NATURE NOTES

Evening Post, Issue 52, 2 March 1935, Page 17

NATURE NOTES

HIGHWAY SCENERY

LACK OF BUSH RESERVES

(By B. H. D. Stidolph, E.A.oiu.)

It is somewhat regrettable that the main highway' between Wellington and;. Auckland, via New Plymouth, is bor-'. dered by so very few reserves of native bush. In fact, the only area that really presents'any true idea of virgin forest.:. is that on Mt. Messenger, in the north-! em part of Taranaki, where dense.bush meets the eye on either side of the;, road. It is certainly the most picturesque and attractive portion for bush scenery on the. whole; length ,of 473" miles of highway connecting these twz> cities. Even here settlement has advanced far up the hillside in piares, but it is to be hoped that what-bush r<> mains on this mountain w;ll be I preserved for all time, so that traveller* on this important link will not be deprived altogether of viewing an impressive example of New Zeaiami's disappearing heritage. Certainly ■■; ther« are in this locality many.other bnsh--clad areas at present, but it is only amatter of time before these will, be re-. placed with pastures, and in all cases the native vegetation has "disappeared, from the flats bordering the roadway,,. The bush on Mt. Messenger, besides its scenic attraction, provides a splendidsanctuary for our native bird life. There the gorgeous notes of the.bellbird may be heard, even if the traveller is too late for the early. morning chorus. . Its near relative, the tui, us also present, and entertains everyone with its great variety of notes, cougfis and sneezes, chuckles and gurgles. The tui.is a merry, customer when in. the mood /for vocal pranks. The little silver-eye, which like the bell-bird and the tui, is fond of nectar, is,present in fair numbers, and adds further life to the bush scene. Then tjiere is. the pert little tomtit that suddenly appears from the midst of the vegetation and has a good look at the passer-by: The lively notes of the whitehead. fall incessantly on the ear, and in striking contrast are the rasping ones of the long-tailed cuckoo, which delights to place its egg in the whitehead's nest and allow ;it to rear the youngster. On the roadway itself, particularly near the edge of the bush, a: pipit is sure to greet the traveller in its customary friendly way, and nearly always accompanies him for. at least a short distance. In the Lower Awakino Valley the highway, after passing through clearings more or less' characterised ■- by many stark, gaunt skeletons of former forest giants, enters the Awakino Gorge, parts of which are very beautiful. The scenery, however, is of a different type to that seen on Mt Messenger, where the forest appears to far better advantage. The steep hillsides of the Awakino i Gorge, all the same. provide wonderful vistas of river and bush, in which many kinds of ferns grow most luxuriantly. Before- Piopio is reached the Mangaotaki Gorge is also passed, and here there is another impressive example of King Country, scenery, in which limestone.bluffs.are a prominent,feature of the landscape. In the midst of one of these few scenic gems on this highway there is a quarry, v/here an ugly gash in the hillside reminds one of. the presence of man and at the same time ruins an. otherwise sylvan scene. In many parts of New Zealand charming; scenery is marred by a quarry, but perhaps when these fall into disuse Nature will soon -hesV the man-made scars. : A very beautiful region on the west coast of the Auckland district; is Kawhia Harbour, which has many deep inlets, with bush-clad hills rising from the water's edge. The southern reaches are the most attractive. The Vfaiharakeke Inlet is said to possess one of the finest natural collections of ferns in New Zealand. In this locality: the scenery makes a strong appeal to the traveller, and it'is to be hoped that the surrounding bush will be saved from destruction. A splendid road now runs round the harbour from Kinohaku to Kawhia, and it is only a. matter of time before it will become a most popular route. Another road connects Kawhia with Raglan, but at present portion of it is in a. bad condition. When this is brought up to standard this highway should also become a favoured highway, as for many miles it passes through virgin forest.. Approaching Raglan the beautiful Bride* Veil Falls, set amidst a. reserve, of. native bush, afford a very phasing sight to those who care fc> take a wal>" of ten or fifteen v roiautes along * bush track. The: ialls are about 200? in height. • Although there is a good variety o| both native and introduced birds jjl this region, the numbers of any species do not appear to be great. Thtf most conspicuous is probably the Cal* fornian quail, parties of which are con* stantly disturbed from the roadwajl. especially on the highway from Kawhia to Raglan, where it passef through bush country. In one cast two adult Calif ornian quails were alt tended by half-grown young,. and an> other batch of tiny chicks, while ,i little further along the road there, were four fully-grown birds, apparently dancing attendance on the young'nnes. This bird seems to rear a second brood before the. first is fully grown, and the young ones- accompany their parents for a considerable period. The bush around the southern reaches of Kawhia Harbour coritains a good sprinkling of rewarewa trees, and these attract the tui and the. bellbird. An odd kingfisher may be seen on the harbour, and the black shag suddenly appears and disappears again while engaged on a fishing expedition in the placid waters. The pipit .is quite at home wherever there is an open area..