POINT ERIN PARK.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 299, 16 December 1911, Page 5

POINT ERIN PARK.

PUBLICLY OPENED TO-DAY. 3IG GATHERING AT SHELLY BEACH. A PARK FOR THE PEOPLE. Point Erin Park, recently acquired by the, City Council from the Campbell trustees, was publicly opened thi3 afternoon by the Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr). There was a very large attendance of the public, and also of visiting officials, who are in Auckland in connection with the Town Hall festivities.

The Mayor (Mr. 0. J. Parr), who re- ] ceived an excellent reception, 6aid that ; that day they were throwing open for public enjoyment their latest park and recreation grounds. It was scarcely i necessary for him to say that no one felt more pleased than he did that | they were adding such a magnificent property to Auckland's recreation re- I serves. The city could not have too j many lungs. Nowadays they heard j much about physical deterioration. He believed that the greatest evil prevailing in England to-day was not so much the German Peril or the Yellow Peril, but the peril of degeneration. The large cities of the Old Land were populated to-day by two or three generations of factory hands, mechanics and artisans, who lived their lives in cities without air or sunshine. This was one of the results of modern industrial life. There could be no doubt that this state of things was seriously affecting the physical efficiency of the nation. Iu smaller measure the same evil threatened us in this new land. They "had only to look behind them at the thicklypopulated suburbs of Ponsonby and Grey Lynn, where '20,000 people were crowded together in a few square miles. What chances had the worker'? wife and child under such condition.-?, Wiat was the i-ure? In his opinion.: the best way wa; to provide j spa.-os wherever possible., where the 1 citizens might breatbe Heaven's fresh ! air. where 'the housewife might picnic I with her children, and where the little ones might receive their heritage of play. This had been in his mind for a long time in regard io Point Erin Park. No playing grounds in Auckland would be more used by the women and children of our working ocmrounity. He wished to stamp it now and for all time as a women's and children's playground. (Applause.) ! In saying that much, howevar, he did j not mean that they were going to neg- 1 lect the natural aspects of beauty of j the park. Lawns, shrubs and flowermust abound for the delectation of all. J In a word, besides being the. most use- j fill, this criuld easily be made the most! : beautiful of all the people's parks. 'The sandy beach at the foot of the park would be* a place of pleasure for thousands in the summer months. ihp foundation pile of the new salt water baths, off the reef, was to be driven nest week, and would be another summer attraction. He prophesied that even this f-utumer there would every dav be hundreds of people enioying the park and its surroundings. If that be so to-dav. what of the future? He had said that they ought to make this a beautv spot. The Council would have nearly £3.000, balance of the purchase money roted by the ratepayers for the acquisition of the park, to spend in improvements. It was intended to make another sweeping entrance from Cur-ran-street. The formation of the gully into a beautiful fern grotto, and the creation of a boa* harbour-on the sea front, were works to be undertaken. 'No act, in mv life," concluded 3lr. Parr, "ha; given me so much pleasure as tbe one I now perform, of declaring Point Erin Park to be your property for all time.' - (Loud applause.) RECENT IMPROVEMENTS ES CITY PARKS.

Councillor John Court, upon rising to, address the assemblage, was received with applause. He s=id that he was pleased to congratulate the citizen upon the beautiful park, which would be a| breathing ground for the people, a play-j ground for the children, a veritable beautv .spot unequalled in The Dominion as a public park, and would be available for all time. (Applause.) Some people 1 had expressed the opinion that the pricaj paid bv the citizens for the park was. too high, but as far as he was concerned; he would have been prepared to vote for ft, at double, that figure, as the opportunities for purchasing b property like Pojntl Erin would never have occurred again in the citv. When he entered the Council ten years*ago the Domain and other public reserves were in a neglected condition, the gardens overrun with weed?, and the lawns rarely out. Of course. there was some oxcuse for that, as the times were not too good, but under Mayor Mitchelson matters were considerably improved in the Domain. Albert Park" and the Western Park. That good work was continued under Mayor Myers, and now 'the position was better befitting the reserves of a city like Auckland. (Applause.! When he first entered the Council the only park on the Ponsonby side of the city was the Western Park and a reserve of about balf-an-acre at the foot of Seymour-street, Now they had the Victoria Park of 17 acres, the Bayfield Park of 6 J acres abutting on the Cox's Creek, a reserve, of 20 acres, which would be added to it on the completion of the drainage scheme. Xow they had the Point Erin Park of 12$ acres opened that day. which would ever be associated with their present energetic r,r,A r>r->sressive Mayor. Mr Parr. 'An-1 j

'THE A'ALI'E 0? Pt~BUr BECREA-; ; TIOX RESERVED j Mr. T. VT. Ley: ?aid that The acquis!-1 ! tion of (hj;- fine park Mould prove of | rv.aefit to the entire city. They had: ■been fitly celebr.uing tb? opening of a| noble Town Hall, which would become! the centre of cprtain phases of civic life. But it seemed to him that the setting. apart of this reserve for the public -was of infinitely greater importance. The' erection of a Town Hall was a work j that could he undertaken at any time, hut if tbe purchase of Point Erin had been delayed for a single year there was not the slightest doubt that the' opportunity for securing it would have ; boon lost fir err. The land would have! been bought an:l ou: w.t in actions for building, and so would have passed av.av I for ever the last chance of obtaining for the citizens a park with frontage to a good beach and commanding a fine view of the harbour which is the glory of Auckland and unexcelled in the Southern Hemisphere. He did not ■wish to underrate the value of the public functions which would bo held in the Town Hall, 'hut the provision made in

this reserve for the enjoyment of fresh «ir and sunshine, the measure in whieh it would contribute to the health and happiness of the people, appealed to him far more than tie assemblages with which the Town Hall would become as, aociated. This park would be a source of joy to throughout the summer, and he hoped the day was not far distant when a broad esplanade would bring it within easy walk or tram ride from the bottom of Queen-street. The founders of Auckland had shewn foresight in many things, but they had Copied the mistaken example of Sydney in permitting the creation of riparian rights along the foreshore. H ) found in looking through some old records that land in Ponsonby with harbour ■frontages was sold as low as £2 an acre. How easy it would have been then to have reserved these rights for the people. But we were not entitled to cast reflections upon our predecessors, because the same lack of foresight and public spirit was still conspicuous among us. Our schools were mostly without playgrounds, and within the lart ten years valuable reserves fronting one of the finest beaches in New Zealand might have been secured at a comparatively small cost at Takapuna, if ft local body had been strong enough and enterpri.-ing enough to purchase it. The high price now made this a difficult matter, but still he hoped that the example set by Mr. Parr in connection with Erin Park would stimulate the members of governing bodies around the city <to take seriously into their consideration this urgent question of public recreation reserves. (Applause.)

THE PARK DESCRIBED. ITS WONDERFUL PROSPECTS. THE LANDSCAPE GARDENER'S ART. It will be generally admitted that the Auckland City Council showed both -wisdom and foresight when they secured Toint Erin Park for the ciiiztns of Auoklaud. It 3 situation is unique in its possession of natural advantages as a playground for tbe people, and those qualified t i offer expert opinion on such matters have stated that the park when laid off on the. lines now proposed be unequalled in the Dominion for natural beauty of environment enhanced by the art 01 the landscape gardener. The property comprises about 12* acres at Point Erin, and it was purchased from Mrs. Campbell for sore-? £IO,OOO a few months ago. For the past three months Mr. T. E. Pearson, the city superintendent of reserves, has had) a staff cf about TO workmen busily employed transforming the place, laying down drives, reducing grades, and constructing walks. The park is situated on a corrnnandinc i rcmontory. troll-sheltered, and with v northerly aspect on to Shelly Beach and over the harbour. Tbe renin entrance to the grounds ;.- at tbe end of Shelly Beachread, and nay bo reached from the town by way of .Jervois-rood. On the west side tbe proncrty touchis the beach end of i Curran-otreet. where improvements con- : tevnplatcd 3!i'ow for the easier grading of Curran-street. the reclaiming of a portion of the beach there and provision for an entrance gate opening on to a marine wplk round tire edge of the bluff.

On the south side of the park, adjoining the Sarsfield-;treet boundary, Xature in one of her happiest moods has provided a most delightfully irregulnr gully, which to the eye of the expert commends itself as possessing ideal possibilities for the formation of a, rock and water garden. This gully tends itself to that particular style of landscape, wort, and, as JXr. Pearson reasonably contends, it would be a pity not to use what Nature has a!?3ady provided. Locking a little way into the future one may seo there a stream of clear water issuing from a mysterious grotto, flowing thenr? into a miniature lake, and so deviously and delightfully in trickling cascades rcaking its unhurried tit into the sea by the Curr&n-street corner. The Sarsfjeld-streel side will he planted thickly with shelter trees, and :.'J the rock and water garden will flourish ■"very kind of aquatic, and semi-aquatic plant known. Here' also ferns will flourish exceedingly, and with the amazing wealth of New Zealand: ferns to draw from the educational value of such a fern gully wi ; i he inestimable. Here i* a ehnnce for the Queen City—and £SOO will cause it to materialise. The expense for the upkeep of a water garden is comparatively trifling. The hnmestoad on Point Erin "Paric is situated on the highest point of the property in almost a central position: Within the past six weeks 't. has been converted into a tea-kiosk, and it is proposed to establish tennis courts on the Inwns if. close proximity to tbe kiosk so as not to interfere with the scenic effect of the parkas a whole. Tennis courts are provided in every public park in the Old Country. and not only are they a. greaf. scarce of attraction, but as a business proposition they are very remunerative. It has been found that for even the short time during which the courts have been open in the Domain and in Victoria Park they have been such a financial success and have been so wel'l patronised by the young people, that the city engineer feels it incumbent on bim io recommend the establishment of courts on the other public reserves.

I A great deal.of work has been cone and i is still being done in the construction of ! paths of easy gradient around the sea-fnoe i of the property and guarding them wfth j attractive-looking rustic fences. For these fences the timber has been utilised from the trees cleared from Hepburn-street, where a certain amount of thinning was found to be advisable. When the paths are finished there will be a beautiful marine parade along the edge of the park overlooking the sea. and accessible from the beach below in several places. To the value of the park in relation to aquatic, pastimes it, is unneovsary to make more than passing reference. For yachtsmen on the one hand and bathers ou the oth"i", Shelly Beach is one of tho most popular resorts in the City of Auckland. Suffice it to say. in conclusion, that an attempt has here been made to give some idea of the magnificent asset the eity has in Point Erin Park as a playground for young and old. A PICNIC GROUND FOB. THOUSANDS. Mr. J. H. Upton fa former Mayor) said that he considered that Mr. Parr was entitled to the warmest thanks of the community. Whatever that gentleman did he did well, and those who witnessed the great ceremony at the opening of the Town Hall on Thursday would realise what he meant when be said that. Every Mayor had h:3 ambition, and liked to distinguish his term of ofr.ee by soce special work. Going back over a, period of thirty years thev found that Mr. J. M. Clark, when Mayor, procured a site for a town hall, public library. school of arts, and public baths. It did not always happen that the ambitions of a Mayor were realised in a lifetime. Mr. Clark purchased the Town Hall site, the library was opened by Mr. Devore, another Mayor, Mr. Myers laid the'foundation stone of the TAvn H»U

on the site acquired by Mr. Clark, and it was left to Mr. Pair to open it. As they had heard JSx. Brett W? at the opening ceremony .on Thursday, it was owing to his action as Mayor that this town was saved from the miafortune of having it foreshore covered with a mass of galvanised iron slums instead of the magnificent buildings which now adorned the entrance to the town. Sow to-day they had the realisation of Mr. Parrs ideu of providing a beautiful park lor the benefit of the city. The advantages of this park were very great indeed. In tne first place it contained the onlj? beach in Auckland harbour this side of Kohimarama. It was situated within easy reach of the vast mass of the working population of Auckland. Its great charm, was the splendid water frontage, but the park also afforded most exquisite views of the harbour. A contract had been let for big public baths adjacent to the park, which would be an added attraction. The greatest advantage of all. however, was the use to which the park would be put as a pleasure resort, for women and children. As a resident of the locality for ."8 years he could puajre to what a remarkable extent Point Krin Park Mould be used in that rnspeet, for even now in the summer months the beach alone was a picnic ground for thousands. He congratulated the Mayor on having secured such a beautiful site for the benefit of the public of Auckland. (Applause.) At the conclusion of the function, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the Mayor on the motion of Mr. A. J, En* trican.