MAYOR ISLAND

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1073, 21 July 1924, Page 2

MAYOR ISLAND

A VERDANT KNOLL. SILVERY BEACHES AND WOODED HEIGHTS. Tho verdant but seldom-visited Mayor Island in the Bay of Plenty formed the subject of an address to the annual conference of the Forestry League by -Mr K. W. Dalrymple. The island is about 27 miles N.X.E. off Tauralign and was named by Captain Coo!;. It is of volcanic formation and has an area of 3154 acres. Picturesque in the extreme it. lies outside the lOu fathom line, and has high, worn cliffs, above which are hush covered bills, the whole surrounded by deep, blue water. A small opening, said Air Dalrymple. on the south-eastern corner called Opo Bay, is the usual landing place. The bay with its 80ft high cliffs topped by. towering pohutulcawas is a wonderful sight. Fivo minutes' walk up from the beach is a grand old pohulukawa with n. trunk just under 30ft round, and this, claims Mr Dalrvmple, is the largest of its kind. The slopes of the main ridge are a continual succession of small deep gullies, while on the bottom of each gully is a veritable jungle of whan which, grows like a weed. The pigs on the island, however, kept the undergrowth down. Front the trig, station on the top of the ridge above Upo Bay a view of the centre of the. island shows it to be a great basintile old crater; on the eastern sides are the lakes. The near one, about 6 acres in extent, appears to be dark blood-red, and the other, of about 20 ucres, a deep blueblack. A visit to the lakes shows the water to be quite clear but full of some apparently vegetable matter. They have no visible outlet. The whole basin except for a small swamp by the lakes is covered with poliutukawas and manuka. The flat between the lakes now overgrown with manuka was the cultivation ground of the -Maoris in the old days; the soil reminds one of the blue grey mud thrown out by mud volcanoes at Waiotapu, and is said to have grown wonderful crops. Wild ducks and shags find a quiet home on the lakes, and on tho surrounding trees the bell-birds arc in thousands. There are a few small springs on the island, most of them near the tops of the ridges, and towards evening the bell birds collect there and give a concert no pen description can set out. Rigoons, tuis, kalcas, kingfishers and a few other small birds arc there, lmt what a sanctuary the lakes would make for black and brown teal, almost oslinct now on the mainland ! A quail, which appeared to be the native quail, is there also. If it is, surely it should be protected. The Alaoris have tried felling, burning and sowing grass, hut nothing remains now e. cept an odd plant here and there. One old cultivation ground is thick with the native hibiscus. There is no water supply on the island for stock; the Maori in charge is deeply interested in protecting the birds, but when he is not there visitors shoot anything and everything. The Alaoris say there was practically no hush on the island when they occupied it; the history of the many fights and the story of the growth of vegetation since they left is still to be written.