Reserves on the Hills

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23417, 26 August 1941, Page 6

Reserves on the Hills

The misfortunes and blunders of, the Port HillsAkarpa Summit Road Public Trust have for many years been news in our columns. In; October, 1940, it was thought that the lagt bad been begird of them, for the trustthen decided to liquidate itself; but last week it was reported that indecision and confusion over the control and -future of ; the-reserves and rest houses on the hills still exist. Control of many of the reserves which were in the care of the trust has been, reassumed by the Crown, and the remainder of the trust’s affairs the secretaiyiateaod* tft han£ oygr to pm Official. Afe

signee. With this division and parcelling out of the assets and responsibilities of the trust, which may proceed still further if the interests of mortgagees are to be satisfied out of existing resources, the time is surely opportune for the establishment of these important properties on# a sound basis. Their value to the city is undisputed, but the permanent policy which the Commissioner of Crown Lands says is under consideration should embrace not just those areas which have been placed under his care; it should contemplate the whole of the hillside reserves and rest houses, including those under the control of the Christchurch City Council. All should be vested in an authority having the financial resources, staff, and initiative to develop them adequately. This authority appears at first sight the Christchurch City Council. The council has already spent a considerable sum on the improvement of Victoria Park, which is under its control, and the work done there suggests that other hillside areas can be entrusted with confidence to the care of the staff of the council’s reserves department. The work already achieved at Victoria Park will be a lasting memorial to the Superintendent of Parks and Reserves (Mr M. J. Barnett); he has established shrubberies there which will remain one of the principal attractions for city people and visitors making short excursions to the hills. There remain on the hills a few patches , of native bush which it is qf value to preserve, and there are also areas on which native vegetation may be re-established. This is the most important work requiring attention on the hillside reserves; it is essential that it should be in the hands of an authority with the necessary skill .and resources at its command. Since the reserves are of value to residents of districts beyond the city authority should be provided to levy on suburban local bodies on a basis similar to that adopted for the maintenance of the Christchurch Domains Board. The hillside tea rooms, the Sign of the Takahe, the Sign of the Kiwi, and the Sign of the Bellbird, were established principally through the energy and persistence of Mr H. G, Ell, founder of the Port Hills-Akaroa Summit Road Public Trust. The thousands of citizens and visitors who have tramped and more lately motored over the hills have reason to be grateful to Mr Ell for the work he did; and they will to-day be anxious to have an assurance that the rest houses will be maintained and that refreshment and shelter will continue to be available to them. The Sign of the Takahe, with its mortgages, its unfinished condition, and its situation at a point which is likely to be within a few years absorbed into a residential area, constitutes still a considerable problem. The other wayside houses, though not so pretentious, have more practical value and are more usefully situated. They should not be allowed to fall further intp disrepair, but should be improved, and, at ,a more opportune time, extended if necessary. The Sign of the Packhorse,. a shelter at the head of Kaituna Valley at Parkinson’s Bush, stands in the path of fierce winds sweeping round the heights on the'distant side of Lyttelton Harbour, and is now thoroughly dilapidated. Sheep shelter within its walls, but trampers, for whom it was originally intended to provide sleeping quarters, can find little comfort there. Its maintenance is a difficult problem, but if it is worth while, then some voluntary effort on the part of tramping clubs, with the support of the controlling authority, seems desirable. One great opportunity to pursue the development of the hillside tracks and provide for the permanent maintenance of rest houses was lost when the Summit Road Trust failed to fulfil its function after the death of Mr Ell. Lack of finance was undoubtedly a major difficulty defeating the trust. To-day there is a second great opportunity to place the hillside reserves on a sound footing, and it is to be hoped that at least the assets that remain from the wreckage of the trust may be salvaged. It is a duty which demands, immediate attention.