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More mountain huts of harmonious design, better facilities for the use of skiing-grounds, &c., more walking tracks and signposts, well-equipped camping-grounds in suitable and favourite sites, and more and better hotel and hostel accommodation (not always necessarily in the parks themselves) suggest themselves for consideration and early action if possible. Protected Areas Within Sounds (Fiordland) National Park The recent rediscovery of the takahe in part of Fiordland National Park has aroused widespread interest in the Dominion and overseas. It was necessary to take speedy legislative action to give special protection to the bird. Special legislation was drafted and passed in December, 1948, setting apart a special area of 438,000 acres within the boundaries of the park. The special area lies generally between Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau and the mountain summits to the west. The Milford Track area is not affected. To the special area entry is permitted only by means of permits ; but every endeavour has been made to avoid any undue interference with the tourist traffic on the lakes. Blanket tourist permits have been issued to the principals of the Fiordland Travel Co., which carries many people across Lake Te Anau to visit the caves on the western side, and special arrangements have been made in the case of certain persons who own holiday houses and have launches on the lake. The aim all through has been to cause the minimum of inconvenience, subject always, of course, to the overriding necessity of ensuring adequate protection for the takahe. The Tourist and Internal Affairs Departments, both of which have permanent officers stationed at Lake Te Anau, are co-operating with the Lands Department in the administration of the special legislation. Other Reserves of Interest to Tourists Apart altogether from the national parks, there are throughout the Dominion many hundreds of scenic reserves, many of them of outstanding charm and interest. Reference has been made earlier to the large scenic reserves in the vicinity of the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. There are other important scenic reserves throughout Westland, and in most other parts of the Dominion as well. Those along the Wanganui River and in the Buller Gorge come immediately to mind, while Trounson Kauri Park, near Dargaville, should by no means be forgotten. Special attention has been and is being paid to the setting-aside of adequate reserves along important highways and tourist routes. Reserves have been provided, for instance, on the Catlins-Waikawa Road in South Otago, the Blenheim-Nelson Road, the Greymouth-Westport Coast Road, the Haast Pass Road, the Lewis Pass Road, and many others, while action is well in hand for the acquisition and reservation of adequate strips of bush land along the new TaumarunuiTokaanu Road. Other reserves such as the great Waipoua Kauri Forest in North Auckland, the thermal reserves of the Roterua district, the Waitomo Caves reserves, and the bush reserves at Waikaremoana and Morere add considerably to the great charm of the Dominion as a land for the tourist and the lover of nature.

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given; printing (689 copies), £l7 10s.

By Authority: R. E. Owen, Government Printer, Wellington. —1950. Price 6d.]

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