SUMMIT ROAD

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21404, 21 February 1935, Page 9

SUMMIT ROAD

HISTORY AND PRESENT STATE

PROPOSAL TO APPROACH MAIN

HIGHWAYS BOARD

That work on the Summit road, which traversed districts under six or seven authorities, should be taken over by the Main Highways Board, was the opinion expressed by Mr C. G. Ellis, of the Crown Lands Department, at the conclusion of an address on the "Development of the Summit Road, Reserves, and Tracks," to the Canterbury branch of the Town Planning Institute last evening. "Here we have a road," he said, "some 22 miles in length, formed on a good gradient,- and it is now deteriorating very fast, and shortly will be inaccessible for cars from Kennedy's Bush to Gebbie's Pass. The work is too big for any reserves board, and it seems that it might be a matter worthy of support from the Automobile Association, the Roadside Beautifying Association, and even the counties concerned, and even ourselves, to see this work safely handed over to a competent roading authority. With.the reserves securely fenced and cleaned up, and a road in good order, the Summit road would then be the accomplished fact which those who have worked hard for it hope to see." The Summit road, said Mr Ellis, afforded examples of almost all types of roading and passed through the five counties of Heathcote, Halswell, Mount Herbert, Wairewa, and Akaroa; it also traversed the borough of Sumner, and for four miles adjoined the borough of Lyltelton. There were two portions, the Port Hills Summit road and the Peninsula Summit road. The Port Hills section, from Godley Head to Gebbie's Pass, 22 miles in length, was a fully legal road and well graded, except half a mile past Ahuriri Bush. The Peninsula Section The Peninsula section, from Gebbie s Pass eastward 22 miles to the Hilltop, was at present in a much less favourable state. This part of the road, however, was used by the early settlers far more than was the Port Hills „ section, since their custom was to strike out from Port Cooper over the passes—Evans', the Bridle Path. Dyer's, and Gebbie's Passes—to the plains. The Peninsula section, however, saved miles of circuitous roading from bay to bay. In the words of Mr William Rolleston, Superintendent of Canterbury in 1873, "a rider once on top of the ridge should be able to keep the top, so as to come into any of the bays, or to pass any of them without being obliged to come down." The road was surveyed along the ridge and in use in 1880. "Yet for only half a mile of its 22 miles is the old road line used by the pathway that has been surveyed off, and largely formed in more recent years," said Mr Ellis. "For the balance of the distance the present portion is in a confused state, and the track has no apparent right to its present position. And it is, moreover, except over short lengths, difficult to understand why any deviation from the old roadline is necessary." The Reserves The reserves were 28 in number, the largest being the Herbert Peak Reserve, of 595 acres; the smallest reserve was two and a half acres. Many of these were set aside owing to the work of Mr H. G. Ell, and some were the gifts of other public-spirited men. Mr Ellis traced the history of the control of the reserves, and said that they were now controlled by the Summit Road Scenic Reserves Board and the Summit Road Public Trust. The former body controlled 15 reserves and the latter 13. Only about 800 of the 1784 acres were in bush, and there was scope for the planting of indigenous trees after fencing had been done. Work had already been commenced by the Scenic Reserves Board on Sugar Loaf Reserve and Thomson Park. The bush was Laving a struggle for existence. There were no very large trees, the largest being the totara and broadleaf. The totara grew very thickly at the peninsula end of the road; other trees were the golden akeake, kohuhu, horoeka, lancewood, five-finger, waitewood, ngaio, and manuka. In the peninsula reserves there was also a surprising amount of bird life—tuis, makomakos, bush wrens, and robins—for such small areas. The native wood pigeon, kereru, was also, present in the larger areas. Mr Ellis then dealt with the geology of the country, giving an outline of Professor R. Speight's description. The gradual slope from tthe road to the plain and the abrupt slope to Lyttclton harbour would show travellers that they were walking on the cone of an extinct volcano. The work to be done related to three things—the road, the reserves, and the rest-houses. Of the last the work on The Takahe was the most important, but The Kiwi, 'The Packnorse, and The Bellbird were also due for consideration. State of Preservation "I think it can be said," continued Mr Ellis, "that the reserves under the Scenic Reserves Board, which has been under the chairmanship of the various commissioners of Crown lands since its inception, are a credit to that body; everything is being done to preserve them from stock, and artificial regeneration is being successfully carried out. "With regard to the other reserves, it does not seem that attention is being paid to these areas. It is known that the life of a bush area is in the forest floor, and if this is permitted to be eaten out, time alone will effectively efface the forest. Noxious weeds are also in the ascendancy in some areas." As to the road, Mr Ellis said he felt confident that a systematic effort to induce the Main Highways Board to take over the work would eventually prove successful. After some brief discussion it was decided to appoint a committee to investigate and report on- the proposals of Mr Ellis. A suggestion was made that the Unemployment Board could be asked to provide labour. The members of the committee elected were Messrs A. R. Galbraith (convener), C. G. Ellis, W. W. Scarff, W. J. Hunter, and J. L. Davis. Mr A. R. Galbraith presided over the meeting.