HENDERSON VALLEY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 33, 9 February 1927, Page 12

HENDERSON VALLEY.

BACKED BY RANGES.

TWENTY YEARS' PROGRESS

REMARKABLE DEVELOPMENTS,

Over fifty years ago an old settler, sitting on the top of Waitakere Ranges, remarked to a youth of IS rears: '"The

day will come when the merchant princes of Auckland will ha'e tlieir summer cottages on the-e hills.*' The vouth was

too polite to disillusion the old man bv saying he thought lie was qualifying for the Mental Hospital. He has, however, lived long enough to realise that the old settler was a man of vision, for to-day the hills have many summer cotsome of them of a really handsome type. The man who has a motor car can usually afford to build a decentiooking summer residence in the hills. Henderson Valley. A visit to Henderson Valley after an absence of 20 years from the district is quite a revelation of the marvellous developments following upon the motor cars' elimination of distance. Henderson \ alley was first traversed by the good old bullock dray which carted food to the various cook-houses of the timber workers. Bullocks are fine examples of the old adage. "Slow but sure." There | is. however, a tradition that a bullock team once bolted, but it was down a verv steep hill and the dray was empty. To hear settlers at. Henderson, talk, a visitor would think there had only been two floods, Noah's, and the one in the valley last Christmas. Ferndale nearly had its. ark. also, for a good sized hall tried to float off to sea, but fortunately did not get clear of the property. The creek looks harmless enough now, and the flood lias certainly scoured plenty of room for what water there is at the present time. One man, whose house seems to be well away from the creek, had a log bumping at his residence during the height of the flood. Fortunately the house was strong enough to hold out till the waters got away. The first surprise in visiting Henderson after an absence of twenty years is to go the whole distance on a beautiful concrete road, which not only gives speedy progress but no dust. Going up the valley was the next surprise. The concrete road had been left behind, but what 20 years ago consisted of a few farms is now, comparatively closely settled. Increased Land Values. Remembering that twenty years ago the land up the valley was sold for under £10 per acre, it was interesting to read 011 a sign that desirable quarteracre sections could be got for the small sum of £150. Evidently the old hands who broke in the land in Henderson Valley, sold their holdings too soon. One farm of a hundred acres with a lot of ] fruit trees changed hands 23 years ago for £750. To-day £1000' is asked for 2U acres, without the house, or any part of the orchard, and (lie reason for this, is simply rapid transit by motor vehicles. At a picnic ground were quite a number of motor buses that had carrftd iiut L Vl§it6i-s, ffml'it is now possible to, £ef;to- wor.k foam - the head of Henderson Valley, and return at night by a regidar service.

Where the tramway ran up through Colebrooks- land to bring timber down from the slopes of Waikumute, is now an estate that has been cut up into good-sized sections "for summer cottages. The road winds through most beautiful bush, and passes several fine kauri trees, which it is to be hoped will be spared by the new owners, for one at least must have been there for over 500 years judging by its girth. The place is reallywell worth a visit for those who love not only fine scenery, but the smell of the bush and to hear the call of the tuis. Native pigeons also exist in this bush, which it is to be hoped may prove a sanctuary for them.

As the car winds up the road on a spur, summer cottages are seen at variious points and each seems to be located in a good-sized holding, well surrounded by natural bush. As it is a well mixed bush danger from fire in the summer time should not be great, people who buy sections of natural bush, are certain to be careful, but some picnickers have a very haphazard way of lighting fires to boil the billy. Father up the hill the road ends at the boundary of the property that was cut up for summer cottage sections. There is, however, a track up to the Waikumute Range, and if some public body would only complete the road it would make a very fine drive for' sightseers. Nearby is a reserve of 400 acres of natural bush, but can, of course, only be looked at from the distance, as there are no tracks to enable people to get through it. Tfcat inay perhaps be the reason why genuine wild pigs of the Captain Cook variety still exist in the reserve. In fine weather the drive up the hills on this new road is enchanting, but as there is no metal on it at present, a good shower of rain would spoil all the pleasure of the trip.