a number of payments had been made to a Gisborne agent, that these were rentals and not instalments of principal. This information came to the Gordons from Captain W. H. Tucker, who claimed to have purchased the land from Wi Paraone (Brown) along with a larger area straddling the Middle Road. This latter block is still kown as Tucker's and carries some of the original bush which the captain found on the property. Altough the loss of the opportunity to buy was keenly regretted by the Gordons, they found their landlord a just man and ready with help and advice for the older boys who now provided the work force of the family. The association with the Tucker family continued for many years, although the Gordons made more than one change of location during the period. In fact, there was a general change in the family's situation as the older sons sought properties or occupations of their own. Mr and Mrs Gordon senior were well able to look after themselves at that time, although the husband's disability increased gradually. There was general concern among the sons and daughters about the father's screws and two or three locations were tried in the hope that he could find relief. The younger members of the family accompanied their parents. One property they occupied for a time was a 50 acre farm on what was known as Guthrie-Smith Road; this road branched off the Brushmere Road and struck south-west-ward towards the Waipaoa River's course below Waerenga-a-Hika. Mr Gordons heath declined and the pains from rheumatism increased. At this time the Gordon boys and some Maoris from the East Coast produced a solution. HOT POOL The Gordons heard of a pool or slough, located inland from Tokomaru Bay in which the local Maoris were customed to seek relief from muscular pains. They offered to arrange for the head of the Gordon family to share the benefits of this phenomenon, if the family could manage their fathers transport to the site. The problems of transport was overcome by a slight alterations to a light dray, designed to carry two persons in moderate comfort; and soon the elder of the Gordon boys set off with their parents on the long journey which followed every turn and twistof the coastline, and was crossed by numerous streams. NO HABITATION There was no habitation at Te Puia when they reached it, but the Gordon parents were provided with all their needs on the adjacent Pauariki Station, which at the time was managed by Mrs W. D. S. Macdonald, who later became the Bay of Plenty's perliamentary representative. Meantime the Gordon boys George and Harry, camped on the site of the springs at Te Puia, which at the time comprised a series of seepages which kept the surface in a swampy condition to a depth of a foot or two. They found plenty of evidence that the swamp was used by East Coasters, whose practice was to dig shallow channels from two main outlets and let the waters mingle. Lengthy immersion in this type of "bath" proved most effective when the Gordon boys helped their father down to the site. From his first bath, the relief he received was such that he determined to stay in the locality.