FUTURE TOURIST RESORT..

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13078, 19 May 1913, Page 9

FUTURE TOURIST RESORT..

PRESERVATION OF WAIKARE

MOANA FOREST

PROPOSED RESERVATION OF 38,000

ACRES

With the liarbor construction work which is going on at Wairoa, and the anticipated regular communication with the outer world, Ht is hoped that a big tourist traffic will be inaugurated between Napier and Waikaremoana. The matter (states the Telegraph) was touched on at Thursday's meeting of "the Napier Chamber of Commerce, wlien the question of forest reserves was considered by them. Mr 11. T. Sadd (Commissioner of Crown Lands for Hawke's Bay) was present at the invitation of the chairman, and briefly detailed particulars m connection with the matter. At the outset, he pointed out that all along the southern border of Lake Waikaremoana wa s;l forest ., reserve, but that to the north and north-west, the land was held by the natives. Though not very well known at present, Wai--1 karemoana was one of the „beauty spots !of the North Island and he thought it [would be a great pity if the Government did not take m hand the question of acquiring the land ''f rom the natives and so have a forest reserve, around the entire lake. ' HH r said that' he' had visited the place recently , and spent two days within the picturesque locality. He had found that m only a few places had l damage been done by fire. He had brought, the matter of acquiring this land under the notice of the Forestry 'Commission when they were m Napier jand considered it one of the most important matters m the Dominion, not only from a scenic point of view but from the fact that enough electric power to supply the whole of the North Island could be obtained from it. He had heard that it^was the intention of the natives to lease the land. He had induced the four members of the Foresty Commission to make the trip to Waikaremoana and he thought, as they were so favorably impressed with the question, that it would receive their close consideration. . It was suggested that 38,000 acres should be acquh*ed from the block known as Waikaremoana and which contained about 60,000 acres.

The chairman (Mr Herdman) : Is there any possibility of the Government taking over the land? - ' *'

Mr Sadd replied that the' Forestry Commissiotn were taking 1 the matter up very strongly. ' . - 7' Mr E. C. Ellison thought they should do all m their power to preserve Waikaremoana. It was ' absolutely m a natural state. He was bf opinion that they- should pass a resolution asking the Government to take definite steps m the direction" of acquiring the land. The chairman said he had heard that the -natives were leasing their land to the Europeans and, of course, this would mean that the bush would 'be' destroyed. Mr J. tt/ Coleman*'' It is a very important question; m fact, it.is a national question. The sooner the land is a**-* quired the better. .

Mr Sadd pointed out that the natives could not sell their land, but of course they could lease it. Messrs Herdman, Ellison and Sadd were appointed a committee with a view of f ramin-T a recommendation to the Government, on the matter.