TONGARIRO PARK

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 141, 18 June 1927, Page 11

TONGARIRO PARK

HEATHER AREAS

REPORT OF COMMITTEE

A meeting of the Tongariro National Park Board was held at Parliament Buildings yesterday afternoon, the chairman (Mr. J. B. Thompson, Undersecretary for Lands) presiding. It was decided to recommend that the Tongariro National.Part Act, 1922, be amended so as to permit of charges being inSdo for the admission of persons and vehicles to the Park. The fees, it was suggested, should be on the same basis as those charged at the Egmont National Park.

An application by the Buapehu Ski Club for permission to erect a stororoom at Whakap'apa was granted. Mr. B. 0. Aston presented the report of the sub-committee (Mr. W. H. Field, M.P., Mr. Salt, and himself) appointed to examine anil report on the present distribution of the heather in the Park, and'demarcate the boundaries of some areas so as to form the basis for comparison to determine whether the heather is spreading. He stated that in an area where the heath, represented by mature plants and seedlings, was growing abundantly at a spot 520 ft above the National Park Railway Station a boundary was defined some 94ft long at a position oil the- margin of a heather association.. the number of adult plants on one side of this line was very small, and there were no seedlings visible. The locality waß situated on, a .flat, wet piece of ground, which naturally Was growing indigenous vegetation, Jndicaiive of wet, boggy soil, and the imported live heather was abundant.

''It is hoped," added the report,'' that subsequent visits to this spot will enable your, committee to determine* whether on this type, of soil the imported heather is spreading in an aggressive manner likely to. compete and occupy the place at present occupied by the indigenous vegetation,, which contains some beautiful flowering plants. . "On the.road to the Whakapapa and Haunted fWhare your committee inspected many thriving patches of the introduced heather, but all were growing in sonidwhafcdamp, flat land. The track to Mount .Ngauruhoe was next visited. Leaving the main road, the track led members to the summit of a small mountain,. Pukeonaki (401Sft above sea). On loaving the main road at a point 350 ft above the National Park. Railway Station a fe\^ .isolated mature plants of the .tiny heather -Were seen on the track, but the soil' appeared.much drier than where.the heather was abundant round about the Haunted Whare and Whafca-papa-nui Stream Main road, and it wasf noticed, that there were no young plants or.' seedlings. JPew other heather plants were seen nntil near the sum: mit of Pukeonakj and near here several mature plants were found, the product, according to. Mr. Salt, of seed sown nine years previously.,They,were found ,to' be. well established in a primitive asßpeiation df what might be called snowgrass-dracbphyllum - heath. The only "exqtic other than this heather ob-^ served was the eapeweed hypochaeris. "If will, be interesting to Puke.onaki ftt future board meetings and endeavour io form some opinion whether .the introduced heather can compete at this much higher, drier, and .colder habitat with the natural vegetation to tliq extent of damaging its phyaionomy. On the, actual summit of Pukeonaki only'one "mature plant of the! heather whs observed." , '

jMr...Troup: "1 thonght from the pap'pfs the heather was spreading all over the. place.". ■ The Chair/man: "On, no; it is not so bad as that."

The report was adopted and the committee; thanked for the work-, done. Donations to : the board's, funds ■by the Ohakunc and Eaetihi Dramatic Societies' were acknowledged with thanks. : A letter was .received from the Tararua Tramping Club suggesting that in granting permission to clubs to erect huts'in the Park-it should bo made a Condition that such huts should be provided with emergency rations, and that the doors be left unlocked. .