MILFORD LAGOON PICNIC.

Temuka Leader, Issue 7662, 31 December 1914, Page 2

MILFORD LAGOON PICNIC.

day.

ARRANT!EMEATS COMPLETE

A PEEP INTO HISTORY.

Thu annual grand public picnic at Lake .Milford i(or Milford Lagoon as it is more cammonly called by the Maoris) will bo hold on Friday next, New 'Year’s Day,. The arrangements of the energetic Toinuka. district committee arc now complete, and only lino weather is required to write aniother promising page in the history of rids rapidly developing resort. A peep into th e history of the development movement .is given below. First | however, I lie public will probably be [more interested to learn of the pro[visions made for their transportation and pleasure on the day of the picnic. Molor-eurs and drags will com' I menee running from the Temuka postI office to the Eakfi! at 10 a.m., and on the return journey at 1 p.m. The fares will be ; drags, adults fid, children .‘ld each wav’; motor-cars, adults and children Is each way. Intending ! picnickers from Timarii and surrounding districts may ‘therefore travel by any train to Teiijiika, and return by 'any train they -please : the conveya lines will be running i continuously, 1 A- refreshment' booth, undoimlha mAjft, jagenient of, Mr' U. i Kirby,iiMjillobo on .the grounds, and leu, 'cakes, sweets, cordials, fruit salads, etc., will l)c obtainable all day at cusj tomary shop prices. The committee have been canful to retain as much of the free-and-easy picnic atmosphere •as possible, and therefore the sports programme is confined chiefly to the afternoon, and is arranged so that the picnickers are themselves largely the competitors. Trophies and similar prizes are offering for all events, •and'toys for the children, and the (pro fessional clement in the sports Is kept strictly at bay. Every convenience is provided for family parties, to whom hot water is supplied, and (he water supply and other conveniences on Tiro reserve made accessible. The attractions of the seaside, the splendid floating Virilities on the Lagoon are such (hat hundreds ,of ((topic give themselves entirely to thus form of pleasure, The fishing facilities are excellent, and in this respect it may be mentioned (hat Mr R. Marshall, fishing off the beach last week, landed a fiOlb groper., Thu programme provided for the public entertainment may be summarq isml as follows • ...12 noon to 1.30 p.m. —Children’s sports. 2 [).m.—Official opening, and short speeches by Patron (Mr .1. S. Rutherford), president (Mr 11. H. TTayhurst.), and,, chairman of the To* niuika Road Board (Mr 0. W. AmiInge.) 2.30 p.m. onwards— Single Ladies Marathon, Married Ladies Race. Men’s Obstacle Race, Farmers’ Lost Hat Handicap. Ladies Swimming Race. > Men’s Half-Mile Swimming Race across Lake. Amphibious (Land and Water) race Sculling Races (keeled and flatbottomed boats). Challenge Tug-o-AVar.

Twelve rowing boats will be at iho disposal of the public in charge of competent boatmen. Members of the Temuka Municipal and Pipe Bands will provide music. A number of kites and other aerial devices will be as- ! fended by Mr A. B. Gbys—an expert ! in this lino —for the edification, of the children.

j There will bo no charge for admission (o the picnic, lint a collection will lie taken up in aid of improve- | s 10 the Lake and Reserve, j ' AT' NIGHT, i Following the public picnic, there will bo a grand open-air picture enterj ainment in the Temuka Park, and the ascent of a large balloon in the evening at S ji.ir.i. The admission will bo adults Is, children (id, and the proceeds will go towards the development of the public estate at Lake Milford. A PMFP INTO HISTORY.

Japping fiir hade inlo history, {Ti ( Icier foll-f.-t will rrmeinber tb; time when a grim little contest .was wagec between dm advocates of 'Lake Mil ford and Ilia advocates of the presell site for the harbour of South Canter bury. The Timaru advocates won .and Lake .Milford slipped back quietb into oblivion. Gradually, however its unique fishing qualities became widely known, through thy Maoris who, year by year, at the mouth o jlie Laky, where the river emerges ii to the Pacilic Ocean, were in the habit of catching almost every varict; of fish—from big groper ami shark ! down fo the minute whitebait, lyuro peuns eoiunipiicetl to ffO'QtH’ Uv‘ licsorl a road access to the place. Mr (.law yas (he leading light in this movement, which was eventually erowuct

Keith success, and instead of ihu Lake 'frequenters poaching across private I properly, a flue chain roadway was opened, wph (Jovernment assistance, right (q the sea. Nothing succeeds ](!<e success, and (he Alllford Resort rmprovement Association which had recently conic into existence commenced lo develop bigger ambitions. At (lie. sidc> of the Lake, near where (lie river meets Iho sea, the Association ■secured a couple of sections, 'Unit very generous gentleman, Air dolm S. Rutherford, added a gift of 1.l acres. Next year another gentleman—the late flolonel llayhurst—impressed by the possibilities of (he resort—joined with Mr .Rutherford in making another handsome gilt of over live acres of land, placing 11m Assacinlion in possession of a magnificent- landed properly of a JU Hoover seven acres--all

taeing the Lake. AVilh this lino asset to work on tlio Association has | from linn; to lime raised funds by 'public picnics and the like, being further assisted by. generous benefactions ifrom the late Thomas Hobson’s bci|Ucsi. Thus, starting three years ago with a roadline, the /usociation has now landed property which (computed upon (ho basis of Hie soiling value of sections thereabout*) is valued at close upon £IOOO. Hpon this area the Association has planted over 1000 trees, erected sanitary conveniences for men, women. and children, erected a largo public shelter slu'd, with open fireplace. 'concrete floor, and ladies’ retiring room ; provided fresh water supply tanks ; erected (50 chains of fencing ; provided a .horse paddock r.i|V.ipp.'d with post ami-rail fence ; construct .-cl children’s swings and s>'e-saws. and he c] lcil and grassed a children's playng reserve. All this has boon occomnhshed within the brief space of less ■ltau three years, ■ while for ths coming

year tha 'Association is undertaking / tlio erection of a boating jetty, bath- \ ers’ dressing sheds in concrete; and | propose, if funds are available, to pro-1 Vide„a (i)Ptor launch, under a coinpe-| caretaker, 'for boating trips fori Uio_ public on the lake,. !y iC2()o'.has been spent in years! in this Way (itesidos a large amount! of gratuitous labour), and over £1011; will bo spent this coming year. The Association has already £SO promistf; from the Hobson Bequest towards tliv cost of bathing sheds, and it is t 4; raise the lialanoo of the funds for boating jetty and launch that the picnic and similar entertainments are hold. I

Three years ago Lake Milford was an isolated, barren spot, with no public access. To-day it has all the modern conveniences enumerated above, and bids fair to become one of the most favoured holiday- resorts in th.-* Province „f Canterbury. The thou- | sand trees planted are progressing I splendidly, and in a few yenrs_ this beautiful spot, where the river meets the sen, will bo clothed in a natural I beauty' that will immensely add | to Us attract ions. Already) ■so quick-I ly have the fishinggi boating, and at- I mospheric charms ;of this resort been spread abroad, that over a score of simimcr resort houses and huts have been erected near the lake by enterprising Tinmen and Canterbury, holiday jmakiers,; AVhat thy future .holds it is difficult to estimate ; . but'that, in the near fut ure, tb,; public >ostate at Lake Milford will be worth many thousands of pounds, seems to be beyond a doubt. Meantime the (public swarm by hundreds to the lake at week-ends, and on Friday next it is anticipated that the attendance will I not be less than 3000 to 4000 The lake, .it should be divided from the Pacific Ocean byT long, Hat stretch of beach. of the beach the groat billows of the*? Pacific thunder and roar; landwards of the beach the waters of the lake nestle in placid ca't>, disturbed only 'iy (he ripple of the river as it wends its way through the lake to the sea. The lake itself is a mile and a half in 'englh and half a mile in breadth, and at* Us deepest part has a depth of about thirty feet. The lake affords an absolutely unrivalled fishing and boating resort, and has' a rowing course that is considered. to bavo.no rival in the South Island.'