NEW PLYMOUTH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 181, 1 August 1936, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEW PLYMOUTH.

RICH IN RARE RESERVES. PUBLIC-SPIRITED CITIZENS.

(By E.L.C.;

God gives all men all eartli to love, But since man's heart is small, Ordains to each one spot shall prove Beloved over nil. Each to his choice, and I rejoice The lot lias fall'n to me In a fair ground—in a fair ground, I'ea, Sussex by the sea. Lovers of New Plymouth who. know their Kipling may be pardoned for adopting and adapting the poet's lines .as ail expression of appreciation of the fact that to them the lot has fallen "in a fair ground," and that it is for them the one spot that proves "beloved over all.' Beautiful in situation as the town is, as it stretches itself along the sunny shores of that part of Taranaki which is lapped by the waters of the Tasman Sea which lie within the North Taranaki Bight, the attractions of the town are greatly enhanced by the wealth of its endowment in the matter of public reserves. In this respect it is probably the richest municipality in the whole of the Dominion. As a princess among New Plymouth s royal family of reserves the beautiful Pukekura Park stands unrivalled by anything else in the town, and probably by any other park in the country. Its 56 acres of bush and fern-clad hills and dales, .with their sweeping walks beside lovely lakes, lie withiii a few minutes walk of the centre of the town. Reserved by the forbears of the present, generation and retrieved from a swampy gully, the park has been made one of the show places of the Dominion. It is a rich resort for the student of botany or the horticulturist, and a paradise of peace for those who seek relaxation from the stress and strain of everyday affairs. It is a sanctuary of some of the finest specimens of the smaller varieties of native trees and shrubs, while in its cultivated areas are to be seen splendid specimens of great varieties of plants. The development of the rhododendron dell, made possible by the special bequest of the late Mr. C. Sanders, will give the park still another claim to pre-eminence. Its fernery, hewn out of the hillside and roofed over with glass, is already the repository of a specimen of practically every fern known to New Zealand.

Natural Amphitheatre. .Within the boundaries of the park lies also that wonderful sports ground on which are played till the important football and cricket matches in the province of Taranaki. An amphitheatre in contour, the playing area is surrounded on three sides with tiered terraces upon which can be accommodated thousands of spectators who, from their advantageous positions, can obtain such a view of any game or sports as is not to be had in any other ground in the Dominion. There is also the teahouse, overlooking the main lake, and this, with its furnishings and equipment, was the gift to the citizens of Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Burgess, shortly after the retirement of Mr. Burgess from the Mayoralty.

Adjoining Pukekura Park, on its southern boundary, there is the "Brooklands" area, formerly the homestead of the late Mr. Nekton King, and now through his generosity and the action of his' executors, the property for all time of the citizens of New Plymouth. The 54 acres of this property are so -laid out as to be a unique blend of New Zealand native beauty and an Englishman's garden. Wide lawns with cultivated flower beds and spreading exotic trees give the aspect of the old English.

garden, and tills Is set against a background of some of the most beautiful of the New Zealand native trees and shrubs, many of them so planted that the making of a wall of light and dark green tints lias been achieved.

Of the many wonderful specimens of New Zealand trees one that commands great attention and respect is a giant puriri, said to be 2000 years old. It has a circumference of 2(ift (iin and is Sft 2in in diameter, and reaches to a height of 70ft, and the first tier of branches is 31ft from the ground.

There is an abundance of bird life in both these reserves, and the notes of the tui and the bellbird are to be heard all the year round, proclaiming the place a sanctuary for them.

When "Brooklands" was given to the borough tile late Mr. T. C. List and Mr. C. A. Wilkinson also gave an area of 7A acres of their "Highland" estate to the borough, and the area of the whole reservation is now 117 acres.

Skirting the« c properties along the south-eastern boundaries is the Taranaki Jockey Club's well-appointed* racecourse, another borough reserve of 28 acres, with a freehold section' of about 40 acres, belonging to the club also.

"Hapurunui." The latest gift to the borough is that of the beautiful property ol "Hapurunui," at the Meeting of the Waters. Given by Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Burgess, it consists of over 12 acres of laud, most of it richly covered with virgin bush. Jt lies on the main road between New Plymouth v and Inglewood, and is easy of access, being only about five miles from the town. Here is a beautiful modern residence overlooking spacious lawns which lead down to the waters of the Waiwakaiho and the Mangamahoe, which actually meet within this property. The bush is also a splendid specimen of New Zealand flora, and it will now be possible to form a connection between this and the reserve known as the Meeting of the Waters, the whole fonnin" a reservation of about 74 acres.

Though not parks in the same sense as soine of the other reserves, New Plymouth is yet more richly endowed with recreation areas. Kawaroa Park, on the sea front of the town, is the recognised seaside playground for the children, while at either end of the town there are the attractive beaches of Ngamotu on the west and the East End and Fitzrov on the east. Marsland Hill, the historic elevation which overlooks the central portion of the town, affords a commanding view to the noith and east, and on it stands the memorial to the men of the New Zealand Militia and the regimental and naval forces of England who participated in the wars of the 'sixties. Still further to the west ie Western Park, with another sports field modelled somewhat on Pukekura Park, with a high hill in the centre of the reserve, and a carriage drive to its summit, from which the most comprehensive view of New Plymouth and its surroundings can be obtained. In addition, several semi-public gardens anal wavs open" to the public at a small charge, and in some of these are to be -seen specimens of New Zealand plants and shrubs that are of uncommon interest, as well as many specimens of rare plants from remote places of the world.

Egmont—the Sentinel. Last, but by no means least, there stands at the back of all this wealth of beauty, like a sentinel on guard, the lofty and majestic peak of Mt. Egmont. within a reserve known 1 as Egmont National Park, keeping an everlasting watch over the historic lands from which it rises. Richly wrapped in a mantle of snow down to the forest for the greater part of the year, and in winter often down to the radius line, it makes a background to the setting of the town and district of New Plymouth the like of which is to be found nowhere else in the Dominion.