FEATHERED GAME

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 26 (Supplement)

FEATHERED GAME

I once heard of a tourist who went out to shoot m\ amp-hens and triumphantly marched home with a fine brace of shags. Of all the provinces in New Zealand for variety and numbers of small game, Auckland undoubtedly takes the palm. It hadn't got as mam haros or rabbits as Central Otasro but it has plenty; Californian quail an.l pheasants ,are in any number, clucks aw plentiful pretty well all over the country, pigeons and kakas are found in almost any of the big forests, swamp-hens (or pukakis) haunt the swamps, wild swans and wild geese are included in the list, opossum and wallaby disport themselves on Kawau Island in the Gulf, curlew shooting is a favourite sport round about the tidal estuaries, and black stilt plover, pied stilt plover and dottrell art* amongst the miscellaneous. Only to day I saw more ducks on Rotomahana and Tarawcra Lakes than I could shoot in a fortnight if they waited for me. Phoasant-s grow to unusual size in Auckland district ; they are magnificent birds and very plentiful. The Californian quail is found all over Auckland, and affords the very best of sport, lying very close and rising one after another to a good ix>inter or setter. It is a most difficult matter to recommend a visiting sporteman to any particular place owing to the variety of game in the different districts, and later on I will add a schedule which will enable a visitor to make a choice to suit himself at a glance; and let me say hero, in case I forget later, that the Tourist, Department's Office in any of the chief towns will supply a pocket itinerary free, giving any details of travel and charges I may omit, and it is always kept up to date. Moreover, Mr F. Cheeseman, secretary to the Auckland Acclimatisation Society, will be only too happy to provide any fuller details required. For ducks the most favoured place near the city is Huntly (good hotel), and from thence work the swamps of the Lower Waikato, especially Lakes Whangape and Waikare, or canoe down the river. A Maori and oanoe can be obtained at 6s per day, and Huntly is 65 miles by rail (return, first, 15s lOd). The swampy flats at the Northern Wairoa and about Kaipara Harbour are also favourite duck shooting grounds, and Helensville, on Kaipara Harbour (38 miles by rail, return first 9s 8d) is a good centre to work from, boats taking the visitor to any of the numerous harbour settlements. Magnificent bags are obtained every season round Kaipara and about the Lower Waikato. Then, again, Rotorua (171 rules by rail, return first 355) is a splendid centre, ac ducks — grey and teal — are plentiful on Lakes Rotorua, Rotoiti, Rotoehu. Rotoma, Tarawera, and half a dozen other sheets of water, while Te Puke, Opotiki, Matata, Tauranga, and Maketu. all reached by coach from Rotorua are all noted for duck shooting, as also are Mangonui, in the far north again, and Hokianga. In all cases hotel and boarding-house tariffs are most reasonable.

Curlew shooting extends through January. February, and March, and no license is required. Sport of this nature is to be had at almost any of the large tidal ostuaries, where the birds congregate in immense numbers. Ihumata, on the Manukau Harbour- -a drive of about 14 miles from Auckland -is a splendid place

for curlew if one arranges to be there at high water during the -pnng tide-. when the birds pass up and down the coast, and gorse bushes afford excellent cover. Around any tidal arm, however. curlews are found. Shags are -o numerous that one cannot tiavel o\er any of the harbours or lakes or rivers without seeintr them, and with a fine rifle one can pass many a good hour shooting down these pests.

Pheasant shooting is one of the mc^t favoured form of sport in Auckland, and many sportsmen prefer pheasant and quail shooting to duck or anj' other variety of game. A good pheasant, flying high, is a beautiful mark, and quail take pretty straight shooting. Pheasant and quail during the day, and ducks or geese at night, will give all the sport the most ardent shootist could desire. The accompanying schedule will, I think, be sufficient guide : — Rotorua: One of the best centres for grey duck and teal, found more or le-s on any of the lakes and lagoons, for which the district is noted. Pheasants and quail fairly plentiful within easy radius and at the end of Lake Rotoiti, and they are reported abundant at Galatea l*e Puke, Maketu, Tauranga. and Mata'.a all coach drives from Rotorua. In fact for mixed shooting 1 Rotorua. is the b»t centre I know. Pigs are found in any number about Lake Tarawera, worked from VVairoa (10 miles by coach, fare 5.<-). A sportsman could leave Dunedin. for instance, and spend a fortnight in the thermal regions, and have good shoot imr every day at a total cost for the trip of £30 at the outside, including saloon fa^e return from Dunedin (£10). With econoim he could do it for under £19 and stil' have everything first class by workinir from Rotorua. Rabbits and rums and pigeons and kakas are also found in the thermal districts.

Papatoitoi : Local hotel (11 miles by rail, first return 2s lid) ; fair hare and rabbit shooting, splendid curlew shooting round the head of Manukau Harbour, and fair quail shooting.

stead, where accommodation may be obtained.

Maketu and Matata : One day's coach drive from Rotorua or Tauranga ; firstclass duck. foal, and swan shooting. Round about Matata is an especially good place, there being birds in any quantity round about the swamps of the' Taraweia River mouth and on the lakes in the I immediate vicinity. The pheasant and i quail f-hooting is of the very best, and no one. if any good a.t all with a gun. should , return without a decent hag after a day's , shooting in this locality. The pheasant and quail are found in any number about 1 the stunted manuka scrub and open glades. ! and generally are as fat and plump as prize ducks. A buggy could be hired at 1 Rotorua at 15s a day, and the hotel tariffs I are from 6s to 8s per day. 1 Ngongotaha : A noble forest-clad hill ; I good road to summit ; eight miles to top 1 from Rotorua. There are pigeons and I kakas in this bush, and from the summit 1 a magnificent view is obtained of the 1 East Coa-^t. Lakes Rotorua. Rotoiti. Rotoehu and Tarawera, of Tarawera Mountain, the Kaimanawa Ranges at I Lakes Taupo and Waikare Moana, and of I hundreds of miles of the great central country of Auckland South. Just below this hill, on the other side and extending I from the sea. coa«t 50 or 60 miles inland, is the great Mamuku forest, reached by road from Okoroir© or Rotorua or Putararu. and with any number of pigeonand kakas. Swamps and rivers and lagoons in and about this forest are haunted by great colonies of ducks, many swans and geese, and the glades and shrubberies near the edges are favourite places for pheasant and <juail. Wild pig s may be found in the more h'lly portion and I have seen them even at Ngongotaha itself.

Te Teko: Up the Tarawera River from Matata. Sportsmen should stay at the Te Teko Hotel, a picturesquely situated house at the foot of Mount Edgecumbe. at the summit of which there is a beautiful lake. Mr McGarvy. the host, is a keen sport, and will guide shootists to

Mercer (43 mile-- by rail, fir-t nturn 11s), splendid centre for duck shooting, and all the Lower Waikato River, afamouduck resort, can bo worked from here. A launch can be hired from Mr Poiter. storekeeper. Splendid pheasant and quail shooting on both sides of the ri\er; good hotel.

Rangiriri (56 miles by rail, 14s first return; famous in Waikato war lu-tory). grey duck, teal. swan, and geese on Lakes Whangape and Waikarc in this di-tritt. One of the best known centres for duck 6hooting.

Te Awamutu (100 miles by rail, return first 23s 2d ; also famous in war history), good hare shooting and first-cla>s pheasant and quail country at opening of sea-son. Also good starting point for the King Country, working in to Kawhia. \ia Te Rau-a-moa.

Mercury Bay: Just outside Ilauraki Gulf, is good pheasant country, although travelling is rough and over broken country. Accommodation with the settlers. Cambridge (101 miles by rail. 23s 4d first return), good hotels. A splendid centre for fallow deer, and fir&t-cjass pheasant, quail, and hare shooting is to be had within easy distance of the town Maungaturoto (12 miles by road from Cambridge), good mixed bags of pheasant. quail, and hare around Mr Day's home-

-splendid mixed -hooting. Mr McGarvy's descriptions of the gnat I'araweia eruption are alone woith the joiimev to hear. Whakatane : 30 mihn fiom To Teko : any number of pheasant- and quail all along the road to Opuiiro Vallej, and thence en to Opotiki ; goo 1 hotels. Thi« place is easily reached b\ sea from Auck land, coastal boats i milling regulaily. Tauranga. Bay of Plenty (25s return by coach from Rotorua or b\ *teamer from Auckland, saloon ''2s return), oi round trip by Waihi an 1 Te Puke, as per scale. First-class pheasant shooting in the locality- and at Te Puke, a morning's drive from Tauranga. Ducks are plentiful in tho Te Puke countij. Whangarei (datlv steamer fjom Auck land. 22V 6d saloon return), fair pheasant and quail shooting 111 this district and right through to the Bay of Island". Mangonui (North Auckland) : Referred to at length in the article on *-ea fishing. A coach lea\es Mangonui on arrival of Auckland steamer, for Kaitara (32 milos). and sportsmen would do well to make Kaitaia Hotel their headquarters, as Mr Mollov. the ho.sf. is a kern .sportsman and knows the district well. Grey duck, t-eal and swan in any number on the ! igoon- , in the neighbourhood, and p!>ra a"ts am' ' quail are as plentiful as could be desired in the open graso country.

The- Urewera count ly and thiough to W aikare Moan a and (ji-borne is a paradise for game, but at pio-ent it is almost trackless, and is held extlusuely by Natives, so that it is not open for sportsmen.