Gift of Four Islands Extends Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park

Forest and Bird, Issue 171, 1 February 1969, Page 4

Gift of Four Islands Extends Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park

A GIFT to the Crown of Whakau (Red Mercury), Middle, Green, and Korapuki Islands in the Mercury Islands, off Whitianga, by the Maori owners was announced recently by the Minister of Lands, Mr D. Maclntyre.

TWO of the islands in the group, Double and Stanley, are already owned by the Crown and are flora and fauna reserves. The remainder, excluding Great Mercury, were owned by the Karaua, Whanaunga, and Hako families of the Ngatimaru tribe and they have gifted the islands. The gift was a generous one by people who appreciated the aesthetic value of these islands and the need to preserve them intact for future generations, said Mr Maclntyre. All the islands were rich in bird and plant life and Red Mercury in particular was valued as the adopted home of the rare North Island saddlebacks transferred there from Hen Island by a wildlife expedition in 1966. It was also of historic interest because of the association with Count von Luckner, captain of a German raider who had been captured

during the First World War. A bay on the island was now known as von Luckner’s Cove.

Acquisition of the islands for reserves had been advocated by the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, said Mr Maclntyre, and the Crown had been prepared to purchase them at valuation, but the Maori owners preferred to make a gift of them to the Crown. This generous gesture was very much appreciated, and greatly encouraged the Crown in its efforts to acquire off-shore islands as reserves. Double and Stanley Islands were already included in the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park and the four islands now gifted, containing some 560 acres, would be formally set aside as reserves for the preservation of flora and fauna and also added to the Maritime Park.

Islands* Situation The islands, about 16 miles north-east of Whangapoua Harbour, Coromandel Peninsula, are described- as follows: Whakau Island: Rises steeply from the sea on the northern, western, and eastern sides to a broken plateau of varying levels; the southern side falls more gradually. The surface is covered with fairly stunted pohutukawa, scrub, flax, and native shrubs, and considerable surface rock is exposed. Landing is possible only at von Luckner’s Cove, on the northern side, in good south-westerly conditions and on the southern side in northeasterly conditions with very limited ground swell. Area: 502 acres. Middle Island: Rocky and steep, rising sharply from the sea on all sides to a long, narrow ridge. Mainly volcanic rock with stunted native growth -along the top ridge.

Landing is difficult on a rocky foreshore. Area: 25 acres. Green Island: Rises steeply from the sea and is very exposed, with little vegetation except toward the top. Landing is possible only at the southern end on to a boulder beach in good weather with fairly calm seas. Area: 10 acres. Korapuki Island: Rugged and rocky with a steep, badly indented shoreline on the northern, eastern, and southern coasts, but slopes reasonably to the western coastline to a. boulder foreshore. Covered with ti tree, flax, pohutukawa, and native shrubs, with a few areas of open grassland on the northern cliffs. Landing is possible on the western and southern sides of the island. Area: 22 acres. [Cover photo by D. V. Merton.]

New Zealand Now Has 58 Historic Reserves

THERE are now 58 historic reserves in New . Zealand, with a total area of 3,341 acres, including 16 scenic, historic, and recreation reserves covering 399 acres, says the Director-General of Lands, Mr R. J. MacLachlan, in his annual report last year. Of the 58 reserves, 17 are controlled by local authorities, 15 by Commissioners of Crown Lands, 13 by scenic boards, six by historic boards, and seven by other authorities. Pompallier House Pompallier House and its 2-acre site at Russell were made a new historic reserve under the control of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, the report says.. Three acres has been added to the Pick and Shovel monument site, commemorating the gold rushes of the 1860 s near Lawrence, in Central Otago, to provide car parking facilities and open space. The old Taupo Courthouse has. been established on the; site of the Armed Constabulary Redoubt at Taupo as a reminder of early architecture and judicial administration in the district.