PIONEER PARK.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 210, 3 August 1940, Page 8

PIONEER PARK.

OUTSTANDING GIFT. One of the outstanding Centennial gifts to the people of New Zealand is a magnificent area of bush at Raincliff, South Canterbury, which has been set aside as a memorial to the pioneers by Major P. H- Johnson, says the journal of the Forest and Bird Protection Societv. As very little of the original mixed rain forest now remains in Canterbury, this gift of hush, the worth of which is enhanced hv its being easily accessible from all the centres of population, is especially valuable. . The present hush area comprises over 200 acres of dense vegetation, but adjoining the hush is a large area of manuka shrub-land in which native trees of all kinds are rapidly overtopping the manuka. Stock-proof fencing shortly to ha erected will hasten this extension of Hie main forest. The dominant tree is white pine or kahikntea; there are hundreds of them, tall, straight and clean. A recent estimateshowed that there were over 2 000 000 feet of timber in the white pines alone. Other big trees are totara. matai, and pokaka, some of them truly noble specimens. In addition there are over fortv species of broad-leaved trees and shrubs typical of mixed Canterbury rain forest. Remarkably few exotics occur, and these are mainly on the outskirts where they could easily he eradicated. Bird life is abundant, surnrisinelv so for such an isolated area. Bellbirds are numerous, so are fantails, waxeyes. warblers, riflemen and tomtits. A few pigeons and mnreporks appear to he permanent residents, and it is believed that robins still exist- in an almost impenetrable area in the heart: of the hush. , „ . ' _ i Plans envisaged by Major Johnson involve further acquisitions which would bring the total area reserved to nearly 1000 ceres. With public access confined mainly to the outskirts it would appear that we have in sight' the preservation of one more area where some of our hush birds will find permanent protection. |