A FLEA FOR OUR VOLCANIC HILLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13846, 4 September 1908, Page 9

A FLEA FOR OUR VOLCANIC HILLS.

Sir.— your issue of tho 31st ult. I read ! With considerable regret a paragraph in the j Local and General News" column dealing I ■with the beautifying of Mount Eden andj other similar resorts. I asked myself what; does it all mean, and how can Mount Eden 'be made more beautiful than it is, or rather was when it was acquired from the Maoris. Then it was beautiful, clothed with its native orator fflid th*; remains of tbo Maori fortifications, ruas, etc, Now there are hideous patches of sombre j and funereal-looking pines projecting above | tho skyline; also many blackened stumps showing up, giving ono the idea of a de-! serted bush section. Many of tho ruas have been planted with shrubs, evidently with the object of their obliteration. And now it is proposed to further beautify this noblo hill until it shall be no longer recognisable. There picturesque and probably unique Volcanic hills around Auckland are the only remaining landmarks showing on their terraced #lopes the marvellous workmanship of the Maori. And why, oh, why, cannot we bo content to leave them as they are, eloquent monuments of that interesting and noble race. The pity of it is that when the, reservations were made on these hills they w«re not extended to tho very base, instead of, as in the case of the smaller hills, only round the summits. The main object, I imagine, of ascending theee hills is to obtain aia uninterrupted view of the magnificent panorama; but this will not be possible wheal trees and shrubs grow up and obstruct the view. On Mount St. John, for instance, many shrubs have been planted, not only on the summit, but in the crater' My idea of beautifying Mount Eden is to remove those hideous stumps and all the pine trees, or, at any rate, those that interrupt a continuous view of the summit outline. On my return to Auckland 15 months ago after an absence of many years I was astonished to see those unsightly, barn-like structures on Mount Hobson and One-tree Hill, interfering with the natural outlines of these hills. Where, may I ask, was the Auckland ■ Scenery Preservation Society when these buildings were erected? Auckland is, no doubt, one of the most beautiful »ites for a city in existence; but X doubt whether its most ardent admirers could say with truth that it is a beautiful city. At present it has few, if any, public buildings that can bo called beautiful, or even handsome, and now it has been decided, I believe, to erect a triangular town hall, which will certainly be unique in form, if not in beauty. Then there is our Domain, which, with the exception of the gardens, was much more beautiful 40 years ago than it is today, its fences and entrance gates on all sides wearing a terribly shabby and forsaken appearance. Auckland city undoubted! l il- - ires much beautifying in every direction, but not our lovely volcanic hills. IVo doubt Kinie of the visitors who ascend them would like to see tea kiosks and band rotundas, etc., erected thereon; but i don t think maii'v Aucklanders would? As one who almost daily- ascends Mount Eden, it is positively painful to me to stand on its summit and -cp how those bills have been and are beinir defaced. By ami by perhaps a league will be formed to beautify Rangitoto, which will be like painting the lily with a vengeance. Ukktma.nv Epsom. '