HILLS OF HOME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22320, 18 January 1936, Page 1 (Supplement)

HILLS OF HOME

BY NANCY WALKER

AUCKLAND'S BACKGROUND

Where the hills of Auckland call to tens of holiday-makers the beaches call to thousands. The once-solitary grandeur of Piha has been invaded by surfers, and the .majestic Lion Bock keeps guard over the white tents of a motor camp. Thus the West Coast Road has become a lively traffic highway, and the crossing of the Waitakere Ranges, once an undertaking for horse or foot, is nowadays a short motor run. But they know little of the ranges who only the motor road know. Not that that dusty thoroughfare is without its beauties. There are some breathtaking vistas along its route, notably the one looking down on the Huia Valley, a perfect example of New Zealand's bush-clad hills and gullies as they were before the invasion of agriculture.

But what have the ranges to offer to their devotees that the beaches cannot give? First of all, the benefit of a higher and purer air than that of the lowlands. The Waitakeres only just come within the dignity of mountain status, their highest peaks keeping round the ]>soo-feet mark, but that is a respectable altitude to those who spend their working days at sea-level. Then there is the view, which not only expands the spirit by its beauty, but emphasises and impresses on the mind that ono is living on the heights. There is no mental stimulus in living on a flat plateau such as that on which Johannesburg is situated, whatever the elfect of its 6000 ft. of altitude may be on the body. But in the Waitakeres it is impossible to forget that one is up aloft, for there down below lies tho city and all the Waitemata Valley, its contours all flattened out as when viewed from an aeroplane. It is a magnificent panorama as well as a lesson in local physical geography. Aucklnd's position between two oceans is clearly shown, and so narrow does tho barrier between tho Pacific and Tasman appear that only a little spadework seems necessary to turn North Auckland from a peninsula into an island. Changeful Vistas The view is as changeable as a kaleidoscope. Never is it the same for two consecutive days, or even for two consecutive hours. Like a spotlight expert in a theatre, who emphasises now this feature of the stage scenery and now that, the sun, the clouds, tlio mists, and even the winds, are continually creating new effects. Perhaps the scene is most fascinating at night, when the distant city is picked out and studded with lights, winking like jewels in the surrounding dark. Of course, there is a theory that mountain air is drier than that of the coast, but there is nothing to support that belief up here. The rainfall is much higher than that of the land below, to the benefit of the .city water supply, for which these hills are the catchment. Even on reasonably fine days tho sun often plays hide-and-seek with swirling mists that arc the cloud caps so often seen over tho ranges. The bush is typical rain-forest, rich in mosses and ferns, and holding many trees and shrubs uncommon in the lowlands. Among these are the hinau, ono of our handsomest flowering trees, which in early summer bears profuse racemes of lily-of-the-valley-like flowers, to be followed by berries beloved by native Moro uncommon still is tho tawari (ixerba), of which there are some fine specimens on tho way to the trig above Dreamlands. The tawari, which also blooms in early summer, has starry white flowers with pointed petals, borne in clusters, that have been described by Dr. Kirk as the most beautiful in the New Zealand flora. Even those who feel that claim too sweeping would admit the tree's distinction, its handsome foliage and neat, well-groomed habit; in contrast with the sprawling, rangy growth that makes most of our native shrubs and trees look unhappy out of their natural environment. Bird Life of the Bush The bird life of the bush is on the whole disappointing, but there are some pleasant surprises. The tui is not exactly scarce; the whirr of its glossy wings and flute-like call are often heard, particularly where a re ware wa tree in full flower provides a feast of honey; but the tui is not here the accomplished singer ho has it in him to be. .Perhaps the competition of the bellbird is needed to spur him to his best efforts. This is lacking. According to those who should know, the bellbirds that wer<> brought from the Little Barrier some time ago and liberated on the ranges have not established themselves. Native pigeons are fairly plentiful, but the abundance of berries left, untouched on tho trees shows that there is sufficient food for a much larger bird population.

A harsh cry heralds an occasional kaka, but much more frequently heard is the "kik-a-lik" of the rosella, an Australian parrakeet that has made itself quite at home in this setting. Seen in a cage, the rosella makes the coloursensitive eye blink; flitting over our sombre landscape it is a living jewel. Nobody has yet accused it of harmful habits, and its presence seems a distinct gain, but the anomaly is that m an area where our own lovely little parrakeets have entirely disappeared this stranger should become a successful colonist. Australian magpies, too, are in evidence, as is also another invader from the same country, the opossum.

More cheering news is that the presence of the rare blue-wattled native crow is attested by well-authenticated reports, though whether there are more than one or two specimens is still doubtful. The scarcity of bird life is puzzling in view of the fact that the whole of the watershed from above Waiatarua onwards is a sanctuary, the only part of it which may be entered without a permit being the main road itself, which runs right through the forbidden territory. Stoats, weasels and rats are blatned for keeping down the birds, the weasel in particular being over-plentiful. Transition There are permanent homes in the ranges as well as summer cottages for the fortunate. A delightful site is occupied by the homo of the City Council's ranger, high up on a hill that gives him a bird's eye view ,of the territory under his control. The extension cf the watershed lias abolished some small farms that were within its present b'orrlers. Outside that area there ar<j several settlers of long standing, some of them on land they took up over half a century ago. Hearts of lions they must have had to undertake and sustain a lifetime of mortal combat with the bush, when plenty of easier-worked and more-profitable land was available. Tho isolation of the old days is at an end. Motor-cars and radios are commonplaces. The housewives have experienced tho transition from colonial ovens to electric cookers.

But the bush has triumphed. The necessity of conserving the watershed preserves it from further invasion, and by the time Auckland has grown to the necessity of going further afield for its water supply public opinion will demand the continued preservation of this valuable natural asset.