NATURAL HISTORY.

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1424, 8 November 1923, Page 6

NATURAL HISTORY.

NORTH AUCKLAND SUBJECTS. Mr G. Stuart Thomson, an enthusiastic naturalist, recently delivered a very interesting address to the Otago Naturalists’ Field Club on “The Natural History of North Auckland,” dealing particularly with the Hokianga and Whangarei districts. In no part of New Zealand, except possibly along the route of the Main Trunk railway, has settlement proceeded more rapidly than in North Auckland. The purchase and cutting up of large blocks of native land and the completion of the railway line from Auckland to the Bay of Islands and to Hokianga and a large influx of new settlers have changed the whole face of the country. One of the things to he noted first of all is obvious from a study of the map—a long, narrow peninsula, nowhere much more than forty miles wide and with numerous harbours and inlets on both sides. These inlets with their numerous branches are perhaps the most characteristic and distinctive feature of the whole peninsula. The influence of the sea is no doubt largely responsible for the mild and genial climate, and the abundant, but not excessive rainfall. Oranges and lemons thrive, and one can grow new potatoes all the year round. Visiting the north for the first time one is struck with the luxu-

riant growth of mangroves that line the shores of most of the harbours and estuaries. Whenever one travels by boat, as one frequently has to do, to Whangarei, Hokianga and Kaipara, and elsewhere, mangrove thickets meet the view, everywhere at least where the water is sufficiently brackish, and they often form a very beautiful feature of the landscape with their dense foliage of olive green. In some places, it must be confessed, they look rather sickly and scraggy, and present a somewhat depressing appearance. On entering the bush one notices at the same time the likeness and the unlikeness of the bueh in the north to that of the south. It is like the southern bush in so much that rimu, totara, miro, matai, rata, kahikatea and several other trees are found, but there are in addition the kauri, the puriri, the taraire and others which are found only in North Auckland. There are also the punga tree fern and the nikau palm, which are not known in the south of New Zealand. The kauri is perhaps the best known product of the North Island. They are not such slow growing trees as some people imagine, and it is thought possible, by careful protection, to regenerate the kauri forest. The taraire is a beautiful tree which is not usually of sufficient size to make it worth sawing, though large specimens are almost always now sent to the sawmill. The puriri is a noble and beautiful tree, but usually is too spreading in habit to yield a good log for milling purposes, but its timber is one of the hardest, densest and most durable of New Zealand trees, and it is very largely used for fencing and for house blocks. When bush is being felled for burning it is usual to leave all the rata and puriri trees standing, chiefly because they are too difficult to cut down. Being very shallow rooted they are very frequently blown down, but often they survive both fire and wind and make both valuable and highly ornamental shelter trees.

One of the worst' weeds on grazing lands is the titree or manuka, which

comes up everywhere and grows very rapidly. It is quite prohahle, however, that horticulturists could produce garden varieties of manuka in addition to the handsome crimson one now so largely grown, and that some fine new garden shrubs could be produced by careful selection and hybridisation. One particuuarly fine specimen which came under the speaker’s notice had pure white flowers half an inch in diameter.

Many introduced trees flourish in these districts, and there are some magnificent trees —elms, oaks, poplars, etc —planted by the early missionaries more than 100 years ago. Possibly one of the finest oak trees to be seen in New Zealand is at the native village of Maima. one of the earliest mission stations. This tree has an enormous spread and covers fully a sixth of an acre. Native birds are becoming less numerous, and some species are practically exterminated by the felling and burning of hush, by the depredations of cats and dogs, sportsmen and vermin. The kingfisher was perhaps the

commonest native; tuis. tomtits, and fan tails were fairly abundant, as were

also moreporks. Hawks are very common. Of introduced birds the commonest was the chaffinch, though

house sparrows were common enough in town. Starlings are becoming more abundant as settlement increases, as also are goldfinches and ether small birds. Thrushes and blackbirds were not noted in Hokianga, bu. were common enough in Whangarei Quad and ph ■ .••ants were fairly common, the latter apparently thriving on the abundant insect life.