LOCKED-UP RESORTS

Grey River Argus, 15 October 1936, Page 3

LOCKED-UP RESORTS

Greymouth Lethargy (To the Editor.! Sir.—Your article in Saturday’s issue under the above heading comes at an opportune tim'e, and accords with your general policy to enable all citizens to enjoy to the full those blessings in the way of beautiful surroundings which Nature has showered upon tw. , . One could mention endless tracks anti Toads that would bring unsurpassed views to even elderly people who can travel on]v by car, but two seem spec ■ ially to commend themselves. Almost within a stone’s throw we have the Paparoas running up to well 1 over 4000 feet' in parts; from Blackball to the Croesus Mine is a track I of about 12 miles in length; it is nn ■ easy grade—for several m'iles a car • could already be (and I believe cars , have been) taken over it but this par- ’ suffers from never having been metall- ' ed. The remaining portion of the ' track could easily be widened out for car traffic at moderate speeds and we would have a. road leading to the top of the IPiiparoa along which a. sum- ' mit road could be built, in many places w'thout difficulties of any description. ’ Here is a scheme which would provide - work for Public Works Department' employees for several years after theq

road from Moonlight to Ikamatua via Rough River is finished. It would un- i doubtedly give a fillip |O prospecting in the ' vicinity of the Croesus and • along to the head of Moonlight, the Ten Mile, etc., while the summit road itself would give views unsurpassed liv any other road in New Zealand. Now for a scheme nearer home, viz that from King’s Park to Marsden as« mentioned in your article. The ridge along this route has been used for vents past by prospectors, opossum trappers, shooters and hikers. There are a few big breaks in the r:dge but in most parts the track is cxceedinglv easv and a small expenditure on the employment of a .few good bushmen and’road-makers would result in a track which as time went on could be widened into a road. There are certain technical difficulties to be faced for a start. I am informed that some years ago one oi our ex.-Borough-councillors made an effort to get fhe Native owners of the Reserve between King’s Park and the Borough boundary to present the land to the Borough as a Park but the death of a party prevented the continuance of the effort. The Native Trustee was agreeable some years ago for the Borough to construct a track from King’s Park to the summit of the hills at the back of the t'own, where the Scenic Reserve begins, but this would only have added value to the land' and expense to Ihe Borough if the Borough had wanted later to acquire the land. Thus the starting

point is to get the- land vested in the Borough which, of course, means money, but the,value of the land, from a productive view point cannot be very great, and perhaps it could be bought on terms; if this was done the way would be open to build a track which in its time would become a motor road. The time is here for a live body to push on a work of this description. The Automobile Association is trying to preserve the bush on the existing motor roads, another body is needed now to push the tracks and motor roads to the bush that has been preserved away from existing roads. Yours etc. ALPINE.