A Trip along the Heaphy Track

Forest and Bird, Issue 178, 1 November 1970, Page 14

A Trip along the Heaphy Track

THE north-west corner of Nelson Province is very interesting country. There are limestone cliffs and colourful mountains with magnificent native bush. The late Mr F. G. Gibbs and myself once made an expedition to the Gouland Downs to collect plants and insects. We took a bus to Collingwood to the head of the Aorere Valley, where we were joined by Mr Clouston, the curator of the Gouland Downs Reserve. This is the region where as much as 24 in. of rain has been recorded in 24 hours. Fortunately it was fine for us. Beautiful Kakapo Before setting out Mr Clouston showed us an interesting exhibit he had in his backyard. This was a live kakapo parrot, which he had captured some time previously. It was quite tame and a beautiful bird with soft green plumage.

When we had tramped some distance up the Heaphy Track we came on the still warm body of a kiwi. This had evidently been killed by a dog soon before, but we heard

no sound of a dog. At night we camped beside a clump of beech forest on the downs. It was an excellent place for a camp, with wood and water, and very good for catching insects. I used a lantern after dark and was pleased to catch a number of very beautiful and rare and large porina moths, which until then had been known only from isolated specimens. Route to Karamea Next day we packed lunch and crossed the downs to the western end, where we could see the route to Karamea away down in the valley. We did not venture further, but studied the botany and hunted insects. We climbed the mountain to the east of the downs next day and collected and saw some interesting plants. These included the candelabra-like grass tree (Dracophyllum) and the lovely Ourisia, like a tall cream polyanthus. At night we heard several kiwis calling, but were unable to see them. All too soon it was time to return.

—R. E. R. GRJMMETT

New Zealand Can Learn from Parks Experience in Canada and U.S.A.

LESSONS for New Zealand from the experience — and mistakes —of Canada and the U.S.A, in the administration of national parks and reserves are points of interest in a small book, “Conserving New Zealand’s Heritage”, published recently by the Government Printer.

Written by Mr P. H. C. Lucas, Director of National Parks and Reserves, after his tour as a 1969 Winston Churchill Fellow, the book has resulted from 4 months of intensive study and travel through North American parks and reserves.

Mr Lucas, who is also the Department of Lands and Survey’s representative on the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, managed on his tour to include study of how Canada and U.S. are working to preserve their history and culture, and he found that this country lags far behind. He remarked on his return that both coun-

tries obviously considered that substantial expenditure was justified to develop in their own people an understanding and pride in their historic and cultural heritage and to generate substantial tourist traffic as an economic bonus.

The intense and growing interest in the open country and historic places had brought problems, and people and vehicles were now restricted in areas where overuse or overcrowding had caused damage. Mr Lucas was told by top administrators in both countries that New Zealand’s planning could benefit from these earlier mistakes.

God has given us the earth for our life. It is a great entail. It belongs as much to those who come after us as to us, and we have no right by anything we do, or neglect to do, to involve them in unnecessary penalties, or to deprive them of benefits which are theirs by right.— John Ruskin.