TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 207, 1 September 1926, Page 18

TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—l sincerely trust that your misguided correspondents, "Ruapehu" and "Raupo" will read a chapter or two. of the park's history before they again attempt to acquaint your readers of the wrongs that have been perpetrated in this locality by "indiscriminate patriots." The area originally encompassed by the park boundary was all that portion of Ruapehu within a radius of four miles of the summit (Paretetaitonga), all within a three-mile radius of Ngauruhoe summit, and all within a three-mile radius- of the Blue Lake (Tongarira),-tlm lot being connected by a strip two miles in width on the northern end of Ruapehu,' the total being approximately 62,000 ' acres. At that time there was no .heather in the park, the nearest being,' as " far as I can detect, on' Pukeouake„ on the western side of Ngauruhoe, half a mile from the boundary. However, in recent years, a large tract of country, where heather was sown some twenty years -ago, has been added to the park, hence the presentday position. It is the park that has spread and not the heather. It is quite true that in this latter portion the National Park Sports Club was endeavouring to prepare the way for grouse and for sport-generally, but not, I contend, for the'leisured few,-as "Ruapehu" would have us believe. A circular issued by the club in April, 1921, gave much detail of the proposed activities, and appealed for members at a fee of £1 per year—surely not an exclusive figure. In conclusion, Mr. Editor, I desire to intimate to my opponents who have figured in your columns,-that although they have wandered far and wide in an attempt to defend the board's , administration, they have not advanced one convincing argument. I merely pointed out some of the inconsistencies of the Board of Management and the impracticable policy being pursued. The board has to deal with the material that it has at IrHi m™ °{ What mi * ht My * been are worthless.—l am, etc., NGAURUHOE. (To the Editor.) Slr »—Allow mc to show appreciation of my neighbour Ngauruhoe. Considering his reputed violence he really seems at least as quiescent as I. Nevertheless I cannot concede that any form of life (apart always from man), either animal or plant, should be wilfully introduced into the National Park, otherwise it will cease to be a national park and become a botanic garden-and zoo com;bined. If every person with ideas concerning its improvement by the introduction of what t&ey consider improvements in Nature, were-at liberty to exercise their ideas the place would soon be a" chaos, from' a national point of view. There are zoos and botanic gardens, and private gardens,, and these are the places set apart for the display of exotic beauty. These places are innumerable and can be made still more innumerable and attractive without in the least disturbing that which should be preserved as a national garden, i.c, a place left and preserved as far as is humanly possible in its native state. Whether it is colourful, whether it is interesting to the general public should not disturb them. That is its nature. This viewpoint may seem rather hard, but that again is a matter of opinion. If a person does not love nature sufficiently to appreciate Nature in its natural state, when perhaps these are those for whom pretty garden were made, but even I appreciate gardens.

(I am a gardener.) Let us consider the beauties of the Park. Whoever has sat on the edge of any of the subalpine ravines, whether -during £un or rain, cannot fail to have been impressed with the remarkable wild beauty and colouring of the vegetation and waters along those ravines. Whosoever has walked through the:natural heather cannot fail to have been impressed with its indir vidual charm. Those who have seen Lake Tama must have felt that words fail to express its natural beauty of colouring, and. so one could go on enumerating places .all over the park until 'words ceased to convey 'further meaning. Suffice, in the first place, to say that the National Park in its native state ie a place of' unsurpassed beauties of colouring and of unique charm to the lover of New Zealand- and of Nature, and a place of absorbing interest to the student of Nature. Therefore, I cannot, emphasise too earnestly the necessity for New Zealanders to preserve it as such, with all due respect to others.—l am, etc., RUAPEHU.