RANGITOTO.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 99, 29 April 1935, Page 15

RANGITOTO.

In your footnote to my letter in your issue of the "Star" on April 10 you quite miss the point, which was that without the rents of the residents or shack holders, there would have been no roads, and without roads there would have been few visitors, which brings us to what I stated, that that is what you aspire to to Keep fiangitoto locked up for u few fern fanatics to visit it two or three times a year. You did not complain of the roads while they were being built during the last nine years, nt the instigation of Sir James Parr when Minister of Justice, by prison labour, the board finding tools and shelter. The residents had nothing to do at all with the building thereof, but now the roads are built you blame the residents and vent your displeasure on them. When the road was finished they did other work there. The vast majority of the visitors to the island during the summer do not visit it as the wonder place it is, but simply as the cheapest picnic from Auckland. This is proved by the fact that the majority camp out within a quarter of a mile of the wharf, while the younger members climb the summit, and the campers only leave their positions when the boat leaves. A few wander around looking for beauty and tilings of wonder which the roads and paths now make accessable. But before the roads were made no one could wander anywhere, nor can one now go off the roads. Very, very few see the real beauties of the flora of Rangltoto, which is perhaps just as well for the flora. The case for the residents is that they ako are resident's of Auckland, with even a greater pride and interest in Rangitoto as the wonder 1 place it is, and that they do not, cannot, interfere with its unique lava flows you mention, nor yet desecrate, retard or exterminate its unique flora with introduced plants. You speak in a general way of introduced plants being a danger, but in no single instance can you or the various societies point to an actual occurrence where any plant has wandered from the bed it was placed in to become a menace, and on any occasion where any particular plant has been objected to by a committee of the various societies who have visited us from time to time, it has immediately been cast out into the sea or burnt. Nothing planted has spread in the 20 to 25 years residents nave been there. Believe me. the residents do more real good than harm. RANGI.