DEPARTMENT OF LANDS: SCENERY-PRESERVATION. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1911; TOGETHER WITH STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS AND SCHEDULE OF LANDS ACQUIRED AND RESERVED DURING THE YEAR UNDER THE SCENERY PRESERVATION ACTS.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1911 Session I, C-06

C—6,

1911. NEW ZEALAND

DEPARTMENT OF LANDS: SCENERY-PRESERVATION. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1911; TOGETHER WITH STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS AND SCHEDULE OF LANDS ACQUIRED AND RESERVED DURING THE YEAR UNDER THE SCENERY PRESERVATION ACTS.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 17 of the Scenery Preservation Act, 1908.

Sir,— Department of Lands, Wellington, Ist June, 1911. I have the honour to submit herewith report on scenery-preservation for the twelve months ended the 31st March, 1911. I have, &c, William C. Kensington, The Hon. Thomas Mackenzie, Under-Secretary of Lands. Minister in Charge of Scenery-preservation.

REPORT. The chief event for the period under review was the passing of the Scenery Preservation Amendment Act of 1910, which enlarged the membership of the Scenery Preservation Board by including therein the Under-Secretary of the Native Department, ; enabled the Board to recommend the acquisition of Native lands, and provided the power to take such lands for scenery-preservation purposes ; and also improved the principal Act in several minor matters. The Minister is now authorized to grant leases or licenses over open or cleared portions of scenic reserves for short periods not exceeding five years. The Governor may, in certain cases, revoke the reservation of land no longer suitable for scenic purposes, and dispose of the land as Crown land, though in such cases the price obtained therefor must be paid to the credit of the scenery-preservation vote. He may also exchange Crown land for private land that it is desired to obtain for scenic reservation. In addition, no firearm may be discharged on a scenic reserve, nor may any bird or game be killed thereon. Scenic Reservations. During the year a total area of 25,442 acres was reserved under the Scenery Preservation Act, making, with the area previously reserved, a grand total of 65,989 acres. The chief reservations included three areas on the North Island Main Trunk Railway line ; an additional scenic area near the Waitomo Caves ; four areas in the back parts of the Nelson District : land around Lakes Kanieri and lanthe, in Westland ; land around the Sharplin Falls (now- called " Taheke-rua "), in Canterbury ; a further area at Mount Cargill, Dunedin ; Pudding Island, in the Otago Harbour ; the Kawarau Falls, at Frankton ; land on the Taieri River banks, and also the Catlin's River hank ; and an area in the Ranklebum district, along the Blackcleugh Stream.

C-β

2

Areas on the hanks of the Wanganui River have been surveyed, and are now being taken for scenic purposes, and land along the Pipiriki Raetihi Road has been acquired from the Maori District Land Board, as has also a line area overlooking Oliakune. both of which reserves xvill appear in next year's schedules. A number of scenic areas in the Westland District are also being reserved, the lands being the property of the Crown, and comprising picturesque forest scenery either on the shores of lakes, the banks of rivers, or along the ranges. Many other scattered areas in various pails of the Dominion are also being dealt xx ith as opportunity offers. The claims of settlement are, however, invariably respected, and land xx-ell adapted for close settlement is rarely taken. Expenditure during Year. The expenditure during the year showed a considerable decrease on the money spent during the preceding twelve months, only L'3.7'!u being expended, as against £5,775. Of the amount expended, over £600 was for the fencing of reserves ami eradication of noxious weeds, whilst the surveys and valuations of lands accounted for over £1,500. As the area of scenic reserves increases, the annual cost of protection and administration is necessarily greater, but ihe value of the scenery safeguarded grows correspondingly, and it may be well to repeat once more that the reserves contain scenery unique in its way. and of a nature that cannot be paralleled throughout the wide world. As time goes on the reserves will be more and more appreciated, and the annual expenditure is well within reasonable limits. Office-expenses are almost nil: the Board's expenses were trifling; and the following table shows in a comprehensive form the chief items of expenditure since the passing of the Scenery I'i'eser vation Act of 1903, and the formation of the Scenery Preservation Fund of £100,000, of which nearly £63.00(1 is still unexpended.

Comparison of Expenditure.

General. The Northcote Scenic. Reserve, towards the purchase of which a small sum was contributed by the residents, has been placed under the control of the Northcote Borough Council, and in ot her eases where a local body is in a position to superintend or act as caretaker of scenic reserves, and is willing to do so. it may lie advisable to grant them the necessary authority. It. may be of interest to point out that by virtue of past legislation all seenie reserves and national parks in New Zealand are practically sanctuaries lor the Native birds and game, and no shooting in killing whatever is permitted on them. The greatest care is taken to keep them free from noxious weeds, and wherever practicable and advisable the fencing of the external boundaries has been proceeded with, particularly when the reserve adjoins settled lam! or a road in general use. The Inspector xvas partly engaged in Surveying operations during the year, but he has inspected most of the scenic reserves in the Dominion, and will now complete the remaining inspections, whilst the Crown Lands Bangers and other officers of the Department of Lauds are also available lor isolated eases or in any urgent matter. The Inspector's report will be found in Appendix 1!. and shows the scope of his duties in connection with seenie reserves. The report of the Scenery Preservation Board appears in Appendix C. and contains a list of the meetings during the twelve months. It xvill he seen that most of its meetings are held in Wellington : but where the Board deems it necessary to specially visit and inspect areas recommended for acquisition, the meeting is usually held at the land office for the district. This only took place twice during 1910-11. In conclusion. I have to state that great eeonotnv is exercised in the administration oi the Act. and. since the Department of Lands has had the control of scenery-preservation, the expenditure on office-administration and Board's meetings has been so small as not to amount to 1 percent, of total expenditure, whilst ihe annual salaries (luring the past four years only amount to I per cent. The interests of scenery-preservation have been studied closely, and it may confidently be stated that the Dominion has obtained splendid value lor the expenditure incurred.

1904-5. 1900-6. 190G-7. 1007-8. 1908-9. I £ £ £ £ £ Compensation for land ... ... 216 3,886 7,856 4,286 3,813 Expenses of Commission and Board ... 1,822 1,22] 185 86 j 24 Salaries of officers ... ... ... ... 175 325 Fencing and maintenance ... ... ... ... 304 382 1,063 Miscellaneous (surveys, valuations, &c.) i ■ 52 527 801 555 540 1909-10. i 1910-11. „ £ 1,688 1,066 11 320 325 1,159 685 2,603 1,643 Totals ... ... ; 2,090 : 5,084 ; 9,146 5,484 5,765 5,775 3,730

3

6

APPENDICES.

APPENDIX A. Reserves made in 1910-11 under the Scenery Preservation Act, 1908, and the Public Works Act, 1908.

2—C. ii.

Be6om- Dat<; of mendation Local Name or Locality. District. Area. Proclamation in No. ette. Auckland Land District. 329 Hangatiki Scenic Re- Sections 2. 3, Block XI. Orahiri 16 I 37 26 May, L910. serve Survey Districi l Wellington Land District. 30 Rangiwaea Scenic Re- Pari Rangiwaea If No. 12 Block, 75 I 20 II April, 1910. serve Block VI, Karioi Survey District 27 Tuxangarere Scenic Part Motukawa 2d No. I Block, 25 0 32 7 July, Reserve Block V, Ohinewairua Survey District 32 Ohakune Scenic lie- Sections 1, 3, Block IV, Makotuku 907 3 20 I Aug., serve Survey District 26<i PahiatuaHil] .. Pari Section 7. Pahiatua Native 5 I 5 8 Sept., .. Reserve, Block XI. Mangahao Survey District 12(5 Ruatiti Scenic Re- Sections5,8,16, BlockIX,Manga- .'574 0 0 26 Jan., 1911. serve inn Survey Dist rid 1,387 2 37 Nelson Land District. 115 Matiri Scenic Reserve Section 16, Block XIV, MatiriSur- 88 0 0 14 July, 1910. vev District 117 Motupiko Scenic Re- Section II. Block VI. Motupiko 67 I 8 14 ,. serve Survey District 118 .. Section 10, Block VII, Kongahu II 3 0 II Survey District 119 Maruia Scenic Reserve Section 14, Block IV, Maruia Sut- | 180 0 0 II „ vey District 647 0 8 Westland Land District. 128 Lake Kanieri .. Reserve 1177, Kanieri Survey Dis- 19,000 0 0 26 Jan.. 1911. I rid 134 Lake Ianthe .. Reserve 1191, .Mount Bonar and 3,570 0 0 2 Mar.. Waitaha Survey District III Marsden Komi Scene Reserve 1423, Block XVI, Grey- 6 3 28 9 „ Reserve moul b Survey District 22.576 3 28 Canterbury Land District. L22 Tahekerua Scenic Re- Parts Sections 22049-, 22069,22070, 160 2 30 23 Feb., 1911. nerve 22071, Blocks VII, VIII, Alford — Survey Districi Otago Land District. 114 Kawarau Falls .. Section 26, Block XVIII, Frankton II 0 0 14 July, 1910. Town 107 Titeremoana Scenic Re- Pudding Island, Otago Harbour 2 0 U 4 Aug.. serve llo Catlin's River .. Sections 2L 22. 25, Block IV. , 21 3 28 ".Nov., .. Woodland Survey District L08 Mount Cargill Scenic Sections 62, 63, Block VII, North 18 0 0 12 Jan.. 1911. Reserve Earbour and Blueskin 103 Taieri River (west Section 27. Block [, Clarendon Sur- 56 2 12 , 9 Mar., bank) vey District LO-1 Pounawea Scenic Re- Section 82, Block VI, Grlei aru I 0 17 26 May, 1910. .serve Survey District 105 Blackcleugb. Scenic Re- Section 21, Block VIII, Rankle- 504 0 0 26 .. serve burn Survey District f 623 2 17

4

C.—6

Summary ol Reserves. Dintriot. Number. Area. A. R. P. Auckland .. .. .. .. 1 46 1 37 Wellington .. . . 5 1,387 2 37 Nelson 4 647 0 8 Westland 8 22,576 3 2S Canterbury .. .. .. ..1 160 2 0 Otago .. .. .. .. ..7 623 217 Totals. 1910-11 .. 21 25,442 1 37 Reserved up to 31st March. 1910 ..148 40,546 126 < Ira,id totals .. ..169 65,988 323 Statement ov Accounts, showing the Amounts expended, and the Purposes to which the Money so expended has been applied, for the Year ended the Hist March. 1911. Purchase oi land (private land), — £ s. d. t *. J. Perry's Waterfall. Makuri .. .. .. .. . . 42 11 3 Wilton's Bush, Wellington .. .. .. .. .. 50 0 0 Catlin's River. Otago .. .. .. .. •• .. 25 0 0 Mount Cargill, Dunedin .. .. .. .. .. 144 0 0 Kennedy's Bush, Christchurch .. .. .. .. 120 0 o Warn Limestone Rocks. Whangarei . . . . . . 165 0 0 Taieri River bank, Otago .. .. .. .. . . 125 0 0 Te Awai-te-take Pa, Taranaki .. .. .. 17 10 0 689 1 3 Purchase of land (Native land). Puke-rangiora Pa, Taranaki .. .. 72 0 o Kumutoto Scenic Reserve, Queen Charlotte Sound 5 12 6 Wairua Kails. Whangarei.. .. .. .. .. .. 275 Ruakuri Caves, Waitomo .. 1 11 9 Hangatiki Scenic Reserve. Waitomo 145 17 2 Karoro Stream, Glenomaru, Otago .. 150 0 0 377 8 10 Fencing of reserves and historic spots, administration, and maintenance .. .. 685 7 7 Expenses of Board .. .. -. •• ■• 11 3 2 Surveys, valuations, and incidental expenses .. 1.6-12 15 7 Salaries— Inspector and Surveyor .. .. 300 0 0 Secretary .. .. •• .. 25 0 0 —— 325 0 0 Total . . £3,730 16 5

APPENDIX B. Report by the Inspector of Scenic Reserves. Up to the middle of last June I was engaged, in conjunction with Mr. Y. Booker, in surveying pieces of Native land that are to be reserved below Pipiriki. We finished our field-work in June, and during the winter were engaged in mapping in the office. air. Booker took the field again in the middle of August. He made a small alteration (promised by the Hon. Mr. Carroll) in a reserve near Atene, and cut out the land in Recommendation 35, above the Manganui-a-te-Ao ; on completion of this I lost his valuable help, as be was required for settlement surveys. All reservations proposed below Pipiriki are now finished. I resumed field-operations in August by an inspection of reserves proposed to be made along the shores of Kawhia Harbour, in the Auckland Province. I also inspected proposed reservations in the Marakopa Valley and at Waitomo. reports of all of which I have already supplied. Settlement in the above districts is advancing rapidly, and these proposals require attention soon, as they deal with forest very liable to be destroyed. 1 resumed surveys of reserves on the Wanganui River in October, and cut out three reservations near the famous "Drop Scene" (Aratira), above Pipiriki. This is without exception the roughest country 1 have surveyed in New Zealand ; the bush is light, but it is one tangled mass of supplejacks, lawyers, and other vines. On nearly every line I cut out, a rope had to be used to scale the chfis. In one line of 15 chains there was a rise of over 1,000 ft. Field-work in this locality is therefore difficult and slow.

5

C—6

In January I moved to Waimarino and was there till the beginning of March, engaged in the demarcation of about six miles of the boundary of the Waimarino military camping-ground. Whilst there I also cut out four pieces of land with beautiful bush protecting Waimarino Station and Township (to be). lam now again on the Wanganui, cutting off parts of the Ngaporo and Whakaihuwaka Blocks, and shall be here till the winter. In addition to the foregoing works, I have made special inspections and reports on the Ohakunc Scenic Reserve. Whaharangi Scenic Reserve. Makuri Scenic Reserve, reserves below Taumarunui, Mangonui-a-te-Ao River, coal find at Ohura River, and the Wakatipu Lake recreation reserves. There are still large reservations to be made on the Wanganui River between Pipiriki and Taumarunui, and the assistance of another surveyor is highly desirable. It will be remembered that when Mr. Booker started surveying Te Tuhi No. 5 Reservation the Maoris cut down in it a small piece of bush ; had it been left alone tree ferns would soon have sprung up ; but they have since burned it off and sown grass. The last time I came up the river I noticed that about 8 acres had been cut down on the reserve I surveyed opposite Pipiriki, in spite of the fact that I had given the man a tracing showing his boundaries. Below Pipiriki there have been attempts to set fire to the bush on bind belonging to the Crown. As regards the inspection of reserves already made, there still remain to be done all those in Southland, Westland, and Nelson, which survey-work, up till now, has prevented me doing. Native Birds. —While camped at Waimarino I was pleased to find that the bell-bird (korimako. or, on the Wanganui, kokomako) is now very plentiful there. It was absent from there (aiid from the Wanganui also) for some years, but is now again plentiful. This bird far surpasses in the beauty and variety of its notes any bird I have heard. At daybreak at Pipiriki the chorus sung by bell-birds, tuis, native canaries, sky-larks, blackbirds, and thrushes in praise to the great Author of Life and Day (who can say to the contrary ?) is music that should compensate a tired and sleepy tourist for the bed he may have reluctantly left. At Waimarino also I saw a few robins, and heard occasionally the mournful but sweet note of the kokako. The robins were so tame that they would pick for insects under the tripod of the theodolite whilst I was observing ; I even had to be careful that I did not tread on them. A bird of so unsuspicious a nature is not likely to last long. I found the canary as far north as Marakopa. As all shooting and killing of birds on scenic reserves are statutory offences, it must be strongly impressed upon bird-collectors and hunters that they are liable to heavy punishment if they take birds from our reserves. It may be mentioned that Maoris are in the habit of ornamenting baskets and mats, which they sell to tourists and the public, with the feathers of kiwis, tuis, and kakas. Such a practice leads to the wholesale destruction of such birds, and must be strongly deprecated. Botanical. —On the cliffs of the Wanganui River, near its junction with the gorgy Mangaio, I had the good luck to find a plant that is new to the botanical world, and which is one of the most interesting finds made of recent years in New Zealand. The plant grows only on damp, shady, precipitous cliffs. and belongs to the genus tienecio ; it is rather a handsome plant, with large bright-green cordate leaves about 1 ft. long, and is quite unlike any other Senecio. It is confined to a very small locality, and probably there are not more than a hundred plants in existence. It will be another fact to support de Vries theory of mutants. At Marakopa Valley, about 400 ft. above the sea, I found the toe (Cordyline indivisa) growing, also the most handsome Panox arboreum var. Imtum ; and there and at Awaroa Inlet, and at Waitomo, the fern Asplenium trichomanes ; at Kawhia Harbour the native aniseed (Angelica gingidium), Polypodium tenellum (trailing fern), Paratrophis Banhsii (a small latex-producing tree), and the most beautiful of all the ratas — Metrosideros diffusa —a rather slender trailing or climbing plant with a great mass of the most beautiful crimson flowers. At Te Rau-a-moa I found Pittosporum huttonianum. On the Wanganui River, Dracophyllum striclum, the fern Trichomanes elongatum. ; the strange car-buncle-like parasitic plant Dactylanthus Taylori, at Waimarino : also, there, Prasophyttum rufum, a rare but modest orchid. The foregoing are simply new habitats, not new plants. Fires. —Damage by fires still continues. Along the Main Trunk Railway a good deal of the proposed reservation near Owhango and Kakahi was much damaged, and probably many other places, as the drought was exceptionally continuous. That these fires are often caused through carelessness, and sometimes wilfully, there is no doubt. The present legislation is sufficient to act as a deterrent, if not preventive, if it were enforced. The fact is that people have enjoyed immunity for so long that they are quite indifferent to the damage they do the property of the State. I would, for next summer. suggest the employment of special Rangers, whose sole duty should be to follow up cases of burning of public forests and reserves, for the purpose of bringing safe actions against offenders. For an expenditure of £200 or £300 in one year on Rangers thousands of pounds' worth of forest might be saved. It would also be well to always have conspicuously printed in Land Guides a notification of the penalty for burning forest on the lands of the Crown. At the beginning of every summer there might, for comparatively small expense, be notifications in the daily Press of the Dominion warning people about burning on Crown property. lam afraid that much of the damage by fire is caused by men who should know better. Men forming new roads, to make things easier, will frequently burn scrub and fern along the grade line, and take no trouble to prevent its devastating the whole adjacent country. Lately at Waimarino the meanderings of a rabbiter were marked by the blackened areas of tussock and scrub land he had burned off to make his work easier. Surveyors, too (I am sorry to say), often do great damage in this respect. There should not be much trouble about preventing men in these positions from firing the country ; it should simply mean communication with the Departments concerned.

CLr+6

6

It is not generally understood how tires destroy the fertility of the soil in tussock and scrub country. It has been established as a fact that nitrification is caused by Ihe act ion of micro-organisms and that their action is destroyed in an absolutely dry soil. The dired harmful effect of lire is ihe destruction and prevention of the formation of humus, which is the source of all vegetation : the first results are the absolute desiccation of the superficial layer and th destruction of the micro-organisms which are in it. ft has been hown by Henry that dead leaves, except on pure sand, possess in a high degree the faculty of deriving nitrogen direct from the air. The proportion of nitrogen in leaves is less vi the lime of their hill than when they have been some time on the ground, as it is absorbed from the atmosphere after falling. Every fire, therefore, largely lessens the fertility of our tussock, fern, and scrub lands. We have treasures m our scenic reserves which In years to come will be thought priceless by our successors. If it is largely our scenery that makes this Dominion one of the most delightful countries 111 tin- world, surely it is worth our while to make strenuous attempts to preserve xxJiat nature has so lavishly supplied. As Rooseveldl latelystated.no nation with purely utilitarian ideals ever reached real greatness in its highest sense. Our unimaginative settler who protests against the reservation of ;i very small percentage (and that generally p ' land) of the country for scenic and like purposes would be astonished at the stupidity of the Londoner. Berliner, and Parisian lor not cutting up into allotments the beautiful parks of their cities. I read recently thai a proposed railway-line in Germany has actually been diverted so as not to spoil the scenic beauty of some spol cherished for its beauty. In England pieces of fern land have been I ought solely to preserve their distinctive plant-covering. In Canada one reserve alone of .'55.00(1 square miles !■ If at present a large mini her of the ail lilts in t his count ry ilo not appreciate ils beauties, then we must try to teach their children to do so. E. Philltps Turner, Inspector of Seenie Reserves.

APPENDIX C, Report ov the Scenery Preservation Board. The passing of the Scenery Preservation Amendment Act of last session affected the Board, inasmuch as it added a new member to the personnel In the Under-Secretary of the Native Department, and also conferred power on the Board to report upon and recommi nil !he acquisition of Native land in ! dilit ion to their existing powers of recommending the acquisition ami reservation of Crown and private freehold lands. Under the present law. therefore, the Board may recommend the acquisition ol anx 'las.-. of land that, in its opinion, is suitable for scenery-preservation. It is almost needless to remark that the Hoard exercises the greatest care in making its recommendations, and that, unless in very exceptional case-., it does not desire the purchase anil reservation of land eminently suited for settlement purposes. The great bulk of land recommended by the Board is cither quite unlit for settlement, or else could only he utilized in large areas al a low [< nt. anil could only support a very sparse population. The exceptions to this comprise cases where the land recommended lor reservation contains th ilv picturesque bush in the locality, and where the resident.-; themselves an- strongly in favour of the reservation of the land, or where the land possesses unusual claims to reservation through its unique beauty and scenic attractions. During the twelve months ended -'list March, 1911. the Hoard has held the following meetings : - Al Wellington, on the Ith May. 1910, In deal with Otago lands. At Wellington, on the 7th May. 1910, to deal with Nelson lands. At Wellington, on the 21st October, 1910, to deal with Canterbury lands. At Wellington, on 21st November, 1910, to deal with Wellington lands. At Wellington, on 21th November, 1910, to deal with Westland lands. At Wellington, on llth January. 1911, to deal with Wellington lands. At Nelson, on the 25th February, 1911, to deal with Nelson lands. At Christchurch, on the 3rd March. I'.UI. to deal with Canterbury lands. At Wellington, on 9th March. 1911, to deal with Taranaki lands. Meetings of the Board 1o deal with lands in the Auckland. Hawke's Bay, Taranaki. Otago. and Southland lands arc called for and xxill lie held at an early (late. The meeting to deal with the Auckland lands was endeavoured to be held in .Auckland at lie- end of Man h. but lapsed as a quorum could not be obtained. Seventy-four specific recommendations regarding the reservation of land lor scenic purposes were submitted, most of the land dealt with being Crown land. Sonic of them have been given effed to, and the remainder are under the consideration ol Ihe Government. In addition, the Board also made one or two suggestions regarding the acquisition of land for public recreation and other purposes. John Strauchon, Chairman, Scenen Preservation Hoard.

Approximate < oel oj I'aper. — l'rcparatiou, not aiveu ; printing (1,500 copies), i:> 1 i

Authority, .tons Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington

frii:-. •"!.

C—(

A Glimpse of the Clinton River.

Scene on Mokau River.

G.—6.

Two Views of the Wanganui River.

C—6.

The Aranui Cave, near Waitomo.

Lake Ada, Milford Sound.

Buller River.

C.-6.

Franz Josef Glacier.

C—G.

Mahinapua Creek.

Mitre Peak and the Lion, Milford Sound.

Road over Mount Herc ules.

C-β.