More ‘great outdoors’ opened up

Press, 17 March 1977, Page 21

More ‘great outdoors’ opened up

New Zealand’s latest recreational reserve — the Mount Richmond State Forest Park — is an amalgamation of 177,892 hectares of state forest and Crown land in Nelson and Marlborough. The park, proclaimed by the Queen during her recent tour, and opened March 4, brings the total amount of land set aside as forest park at the top of the South Island to 534,540 hectares. That is by far the greatest area of forest park land in any one district, with the addition of 78,000 hectares of land in the Nelson Lakes and Abel Tasman National Parks, and a further 31,800 hectares in the Marlborough Maritime Park. The total area of the 15 forest parks in New Zealand is now 1,156,000 hectares.

The Mount Richmond Park extends along about 100 km of the Richmond range from Havelock, the Rai Valley, and the head of Pelorous Sound, in the north, to Tophouse near the Nelson Lakes National Park, in the south. In Nelson, the rugged hills, snow-capped in winter, form a back-drop to the city, and dominate the Waimea Plain and the surrounding lowlands. In Marlborough, they are the outstanding physical feature of the Wairau and Pelorous valleys. As has happened with the North West Park (which includes the Heaphy and Wangapeka walking tracks), the Forest Service anticipates that this new recreational area will be extremely popular with all lovers of the outdoor life. The park is already well-served by huts and river corssings put in for noxious animal and ero-

sion control, and these facilities are available to the trampers, trappers, hunters, and gold fossickers who are expected to make full use of the park. One of its gems is Little Lake Chalice. This can be reached by four-wheeled vehicle along a track from the road-head at Top Valley (Marlborough), but the last part of the journey to the lake (pictured) will

have to be made on foot. The Forest Service anticipates that the advisory committee appointed by the Minister would not want to see a road down to the lake’s edge. The lake is surrounded by hills which, in parts, have been badly eroded. But they are already showing the benefit of the service’s re-vegetation programme. In the lake, according to park rangers,

are a fine species of native trout. Fish of 30cms have been taken. For those wishing to tramp to the lake, there is a well-formed track from Top Valley available for the 3 to 4 hour walk, some good camping sites, and a hut which can accommodate eight. The Conservator of Forests at Nelson (Mr P. W. Maplesden) says that the area has become increas-

ingly popular for recreation, and an important factor favouring the formation of a forest park is its proximity to Nelson, Blenheim, and even Wellington. There is access from numerous points along a 48km road which follows the north bank of the Wairau river. Old miners’ tracks have been re-opened, both to provide access

and to illustrate the historic features of the area. One of the priorities for the new park will probably be the provision at selected localities of amenities for day visitors. They are likely to form

the largest group of users once vehicle access is provided, says Mr Maplesden. Most of the park .is beech protection forest on mountain lands, rising to 1760 metres, but it also includes exotic forests in the Wairau Valley and at Hira, Rai, and - Whangamoa, to the north of Nelson. Among other walking tracks accessible from Marlborough or Nelson are to Mounts Richmond, Starveal, and Rintoul. These areas, and others a little more remote, are, well served by huts. Most of the tracks are relics of the gold mining days on the stock routes of the early settlers. The main routes are the Anamalutu to Wakamarina, Pelorous River from Totara Saddle down the Hackett River, the climb from Ben Nevis in the Wairoa catchment to the Red Hills, and the track into the headwaters of the Motueka River. The park incorporates 13 individual state forests, four of which contain significant exotic forests. Most of the park is steep, mountainous country, and while the Richmond range is the backbone of the main land mass, there are other minor ranges, such as Bryant and Bull, with lesser parks rising to 1000 m. The chief vegetation cover for all this is beech protection forest, with some podocarp in the coastal portions. Some lowland fern and gorse country has been planted in exotics.

By

BARRY SIMPSON