TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK (REPORT OF THE BOARD OF THE).

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1923 Session I-II, C-13

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Session 11. 1923. NEW ZEALAND.

TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK (REPORT OF THE BOARD OF THE).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Sir, —■ Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington, 18th June, 1923. I have the honour to submit to you the report of the Tongariro National Park Board, covering its operations up to the 31st March last. I have, &c, J. B. Thompson, Chairman of Tongariro National Park Board. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie, Minister of Lands. REPORT. Tnw Tongariro National Park Board was constituted by the Tongariro National Park Act, 1922, which came into force on the Ist January, 1923. Prior to the passing of the. above Act the park had been dealt with under the provisions of the Tongariro National Park Act, 1894. This provided for the administration by an. official Board consisting of the Hon. Minister of Lands (as Chairman), the Surveyor-General, the Director of Geological Surveys, together with Te Heuheu Tukino the younger, the chief of the Ngatituwharetoa Tribe.; and by Governor's notice in the Gazelle the Under-Secretary for Lands, the General Manager of the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts, and the Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Wellington Land District were appointed additional members for five years as from the Ist November, 1907. The Board was abolished by section 54 of the Reserves and other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Act, 1914, which placed the management of the park under the. Tourist and Health Resorts Control Act, 1908, the executive officer of that Act being the General Manager of the Tourist and Health Resorts Department. This administration was, however, superseded by the passing of the Tongariro National Park Act, 1922. Under the present Act the Board consists of—The Minister of Lands ; the paramount chief of the Ngatituwharetoa Tribe if that chief is a lineal descendant of Te Heuheu Tukino ; the Mayors of Auckland and Wellington ; the Warden of the park ; tho Under-Secretary of the Department of Lands and Survey ; the General Manager of the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts ; the Secretary of the State Forest Service ; the President of the New Zealand Institute ; and by notice appearing in Gazette of the 25th January, 1923, the Governor-General appointed as additional members—Messrs. W. H. Field, M.P. (Otaki), A. G. Simpson (Hunterville), T. A. Blyth (Ohakune), and W. Salt (Wanganui); whilst at the same time His Excellency appointed the Under-Secretary for Lands (Mr. J. B. Thompson) as Chairman of the Board. The Board, having been duly constituted, met at Waimarino for its first meeting on the 25th January, 1923. The original area of the Tongariro National Park was 62,300 acres (vide Proclamation in the New Zealand Gazette No. 76, of the 29th August, 1907). This included an area of about 6,508 acres donated by the late Te Heuheu Tukino, chief of the Ngatituwharetoa Tribe. Tho Act of 1922 increased the area of the park to 145,000 acres, taking in areas of Crown land and State forest adjoining the original park. It may confidently be said that the park as now constituted is second to. none throughout the world in its scenic attractions. It contains the highest mountain in the North

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Island, Ruapohu (9,175 ft.), perpetually snow-clad; the active volcano of Ngauruhoe (7,515 ft); Tongariro (occasionally active), (6,450 ft.) ;Te Mari (4,990 ft.), and the Red Crater—a group of mountains which, both from scenic and thermal points of view, are unique in many respects. On the crest of Ruapehu, surrounded by perpetual ice cliffs, is a lake of hot water, caused by the heat from beneath melting the overhanging ice walls ; whilst in the saddle between Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe are seen the beautiful Nga Puna a Tama, whose bright-blue waters show to advantage in their sombre setting. North of the mountain group is Roto Aira Lake, one of the most beautiful in the North Island ; whilst on the slopes of the Tongariro Mountain are active blowholes, and the Ketetahi Hot Springs, well known and used by the Maoris for many generations on account of their valuable curative properties, as well as the intermittently active crater of Te Mari and its steam-holes, and the intermittently active Red Crater, Te Wai-Whakaata a Te Rangihiroa, meaning " The Looking-glass Water of Te Rangihiroa " —now commonly called the Blue Lake. There is also a fine cold soda-water spring gushing out of the south-western side of Tongariro, near the source of Mangatepopo Stream. Another attraction is the beautiful Roto Pounamu Lake, which lies north-east of Roto Aira and 1,000 ft. above it, at the base of Pihanga. It is an extinct crater-lake nearly a mile long and three-quarters of a mile a,cross, and the wooded hills surrounding it slope steeply down on all sides to the water's edge. The water has a greenish hue ; there is no visible outlet to the lake. Within the confines of the park are large areas of native forest, deep gorges, glaciers, active craters, hot springs, cold springs, rushing streams, waterfalls, and many attractive features of New Zealand scenery. Although the soil of the park is not suitable for settlement purposes, yet it contains vegetation which is as attractive to botanists as it is to laymen, concerning which Dr. Leonard Cockayne, F.L.S., stated in a previous report, " There are various fine pieces of beech forest, the mountain-beech (Nolhofaxjus clifforlioides) on the east, the toothed-leaved (N. fusca) and the silver (N. Menziesii) on the south-west and in certain deep gorges not far from Tokaanu Road. There are also fine collections of alpine plants, embracing such remarkable species as Dacrydium laxifolium, the smallest member •of the pine-tree family in the world ; the whipcord veronica, V. letragona ; the handsome Veronica Laevis ; the charming eyebright; Euphrasia cuneala ; mountain-daisies (Celmisii), and many other plants found nowhere but in the mountain fastnesses of New Zealand. One plant especially deserves mention, for so important is it that the red or purple hue of its stiff recurved leaves gives the characteristic stamp to the landscape, lighting up even the barren and otherwise gloomy scoria deserts. This is Dracophyllum recurvum, a low-growing scrub peculiar to the backbone chain of North Island mountain (Ruahine-Kaimanawa) and to the high lands of the volcanic region." As regards the bird-life of the park, pigeon, kaka, tui, bell-bird, parakeet, tomtit, rifleman, wren, pihoihoi, whitehead, grey warbler, blue mountain-duck are to be found. All the birds originally known in the park are still represented there. Mutton-birds, or ocean petrels, also come and nest on the slopes of the mountains. The young birds are a delicacy with the Maoris, who often take them before they arc ready for their flight to the sea. The source of the longest river in the North Island, the Waikato (known as the Tongariro River from its source to the lake) is considered to be on the northern slopes of Ruapehu, which it flows from, and passes through the great Taupo Lake, finally emerging on the western shores of the North Island ; whilst on the eastern slopes is the source of the Whangaehu River, which flows in a southerly direction. From the western slopes of Tongariro springs the great Wanganui River, well known as the principal scenic waterway of New Zealand. All the streams of the park are well stocked with rainbow-trout. There are other scenic attractions too numerous to recount in a report of this nature, but it may safely be said that there is no playing-ground in the world that can excel the Tongariro National Park. Business. On assuming office the Board found that the following huts had been erected and maintained by the Government: (1) The Waihohonu, near the base of Ruapehu —access formerly from the cast by the main road (Waiouru-Tokaanu Road), but now principally from Waimarino ; (2) on the western slopes are the two Whakapapa huts situated at the base of the mountain, and about eleven miles from Waimarino ; (3) on the west base of Ngauruhoe had been erected the Mangatapopo hut; (4) at the Ketetahi Hot Springs a hut had also been erected ; (5) the Mangawhero hut, about ten miles from Ohakune Railway-station, at the top of the Ohakune track, containing twenty-two bunks. These huts provide sleeping-accommodation, but campers and visitors require to take their own bedding, provisions, &c. At the first meeting of the Board on the 25th January the Board appointed the following officers : Warden of the park, Mr. John CulJen, 1.5.0. ; caretaker, Mr. A. Cowling ; secretary, Mr. W. R. Jourdain, (Chief Clerk, Lands and Survey Department) ; treasurer, Mr. J. H. O'Donnell (Chief Accountant, Lands and Survey Department). The consent of the Public Service Commissioner was given to the last two appointments being made on a honorary basis. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie, Minister of Lands, in addressing the Board, explained the Government's views with regard to the management and development of the park, and welcomed the members of the Poard at the inaugural meeting. A general discussion took place regarding the immediate objectives of the Board, and it was decided to invito offers for the erection by private enterprise of a large hostel on the Waimarino side of the mountain, and that arrangements be made for the construction of the necessary road of access. As an alternative it was decided, to finance, if possible, the erection of the hostel, which would be part and parcel of the park. It was felt this would be the most satisfactory arrangement were funds only available.

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It was also decided to issue/a leaflet and book descriptive of the numerous attractions of the park as soon as a suitable opportunity offered, and at a subsequent meeting Mr. James Cowan was authorized to prepare the book in question. As large funds will be necessary to construct the access roads and necessary tracks throughout the park, it was with great pleasure that the Board received an offer by Mr. A. G. Simpson (representing the trustees in the estate of the late R. C. Bruce) to contribute £1,000 towards the cost thereof ; and in recognition of this donation it. was decided to call the road leading from the main WaimarinoTokaanu Road to the site of the Whakapapa huts and to the new hostel the " Bruce Road." It was not found practicable to hold the second meeting of the Board until the 11th April, after the close of the Board's financial year ; but it may be stated that arrangements are being made to gradually give effect to the objectives of the Board as indicated above, and as a welcome help towards this end Mr. Gunson, Mayor of Auckland, offered, on behalf of the Auckland City Council, to contribute the sum of £1,000 towards the development of the park, &c, provided the Wellington City Council donated a similar amount, and that the Government subsidize the sums contributed by local bodies and others towards the development of the park. During the period the park was under the control of the Tourist and Health Resorts Department an annual sum appeared on the estimates of the Department for administration expenses, and it is hoped that the Government may see its way to contribute a similar amount in the future for the Board's expenses. Beyond such subsidy the Board has no funds for current expenses other than the receipts from fees payable by visitors to the park for camp accommodations, &c, so that the strictest economy requires to be exercised in all directions at the present time. It is, however, hoped that with the gradual development of the park, and the provision of better accommodation, fees from visitors will be largely augmented, and that at no distant date the Board's finances may be on a thoroughly satisfactory footing. The attached statement of receipts and expenditure indicates the financial position of the Board at the 31st March last, and must be considered a very satisfactory state, considering the difficulty attendant on the establishment of the new Board. Statement of Receipts and Payments for Period Ist January, 1923, to 31st March, 1923. Receipts. £ s. d. Payments. £ s. d. Donation by R. C. Bruce Estate Trustees Postages .. .. .. .. 0 10 3 for road-construotion .. .. 1,000 0 0 Printing and stationery .. .. 012 0 Park fees .. .. .. .. 47 10 0 Park equipment .. .. .. 18 17 0 Royalties on firewood .. .. .. 4 0 0 Horse-feed, shoeing .. .. .. 6 6 1 Travelling-expenses .. .. .. 0 9 8 Purchase of horse .. .. .. 14 0 0 Balance as per bank pass- £ s. d. book.. .. .. 1,045 7 0 Less unpresented cheques.. 35 8 7 1,009 18 5 Cash in hand .. .. 0 10 7 1,010 9 O £1,051 10 0 £1,051 10 0 J. B. Thompson, Chairman, Tongariro National Park Board. J. H. O'DONNELL, Treasurer, Tongariro National Park Board.

Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (625 copies), £3 15s.

By Authority : W. A. G. Skinner, Government Printer, Wellington.—l 923.

Pnce 3d.]