Sand Dunes.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 698, 20 October 1909, Page 6

Sand Dunes.

Few people thoroughly realise the damage that is caused by sand dunes in New Zealand. The interesting report on the subject which has been compiled by Dr Cockayne after a great deal of scientific investigation, and which -has been presented to Parliament, shows that so far as New Zaalaud is concerned duties are au extremely frequent character of the sea-coast. They also occur inland to some extent, as in the neighborhood of certain of the rivers of the Southern Alps, on the volcanic plateau of the North lslaud, and especially near Lake Tekapo and in Central Otago. It is not generally known how large an area in New Zealand is occupied by these more or less moving sands and virtually a desert, but which, judging from the experiences of Europe, might be rendered nob only harmless, but a source of wealth to the nation. Roughly speaking there are iu the North Island 290,000 acres, and in the South Island 24,000 acres Figures such as these bring home at once the importance of the dune question. Dr Cockayne explains thic his investigations dealt only with the ecouomic and scientific aspect of duues. After three months' investigation of one special dune, he remarks that this does not entitle him to formulate a conclusive scheme as to dune reclamation in New Zealand as a whole. Dogmatic utterauces at this stage of the enquiry would be uot only useless but daugerous. The reclamation of the dunes on the coast of the Biltic aud North Seas has occupied the highest scientific thought for more thm a hundred years, aud, although, the general principles on which success has been there attained are doubtless applicable hete also, local conditions au I the very different climate must materially modify methods. The study of the Wellington dunes has opened up many questious which cm only be solved by the examination of other areas, and, on the answers to such, important details of procedure depend.