Living Memorial To Cook

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32018, 19 June 1969, Page 21

Living Memorial To Cook

To provide a living memorial to Captain Cook the Mana Cruising Club, Wellington, recently planted native trees on Motuara Island in the Marlbrough Sounds. This is the historic and scenic reserve near the northern entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound where Cook 200 years ago raised the British flag, took possession of the sound and adjacent lands, and named the sound after the King’s Consort. Although based on Pare-

mata, the Mana Cruising Club has for most of its 10 years of vigorous growth looked upon the sounds as a home cruising ground. Members have always been, and are still, keen to preserve the natural beauty of the area and to enhance it if they can. Some members have already established homes there and more are likely to do so. Six years ago the club cleaned and repainted the Cook memorial at Ship Cove as a voluntary gesture. This

' year members decided that 1 the club should mark the ) bicentenary of Cook's rediscovery of New Zealand in . some appropriate manner. A living memorial of pohutukawa trees was decided upon and the sturdy young trees were planted in clear areas along a track to the summit cut by boys from Cobham Outward Bound School. Great care was taken not to disturb the existing heavy cover of scrub and manuka which is providing a

nursery for regenerating native bush. “It was an ideal day for tree planting, but by no means ideal for hill climbing,” said club commodore, Mr Brian Smith, of Lower Hutt. “The sea was a flat calm, but misty, so we had no troubles ferrying the trees ashore by dinghy, but the bush was wringing wet and the temperature mild, so that by the time we had made the 390 ft to the summit we too were wringing wet with sweat.”

Permission for the venture had been obtained from the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Marlborough, Mr L. H. Russell, who, after a personal reconnaissance some time previously, had remarked that the track was "not very suitable for tourists” in spite of the tremendous historical significance of the island and of the cairn at its summit. “That would be the understatement of the year," remarked Mr Smith. “That 400 ft climb felt like every bit of 4000 ft. Five cruisers and 30 club members took part in the exercise. Most of the boats went down in advance and all returned across Cook Strait on the Sunday.

Pohutukawa trees were chosen because of their value as a source of food for honey-eating native birds such as the tui, and because of the splash of colour they could provide Mr Smith said. The Mana Crusing Club now has 650 members and! 200 craft, of which 80 are I cruising boats. Work is I already going on to establish; moorings in various parts of the sounds including off! Motuara Island, and further! projects to enhance the, attractiveness of the area are' being planned.