A TERRA INCOGNITA OF GLORIOUS BUSH AND RESERVE

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12638, 24 December 1926, Page 18

A TERRA INCOGNITA OF GLORIOUS BUSH AND RESERVE

WELLINGTON’S MAGNIFICENT HERITAGE AT HAYWARDS ■ , - ACCESS SECURED AFTER LONG WAUHNG MANOR PARK SUSPENSION BRIDGE SAVES 24 MILES OF TRAVEL DO PUBLIC REALISE WHAT THEY 1 POSSESS?

the most; beautiful spot - in Huit Valley is at last to bo made easy of ■J access to those who have long admired its charms from the, far side of ~ the' river. Manor Park bridge, at Haywards, which is to be opened by \ the Hon. K. S. Williams, Minister, of . Public Works, on Saturday, January j loth, makes the way easy, and a new access , road completes the work of throwing open to the publio the beau-. : tiful -Memorial Park and the adjoining - Scenic Reserve on the . Western side of Hutt River, near 1 Silverstream. ' About 40. years 1 ago, it may he a little longer, the' Government acquired

a large - area of virgin native bush at Silverstream, on the - Haywards side of the river, ail area that was teeming with all sorts of flora and fauna, including,, numerous tree and other lqwdy ..ferns, for which New-Zealand is famro? JXhis reserve,- however, only practically half of one side and top of the mountain ridge, and there was no public road by which the peotdet,-cQ<Ud, ■ gain access, so that in real%! trespass 'to get on to the reserve. Some time later the Government endeavoured to acquire the other portion of the area which had almost a natural boundary ; but the then owner’s ideas of values did not coincide with those of the authorities and the effort to secure the whole area ended ih negation. I A good deal of water has passed under the Hntt bridge since then, and properties have changed hands. The : flat land for some miles aronnd has been wonderful dairying country, but in recent years the high prices paid for the land have not made dairy farming a paying proposition. Mr W. -H. George, who is too well known to need any introduction to Wellington people, a few years hack purchased the Haywards Estate with the intention of. developing it into a model dairy farm as well as affording a delightful country home and relaxation from business life tn the city of .Wellington. Several additional adjacent . email farms were purchased from time to time, and tho property was renamed Manor Park, comprisingin all some 750 acres, inclusive of about 150 acres of virgin bush, the possession of which, and to secure its protection from extinction, largely influenced Mr George in his first and subsequent purchases. Having carried on the property as a daily farm for some years, Mr W. H. George, for business reasons, decided three yean ago to leave Wellington

f , and take up hie residence in. Melbourne, where he hae' large interests, and in - consequence took steps to realise the. whom of his New Zealand properties. Considering the probable future of the fine farm. Mr and Mrs George realised what a beautiful residential area it would make, with the lovely background of native bnsh, the fern and tree-clad hills rising in some places two or three hundred feet, and forming one of the .{most beautiful forest scenes to be found within a hundred mites of Wellington. Here was loveliness within reach of the city business man, though' its charm was somewhat temSred bjr the difficulty of getting there. ow this handicap has been overcome is one of the points of this article. A MUNIFICENT GIFT. Having found it impossible to sell the property as a whole as a dairy farm except at a, heavy loss, Mr George decided to sub-divide tho area of the flat lands on the most enlightened town planning lines, and then the inspiration came to him to signalise the departure of his wife and himself from the Dominion by a great gift, no less than the presentation to thb people of the fine block of native bush, about 140 acres in extent, on fhA estate—“to bo named Memorial t ./ark't —in memory of their son. Lieut. Keith George, who fell in the Great War. Tho offer was at once

made to hand over the property: to the City Council as- a heritage for- the people of Wellington. It was in • the“N.Z. Times” that the .first announce-' ment of the was made. The City Council -gladly accepted thi munificent park, for Wellington.-' hat. only-too few pieoes of native .bush 1 within its boundaries, and nothing to. compare with this particular reserve, except perhaps Wilton’s Bush,.;' Consequently, .abouta year ago, there .Was a notable .gathering of members, of> the City, Council and prominent-!: city ’residents on. the. portion of tho .park abutting on the Hutt River 'ad-

joining the Scenic Reserve, and,sit; a very pleasing function the title deeds of the property were handed over. to the Mayor, Mr. C. J. B. Norwqod, and. Wellington became possessed .of ! one of, the most perfect areas of , bush owned by . any municipality,, not by :■ purchase But by deed of gut. The Director of City Reserves, Mr McKenzie, has been over the park, and it is not anticipated that there will be any great diffi-i culty, and the expense will - be comparatively small, in cutting tracks through and making the reserve' thoroughly accessible to all. Trampers have already “blazed the trail” along the-stream and np the gorges to the top of the : reserve, and in the’ 'Perntree Gully part of the park and elsewhere there is a large area of land available for picnio purposes- On Haywards property itself Mr George is laying.'out a large motor camp and several picnic and sports grounds,- with ample accommodation, where very large gatherings can be accommodated. There is fishing right on the spot, goodclimbing or walks through the hush and scenic reserve, safe bathing, inf act it is a delightful spot for a camp holiday. A THOUGHT FOR THE BOYS. In all his plans for the future Mr and- Mrs George did not forget the youth of the city, and in addition tothe park which they presented to Wellington, they presented a site of between four and five acres of partly flat land and bush, running right down to the river, to the Y:M.C,A. as a camp site, of which full use has already-been made. In fact a party of Y.M.O.'Ai. Scouts will, he camping there, during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Even on the fringe of the Soenic Reserve some of its beauties are apparent, By fhe riverside is a .willow

tree, {planted long ago, it has bowed its bead until the ends, of the branches have taken - root in-the ground.. This phenomenal tree has no fewer than three separate trunks all well rooted and it is difficult to say which is the parent root. The bole of the tree is bent right over, making a very picturesque, archway for the track which runs beneath, and an ideal spot for a charming snapshot. Only a few yards away are two old and decayed trees literally smothered in tree and climbing ferns, presenting a picture of exceptional charm. - We had almost forgotten to mention the stump of an old Totara tree which stands in the corner of the Y.M.C.A. reserve. It is estimated that this tree was growing when" Wiliam the Conqueror crossed to England. It is eaid to have . been, cut down by the Maoris'for canop purposes,, and its appearance certainly suggests native work, as it is cat about four feet above the ground and very 'unevenly. It is between five and six feet in diameter, so must have been a very fine specimen. ISOLATED PARKS. When, however. Mr and Mrs 1 George' presented the Memorial Park to the people the question of access was still unsettled. Here was a lovely spot, 140 acres in extent, given to the public, and

-alongsideit the 160 acres or u.e s>iive»stream. Scenic. Reserve—which,. by, the :by, would' have been ..better’ named the Hay'wirds^Sodndd"Reserve,, as it is .situated on-the Haywards side of - the river. Only -by ■ *fbi;di hg-' Hntt s ßiver could the 1 public sehure a’.legal : access. ’ The alternative was to’walk over a mile 'of •private ? land < between the HaywardsPajiautanui road. and. the reserve at-the' risk of being ’had up for trespass. : With the' object of giving the public the'opportunity of ’visiting' this -area 'of over 160 acres' of native hush, Mr • George, .about three' years ago,, 'made-an offer to ’ the Crown Lands Department, , that -if the 'Government

would construct the necessary road oi one. and, a quarter . miles from tile Ford'Road to, the beauty spots, that he would not only give- all-the land required, but'- would- pay?:haft- the. cost of formation. This generous offer, was -favourably, received. by. the Commissioner of Crown-Lands,, but even-'then. the way was not clear'.for actiqn be--cause part.'.of! the route .traversed-the’ railway .land 'on,- which 'Silverstream Railway'Bridge stands. . Fearing that any alienation; of land at this import-; ant point. migh.t hamper them- in future : devqlbpements—-and the - Railway Department .’has long planned extensive the Hutt 'Valley—-the Railway Board’ Could -not' . consentto the

scheme, anil so lue reserve remained as inaccessible as • ever. Six months ago Mr and Mrs George, in the hope of completing their ideal of making, this beautiful place easy of access to the people before they left New Zealand, informed the authorities that if they would permit the- proposed road to run, beneath the : railway at the bridge site,, that they would be prepared not only to,give all the necessary, land.'but' to.-carry.out the formation at their own expense. By this time the Railway Board.had,_come to a definite decision regarding its plans for the extension ef -the."railway. ,line :on the .western, side, of .the river, .and- it was able to grant; consent- to the road traversing a portion of the .railway land. The .Commissioner of. Crown Lands again facilitated the scheme, , and the Hutt County • Council having agreed to accept . the dedication of the road the- Jast difficulty was surmounted, and the public will see the satisfactory.,results for themselves when Manor -Park Bridge and , the metalled road to : the. Scenic Park is. opened on January 15th. The first part of the, new, road has already been formed as far as, the ,Golf • Club’s ! boundary„ from that point to -tbe. Railway Bridge the temporary access is over Mr George's private road, which has been metalled up to the bridge, from. thereon wards the .permanent road up .to the' boundaries ; of; the, .Memorial, Park and SoCnic Reserve has been both formed and 'metalled, so that ‘all classes of motors, can driye'right up to the Park boundary...

HOW A BRIDGE WAS BUILT. ,ln-the history .of the development of New Zealand we: are. all familiar with long, and patient awaiting of such • a public necessity, as-a bridge. Nature ha^. given a good bridge site at Haywards, for the river, instead of straggling .over the flats, is at this point compressed .between comparatively narrow 'points.: To bridge the. Hntt River at Haywards had -long been regarded as a good proposition. ’ It was urgently needed, for the many settlers in .Stokes Valley, only a quarter-of a mile across the river, could not reach the station -except by going long distances either north or south.. Three ■years. ago: the intolerable hardship of the-', position was put to’ the then -Minister of Publio Works (tho Hon.- J. G. -Coates! by a large and 1 representative deputation, which suggested the erection of a concrete bridge designed by Mr George Toogood," the location and . design of -'-llu-h had been approved by. the Pivblie Works Department, It was-estimated to cost £6600. The Minister recognised the public utility of the project to the extent, of offering a subsidy of 10s in. the £ on the total cost, though the deputation had asked for 0 for;■•£.. . The construction of the bridge- would, have- necessitated the -’■eatioTv of a soenial gating area, within which the ratepayers, (mostly small farmers! would have had to shonlder alone'the burden of interest and repayment of’ principal, though the bridge would be mostlv used hy tho cty r l i-+!)rist pncl the through traveller. Under +be=e - circumstances lb" County -Coqncil did . not deem ■ itself instilled in asking the residents to bear the-burden; and 'the project was left in • abeyance.- - * ? > -

When Manor Park,' was 1 first offered t:> the public by Mr • George, following the sub-division of the estate on lines suggested by the well-known ■ j town .planning expert, Mr P. Graham, the bandipap of the narrow, tortuous road

on the western side, from Meting, became more and more obvious: . This road was built in the old horse-traffic days to serve a few dairy farmers on that side of ,:the valley. It had remained the same for years,, and of course became I utterly ’ unable to cope with' the growing traffic of faster vehicles. In many places it was impossible' for two vehicles to pass, while the sharp corners provided further- difficulties for motorists:: To hasten the construction of the greatly needed bridge Mr George endeavoured once more to stimulate ' activity by offering to make up the difference between the Government’s ten shillings in the £ and the required £ for £, out of his own pocket. But between the time three years ago when the County -Council'had waited on the Minister and the present day .a change had .come over the scene.; Residents of the eastern side of the valley had, been,.anxidus to get direct touch with the railway at Haywards, but the march of progress in Hutt Valiev (which seems; to have set in yery definitely) gave them hope of railway communication on their own side of the river at an early date. So they lost interest in the bridge project. There still remained, however,, the. disabilities imposed "on the 1 ; Hay-: wards settlers'bv-the narrow impossible

cart road and the fact that, to reach the opposite side of the river a detour of no less than 12 miles had- to.he made. Thus to Iget across from'Haywards to Stokes. Valley 1 -cand- return, meant 24; miles-of travelling.; Things were moving altogether too slowly,, and Mr .George,, faced withthe taot'that there . was no. early - possibility ,of .the-County,'- or. the Government providing the much- needed cfoss-river communication, decided ? that, he-"would ’ himself construct ‘a hridge. At first a small wire foot-bridge was- thought of, but when lie found that a multiple wire suspension bridge, similar ,to several; recently erected by -. the , Public VVorks Department in the .Waikato, could be'contructed at. a very- moderate cost compared ■ with that of a concrete structure. Mr George decided to take the bold step of _ erecting; a temporary suspension, bridge capable of carrying vehicular traffic/ shouldering' the cost himself, 11 arid - relying on some part of the interest on the. capital arid the cost. of maintenance being contributed ,by motorists and 1 other. users of the;bridge, who would bo glad of,.the great improvement in facilities of access thus provided arid be .willing-to pay a small toll j until such time as a permanent structure was built by - the ' County Council. '■ -.- ■!,-■ A contract was let to Mr Delaney, ; who had erected - similar . bridges elsewhere, from- designs prepared -‘ by Mr A. H. Beriham. , engineer to the Hutt County Council. ; .Xt. is of sufficient strength to carry cars' and wagons up to four tons in -weight. Before construction could becommenced, a number of legal and other difficulties had to be surmounted, but these were overcome with the ‘ willing co-operation of the executive officers of the Public Works ' Department, the Hutt County Council, ..and the Hutt River Board. Faithful workmanship and good materials haye- gone into -the structure, and the contract his been, carried- out in -excellent- time and -reflects' great credit upon the contractor, the bridge being: ready for use within three months of idrivirtg'the ..first'-pile. The - work, included not only the construction of the fine , hridge > hut long approaches on the Haywards side. ADVANTAGES TO TOWN AND - , COUNTRY. -

. The opening 'of, Manor Park Bridge confers on the public a number-! of advantage?.. To the; residents of'> Stokes Valley it will give railway, access within a quarter of a mile instead of two and a half miles. ' !.r : -

Haywards residents • are linked up with! the ' first-class ipain - highway,'on the eastern side of the valley, instead of having to rely on the narrow track along the western side to Moiling... • Wellington people are given a direct and easy route, . for the first time; to their'fine heritage, ihe Memorial {Park, and the equally beautiful ■ bush in the Government reserve -alongside- it," and those who enjoy the open air will have a new “round trip” for their, cars, using the main highway on the,Eastern side from Wellington as far as -Stokes Valley, then crossing to Haywards over Manor Parle. Bridge. The return trip will be along, the picturesque though narrow road under the western'hills, via Belmont, and it needs very little prescience to. visualise the time when the Highways Board, faced with a growing traffic quite, bevond the safe capacity of this road, will need, in the interest not only of Haywards people, but all , the motor taxpayers, to make considerable improvements. This road is, hlso part of an alternative route of

very attractive character to the Weift Coast, emerging at Pahautanui, : and is the’ only possible link be'tween ■ the eastern and western highways: RAILWAY DEPARTMENT’S ENTERPRISE. ■ Almost before',the general public has realised what fresh facilities, for openair enjoyment are opened up by. the new road to Memorial Park the Railway Department has shown its appreciation of the, situation by ; constructing, on the Haywards side of Silverstream Bridge, a landing, place where special stops, will be made by trains conveying picnio parties, to the large. Manor Park picnic grounds immediately adjoining the .Memorial, Park 'and the Government .Scenic Reserve, -thus saving: over a mile walk from. Hayward’s station. The Department will encourage visitors to'. these ’ favoured places by offering attractive, excursion rates to encourage visits by large parties, which can enjoy, not, only the bu?li scenes,', but bathing in the river, . and picnicking in the most? delightful spots. MANOR PARK FORGING AHEAD. Even in the last two "years the results of its development.are to be seen, and some sections purchased, last year are already built upon and occupied.

Haywards station is right handy, and with the.making of-.the new road and railway, developments all -these sections will rapidly increase upon their pro-, sept values, - and represent a sound investment. ) The Hutt. River is shortly ,to be straightened on the east side and the new railway line will ultimately run alongside, the main highway which is to be considerably widened, and .in the not. far distant future will have its bitiimen carpet to complete the link from Wellington to Upper Hutt.. ; , .Thus, it will be even more easily acci’ssibte 'frqm the city by rail or motor. Local residents are quietly confident of the . future prospects. On the eastern side of the river is Stokes Valley, at. the entrance to which Mr George also owns a considerable area of undulating land ideally suited for development, protected' from northerly and southerly winds, .a- perfect paradise. Already resident there . are discussing prospective names for the new railway station to be- built there, but this has not yet been decided upon. That the Railway , Department -expects big developments is evident from the large area: reserved for a railway station at the head- of the. valley, hear the bridge. There is a .very fine, golf course and house qt Manor, Park, which gives its name to the club, and .these links should grow in 'popularity in spite of 'their.'" distinguished neighbour at ilcretauuga. . .

-The-estate comes in the Hutt County, and .with the'chahgcs_ which have occurred ‘ at. recent elections (resulting in the election of a number of the most progressive men in the county) this authority'views, the present developments with a greater measure of sympathy than did the; old body. The time may not bo far' distant when this authority will deem.it advisable to take over the new suspension bridge now completed, find Mr George,is quite prepared to allow it to' be taken over for just what it has cost: Meanwhile a small scale of tolls will be charged in order to meet: maintenance costs and interest on' capital outlay, but from what has been seen of the draft it. appears to be one of the, lowest scales for toll charges in the Dominion. It will probably be Is for motor cars and 3d for pedestrians. ’ . This'payment will include the return,- journey. , Weekly concession tickets. to ; regular users will be issued at a reduced rate..

To show the general value to the oommunify of the- facilities afforded by the bridge and the ilew road, there will he 1. representative gathering at the opening ceremony on Saturday, January 15th, at 3 p.m. The Hon. K. S. Williams, Minister qf Public Works, will perform, the ceremony of opening Manor Park Bridge, And others who WilT participate in the function will be the Hon. T.-M. Wilford, M.P. (Hutt), Mr. W. H. Field, M.P. (whose constituencies include a 'p.ortiqp of the area served by the bridge). Mr C. J. B. ‘ Norwood (Mayor of Wellington). Mr W.. T. Strand (Mayor of Lower Hutt), Mr Blackie : (Chairman, Hutt County. Council), Mr J W. Mao Ewan (Mayor of Petone), Mr Angus J. McCurdy (Mayor of Upper Hutt), and prominent citizens who appreciate the enterprise which marks- another definite step forward in the development of Hutt Valley.;