Hikurangi's £300,000 Lake

Northern Advocate, 29 August 1938, Page 8

Hikurangi's £300,000 Lake

“From the highlands at Mania,” remarked a motorist who completed the Hikurangi - Matapouri - Whangarei round trip yesterday, “the Jordan and Hikurangi swamp flood areas, in the misty light of approaching evening, reminded me of a new port. The whole area was a vast lake of water.” For a ten-mile stretch the flood area was covered this morning, holding up all farming operations. In the Marua and Opuawhanga districts, settlers consider it the biggest flood in years. Stock was marooned on high ground, but because the flooding was gradual actual stock losses are small. “It’s a pity the Prime Minister’s visit was postponed,” remarked a settler this morning. “We’d have liked him to come and have a look at our £300,000 lake.”

Settlers Alarmed Settlers in the swamp area are seriously alarmed at the all-weather road activities of the Public Works Department, \ Whilst they agree that the scheme is admirable from the motorists’ view point, the embankments have the effect of stop-banking and turning the water back on to paddocks. “The present flood is the result of a day and a night's rain,” the settler continued. “Surely it should be possible to get such water away without difficulty. The fact that it will be all away by the end of the week demonstrates, to my mind, that nature requires only a little assistance to let the water get away immediately. “The rain is Northland’s most valued asset; it requires only control of flooding to make this area into the most valued of farm land.” A scheme had been investigated by the settlers to divert flood waters from the Marua and Whakapara districts into the Whananaki harbour, but it was discovered that the levels were unfavourable, said the settler. “Even so," he continued, “something effective can and must be done. What we need is a comprehensive survey which will touch the matter from the afforestation, land settlement and road transport angles. “The limiting factor of settlement j at present is the excessive run-off due to cyclonic storms. Were this sudden flooding rectified it would be possible to increase settlement immediately.”