"LAST—LOVELIEST"

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 89, 11 October 1913, Page 13

"LAST— LOVELIEST"

AUCKLAND AND HER EXHIBITION CITY OF EMERALD HILLS THE BIG EVENT IN DECEMBER. Last, loneliest, loveliest, exquisite, apart — On us, on us, the unswerving- season smiles, Who wonder 'mid our fern why men depart To seek the Happy Ifilee. —Kipling, on Auckland. December will be marked by a notable event in the history of New Zealand — the opening of the Auckland Exhibition. Although many Aucklande.rs appear to believe that Southerners generally are envious of them, the fact is that New Zealanders as a people are proud of Auckland. She is not only the leading city in point of population, but she is also, owing to her climate and environment, peculiarly suited to the fostering of the carnival aspects of an Exhibition. Auckland knows better than het sister cities how to put on gala attire. She is the New Zealand Sydney. Especially adaptable to an Exhibition is the site chosen in the outer portion of the beautiful 200 acre Domain. In a depression at the foot of a gently sloping hill the principal Exhibition Buildings have been reared, and flanking them is the Domain cricket ground, a natural amphitheatre, where many keen contests have been fought and where notable track records have been put up on the light and pacy volcanic soil. Lower down the nill the Domain becomes a rich park of mixed native and imported trees. Included are some giant tea-tree (manuka) of a thickness that will take some beating; in fact, it is hard to imagine specimens of greater loftiness and girth. The Exhibition Buildings are just out* side the mile radius from the Post Office. There are two main means of access, the nearest being through the eastern sea* side suburb of Parnell, via the Manu-kau-road, the artery of traffic that leads from the waters of the Waitemata right across the isthmus to the west coast at the Manukau (Onehunga). . The electrical Tramway Company's cars run along Manukau-road, and thus come quite close to the Exhibition Buildings. The other main method of approach from the city is by the Queen-Wellesley-Symonds-streets tramcar to Graftonroad bridge, thence over the bridge and past the hospital to the Park-road gates of the Domain. No tramrails have been laid across the bridge. Probably motorcars will go thai way, to avoid the climb up the "Parnell rise" portion, of Manukau-road. Perhaps the matter of these two routes does not appear to be important, but really they illustrate the energy that has done so much to promote the rapid rise of Auckland in recent years; that has, in fact, made the present exhibition possible. Nature, which moulded Auckland in the form of hill and gully— Queen-street itself is an old stream bottom, hence the continual trouble with the paving foundations — placed a long valley between the city and its eastern adjuncts, including the Domain. For very many years traffic crossed this gully at the bottom (the above-men-tioned Manukau-road) and then toiled up the Parnell rise; or, alternatively, it detoured and climbed round by way of Upper Symons-street and Khyber Pass, a circuitous progression. Only in recent years has the divide been directly spanned at one of its deepest points by a high level ferro-concrete viaduct, costing £40,000, and known as the Graf ton (or Cemetery, Gully) bridge. By this means a new level outlet was provided from Symonds-street to the Domain and the eastern suburbs. Seen from the sea, the bridge, with its handsome arch (said to be the greatest span of concrete construction in the world) is a handsome landmark by day, and is equally beautiful by night, whec its upper outline is traceable at a great distance by the row of eleotric lights. To complete the value of the new outlet to the eastern suburbs, the co-operation of a neighbouring local body was needed, for the Queen City has notably lagged behind her sisters in the conception of a Greater Auckland. Fortunately, the Newmarket Borough Council not only seconded the City Council's efforts by improving the streets connecting with Park-road and Grafton Bridge, but also proved a courageous experimenter with new asphalt paving methods that are said to nave resulted very satisfactorily. The consideration thus shown to traffic, full advantage of which should be reaped at exhibition time, was a departure in Auckland, and a needed one. Generally speaking, in the past the Btreets administration of the Auckland City Council, the adjoining, borough councils, and the outlying ring of road boards, has been shocking. Some of the worst road surfaces in the world were discoverable in Auckland. Scoria (erupted volcanic matter), or light volcanic rock, placed on the roads year after year, was simply ground up. Within the space of one day it could be dust, mud, and dust again, and it was always deplorable. But the worse half of this story haa still to be told. To produce such a contemptible result the finest scenic asset that any city ever possessed was defaced. Those beautiful volcanic hills that give — or gaye — Auckland its own distinctive charm, that embodied the very genius of the place, were rent and mangled. Beautiful Mount Albert was cleft from head to foot with a |fiery ( gash, whence the red scoria was torn out and placed upon the roads. No wonder that the tortured material turned upon the people of Auckland and, rising in dense dust storms, endeavoured to choke them. Even Mount Eden narrowly escaped the fate of Mount Albert. Other of the green volcanic cones have been irreparably defaced. If Auckland had many years ago applied itself to the task of honest, permanent street-making, it would have saved its money, it health", and its characteristic hills. Fortunately, modern Auckland is waking up in this respect. A big scheme of permanent street-paving is in progress, and visitors to the Exhibition should feel the benefit of it. Anyone who stands on the summit of Mount Eden or of One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie) will, if he can overlook the red scars caused by the scoriadiggers, see a glorious landscape and seascape. One Tree Hill commands » view of both harbours, the Waitemata on the east coast and the Manukau on the west. Mount Eden concentrates the view on the Waitemata and the island-studded Hauraki Gulf. Within a few miles of Auckland over fifty volcanic cones raise their heads. In some cases may be seen a crater vithin a crater. In the middle distance are the islands of Rangitoto (the triple-coned volcano that stands bet-ween the Waitemata and the outer eulf) and Motukoreho; behind Rangitoto, Motutapu and Motuihi ; farther out in the Hauraki Gulf, Waiheke. All the waters in between, on a fine Saturday afternoon, ah'vo with white-winged yachts. Most of this view can be seen from the small hill at the foot of which the exhibition buildings in the Domain have been erected. Paiiicularly does that wonderfully-carved promontory on the North Shore, ending in North Head, ew.a.4 out cloar»out with Its two volcanic hills and- getting of sapphire ' .water*,

Exhibition visitors to Auckland cannot fail to pay a generous tribute to her subtle but potent charm, and some of them may yield to it. Economically, Auckland has of late years made great strides, thankß largely to dairying developments in the back country. Wonderful reclamations been made at the water-front, removing unsightly mudbanks that were a standing reproach to "our beautiful harbour," and converting them into building sites or green playing grounds such as Victoria Park, successor to the old Freeman's Bay. About a million and a half will be needed to cover the Harbour Board's reclamation and wharfage Bohemes. Auckland's Miramar is Orakei, and the Mayor of Auckland has been trying to secure it as a garden suburb, but so far it has escaped him, as Miramar eluded Mayor Aitken. In the latter case the stumbling block was Richard John Se&abn. At Orakei it is Native titles. In securing a town hall (at a cost of over £100,000) Auckland was a long way behind Wellington. She has also lagged in drainage, her half-million scheme being still incomplete. 1 Anothei' reproach is the non-municipalisation of the tramways. Her water supply and electrical power house are well up to date ; her park Bpaces far exceed ours ; so do the number of her largehearted citizens who have made her bequests. One of the latest is Mr. Arthur Myers, who has given £9000 to buy an area of gully land in the heart of the city. This is timely. Auckland has neglected her gully bottoms as well as defacing her hill-tops. Both Auckland and Wellington Btand in need of public benefactors. Especially Wellington. All New Zealand hopes that the smallpox epidemio—a nasty word in Auckland just now — will not interfere with the Exhibition. New Zealand also hopes that the great event will not be " followed by the usual slump. Auckland is at the zenith of a period of great business activity, and her well-wishers trust that its decline is not yet in Bight.