THE NATIONAL PARK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20602, 28 June 1930, Page 16

THE NATIONAL PARK.

Sir, —When Te Heuheu—on' behalf of his Ngati-Tuwharetoa people and himself (as their paramount chief) —donated Mount Tongariro in trust as a reserve for the flora and fauna, thereof for all time, his was an jict of "ohaki," i.e., a disposition during' hi 3 lifetime, to bo respected for jtfl time. Tongariro, the sacred mountain, whereon he, with his ancestors, sleeps in death,' he conceived to be thereby secure in its sacredness for ever more, and that every bird and tree and plant, by virtue of that tapu, would be in secure sanctuary. At least such was liis personal explanation to myself. Now one "F.G.R." professes that this is all absurdity and declares that people who so disposo (including, of course, To Heuheu himself) arc " obsessed." Ho suggests we .must entirely ignore the conditions of Te Heuheu's reservation in tho disposition of his sacred mountain. " F.G.R." quite approves of tho stupid planting on Tongariro of the inappropriate Scotch heather, which will surely displace over wide areas the native herbage. In due time it will even invade the settled areas and becoma yet ono moro of New Zealand's noxious weed curses. This objection to Scotch heather he considers mere "pother," and " somewhat absurd " ot the Where does To Heuheu's ohaki fit in hero? Again "F.G.R." is pleased with tho reported successful acclimatisation of " this fina game bird," tho grouse, .and he visualises Tongariro as a gamo preserve and advises the adding to the grouse of " many other game birds and forms of life." To still further disturb tho natural conditions of Tongariro ho advocates also the introduction of tho " right class of food plants," and of *' plantations of exotic; trees," and so on. " F.G.R." would relegato To Heuheu's wishes to oblivion and change tho wholo faco of his mountain. The stated object jvo in itself discredits these, schemes for tho undoing of Tongariro as a sanctuary —for " F.G.R." definitely declares that tho samo "would provide qui to a largo income." However, " F.G.R." is only on® of many who should realise that lher<i arc other interests than "gamo preserves" and that the native conditions on Tongariro in respect of the fauna and flora are of extreme value scientifically. Then, also, tho trust implied their magnificent bequest to the public must be respectod in its entirety—as being sacred and tho observance thereof committed to us by tho chieftain donor. Finally, of all places, Tongariro. in view of tho restrictions that thus apply to it, is tho last of all places in New Zealand foi' mercenary experiments m Geo. Graham.