ACCESS TO PLEASURE RESORTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 31, 5 February 1916, Page 11

ACCESS TO PLEASURE RESORTS.

BOAS ACBOSS THE BANGES. TO CORNWALLIS BAY. Each year tbe Waikumete and Waitakere ranges become more and more popular as pleasure resorts for the citizens of Greater Auckland. One of the finest things for the district was the waterworks "scheme of the Auckland City Connci'< as it necessitated the formation of better roads in order to permit of material being carted to the sites for [ the dams. With better roads vehicular ; traffic has naturally grown steadily. The advent of the motor-car, by shortening the time required for a trip to and from the hills, has. however, been the greatest factor in popularising the ranges with pleasure-seekers. Tlie members of the Auckland Automobile Association deserve credit for contributing a sum of money, which was supplemented by the City Council, anil resulted in the mak- ' ing" of Exhibition Drive. Since then ' motorists have purchased small areas at Waikumete. on which cottages have been built ior week-end resorts, and the generosity of Mr. H. Atkinson resulted in the people of Auckland being given a fine park, covered with virgin bush, and running down to a nice beach on the Manukau Harbour. The large areas of bush land acquired by the City Council for water catchment form another large bush reserve, added to whie,h there is also the National Park of some hundreds Of acres of virgin forest granted some years ago by the Government. Tlie Waitcmata County Council is nowcalling for tenders for the formation of 46 chains of the New Lynn-Huia Road. When that'work is carried out it will form a road right up to the boundary of the City Park. The Council naturally wishes to carry the road on. which would be a great benefit to pleasure-seekers, as well as residents. The next four miles of the New Lvnn-Huia Road will be entirely through the park, and the Waltemata- Council is prepared to join with the city in carrying out that work, provided "a Government subsidy is also granted. If this piece of road were constructed it would form a beautiful drive right through the park to Cornwallis Eav. which possesses one of the finest beaches on the Manukau Harbour. This ■ work, it is estimated, could be accom- 1 pli-died if £500 .was found by the two Councils and the ('overnment combined. Cornwallis Bay would then be accessible to motorists as well as horse vehicles, and another pleasure resort would be accessible within fairly easy distance oi the city The beach at Cornwallis has the advantage of being sheltered from the westerly winds, and it is no unusual thing for there to be 50 motor-launches in that bay on a Sunday from Onehunga. Another' tender called by the Waltemata County Council is for metalling H chains of the New Lynn-Huia Road. The Waltemata County Council is also calling tenders for the construction of a concrete culvert at the Portage Road Avondale. This will form an outlet for the popular watering place known as Green Bay on the Manukau Harbour, marked asKaraka Bay on the Government survey map. The name Green Bay was given 'this pretty spot many years ago on account of a patch of grass that Las always been there long before the district was settled. Green Bay is where some day in the future the \\ aitemataManukau Canal will probably be put through. Then, if the other canal, from somewhere in the vicinity of Waiuku, is

cut through to the Waikato River, owners of motor-boats will have opened up for them a wonderful stretch of inland water for pleasure runs, apart from the importance of such a cutting for trading vessels.