o.—io.

Arrangements were made to add an area of 10 acres 0 roods 25-1 perches to the Wanganui River Trust Domain. The land was portion of a Crown leasehold, and the transaction payment of the sum of £50 to the lessee as compensation for improvements carried out by him on the area. The Department found the compensation-money and also surveyed the area and arranged for its surrender from the lease. The Pohara Domain, on Golden Bay between Takaka and Tarakolie, originally comprised an area of 4 acres 0 roods 1-8 perches, and was controlled by the Takaka County Council acting as a Domain Board. About the end of 1937 the Council bought an area of 6 acres 3 roods 17-3 perches adjoining the domain for £150. The Department contributed £50 towards the purchase. The purchased area was transferred by the Council to the Crown and was added to the domain during the year. The domain has now, with the approval of the County Council, been placed under the control of a local Domain Board, and the Department has made a grant of £100 towards the cost of levelling portion of the reserve. This domain is a valuable recreation area, as the beach there is an excellent one and a popular resort of the public. In 1936 a Domain Board was set up to control an area of 2 acres 0 roods 8-4 perches at Kaiteriteri, in Tasman Bay. Just across the road from the domain there is a magnificent and most popular beach,'and ever since the appointment of the Domain Board the Department has had in view the question of acquiring additional land for the domain so that adequate facilities might be provided for visitors to the beach. The matter was completed during the year under review by the acquisition of an area of 26-| acres at the price of £700, and the purchased area has been added, to the domain. The Department found £600 of the purchase-money, the remainder being raised locally. Special attention was given to this case, as it is realized that wherever possible adequate provision should be made for recreation areas at beach resorts and that where the Crown does not possess any available land an endeavour should be made to acquire suitable areas. The beach at Kaiteriteri is a particularly fine one, and now that a good road is available the locality must develop into a most valuable playground for the general public. The Domain Board has been reconstituted by the appointment of representatives of the Waimea County Council, the Motueka Borough Council, the Nelson Automobile Association, and the Department. A small section in Block XVI, Town of Pembroke, was taken for recreation purposes under the Public Works Act and added to the Wanaka Islands Domain. The section was the only privately owned one in Block XVI, and, being situated alongside the camping-ground on the domain, its addition to the domain area was most desirable. Owing to certain title difficulties it was necessary to take the land under the provisions of the Public Works Act. Any compensation that may be awarded will be paid by the Department. Two unformed road areas at Pounawea, one of 3 acres 0 roods 20 perches and the other of 9 acres, were closed by the Department with the consent of the Clutha County Council and added to the local domain. This action was taken at the request of the Domain Board, with a view to the preservation of the attractive native growth on the areas and in order to prevent unauthorized camping. The residents of Pounawea have shown commendable interest in the preservation of the natural amenities of that very charming spot and have raised considerable sums for the purchase of bush areas, domain improvements, &c. The Department felt that their efforts should be supported and every endeavour made to prevent vandalism on the part of some irresponsible visitors to the resort. It was therefore decided to close the unused road areas and to add them to the domain so that they can be adequately controlled and safeguarded. A suitable portion of the domain has been set apart for scenic purposes, and it is proposed to confine camping to the recognized area. Other areas totalling 18 acres 3 roods 31 perches were also added to this domain during the year. The Croydon Bush Domain, near Gore, was extended by the addition of areas totalling 264 acres 1 rood 39 perches, comprising an area of 50 acres 0 roods 19 perches of unoccupied Crown land and a block of 214 acres 1 rood 20 perches of State forest land made available for the purpose by the State Forest Service. This domain now contains some 2,124 acres, the greater part of which is in bush. It is a favourite public resort and is a very valuable area from the botanic point of view. The control of the reserve is in the hands of the Gore Borough Council. An application was made by an adjoining owner to acquire most of the additional area for farming, but it was decided that the value of the land for reserve purposes far outweighed any value it might possess for settlement. An area of 2 roods 8-2 perches of the Taupo Domain was declared to be a reserve for public buildings of the General Government. The area is required as a post-office site, and in exchange an area of 1 acre 1 rood 19-7 perches has been relinquished by the Post and Telegraph Department and added to the domain. In 1901 an area of 27 acres on the Mahurangi Harbour described as Allotment 82a, Mahurangi Parish, was set aside as a recreation reserve, and in 1907 was constituted as the Pukapuka Domain and placed under the control of the Rodney County Council. The area is accessible only by water, has no sand beaches, and has never been used as a domain. The Domain Board has not at any time spent any money on the land, which has remained unfenced and has been farmed in conjunction with adjoining land. It was recently discovered, as a result of certain title investigations, that the socalled domain area had been sold with other land by the Crown in 1857. The reservation of the area for recreation purposes was therefore null and void, and in order to correct the position all documents of reservation, &c., issued in connection with the land have now been revoked. At the request of those concerned the appointment of the Puketitiri Domain Board was revoked during the year. The domain area is not very suitable for recreation, and as the new Hutchinson Domain referred to earlier in this report will meet the recreation requirements of the locality it has been decided that there is no need to retain the Puketitiri reserve. The domain reservation will therefore be cancelled in due course and the land disposed of to the best advantage.

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