Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Provides Opportunity for Recreation and Scientific Study

Forest and Bird, Issue 189, 1 August 1973, Page 6

Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Provides Opportunity for Recreation and Scientific Study

HAURAKI GULF MARITIME PARK, which is composed of numerous islands and headlands in the Gulf, has a character different from that of the 10 national parks in New Zealand.

By

Anna Soutar,

Information Officer, Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Board

THIRST it is ..much smaller in area—some A 24,000 acres as against twice that area in the smallest of the national parks, Abel Tasman, and infinitesimal in relation to the largest, of 3,000,000 acres. Of deeper significance, however, is the difference in concepts between the Acts governing the parks. The pieces of the maritime park come under a variety of legal definitions —recreation reserve, scenic reserve, public domain, flora and fauna —which for convenience have been put together under the one administrative body. Thus the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Act allows for modification of the public use areas according to the public need, whether it is recreational or for future scientific knowledge. The emphasis in the national parks, by contrast, lies in preserving natural features, the public being allowed access provided it does not interfere with this primary objective. Kawau Island There are several main centres of recreational activity in the maritime park. Kawau Island has a tradition of holiday-making, started in a grand manner by Sir George Grey, who made his home there in 1866. He created a graciously hospitable place for his Auckland friends and the public to come by steamer and enjoy. He planted a variety of exotic plants obtained from all over the world, and these were described in 1876 by John Buchanan, F. L. S., as follows: “On the lawn may be seen Erythrina caffra, the coral tree, covered with brilliant scarlet flowers; Fourcroyia gigantea, a plant of the Amaryllis family, with remarkable flowers. . . . Fourcroyia flavavirides, another fine fibre plant; Chamaerops excelsa, a palm tree also producing a fine fibre, and Chamaerops jortunii, Boehmeria nivea, another fine fibre tree belonging

to the nettle family; Musa textilis, the Banana fibre tree from which the manilia fibre of commerce is procured; as also Musa sapientum, the fruit Banana, which yearly ripens fruit here;

Brousonetia papyrifera, from which a kind of paper is made in Japan; Punica granatum, the pomegranate; Olea europaea, the Olive ... all the finest varieties of this valuable species are cultivated here.” Warning Note He also described the fauna introduced by the Governor and ended with a warning note which should have been heeded by all pioneering New Zealanders: “The Deer of Britain may be seen hurrying past to the covert; the Kangaroo of Australia, spanning across the path, pulls up erect to view the stranger; Tree Kangaroos from New Guinea are seen hopping up and down Puriri trees; the visitor is ever kept on the alert by the whirr of Californian Quail, or Chinese Pheasants, and the Wallabi Kangaroo, in numbers, keep zig-zagging across his path; the Cape Barren Goose might also exhibit to him the unusual sight of a bird carrying her young under her wings. The introduction of so many animals and plants must produce some influence on the indigenous Flora of the island either for good or evil in future years.” Sir George Grey’s house was converted long ago into a licensed hotel to accommodate visitors to the park, and several of his introduced plant and animal species can be seen, including the wallaby.

Around Kawau are several small islands which are included in the park and where development is minimal, the board being content merely to preserve them for the use of the public. These include Beehive Island, still owned by Mrs I. M. Wilson, of Takapuna, but to be gifted to the board, Casnell and Saddle Islands and Motuora, where the grazing is leased. These provide a haven for small craft, which during the season ply these waters in their hundreds. Recently Erupted Volcano Rangitoto Island is another . mecca for holiday-makers. This recently erupted volcano (the latest radio carbon tests date the most recent eruption as being just 250 years ago) is not only a fascinating object of study by scientists, but is a great attraction to visitors. The sensations to be experienced on the island and sights there are extraordinary—the bare sun-heated lava; vegetation struggling to find a place in the harsh black rock; the possibility of seeing a wallaby (the legacy of another early pioneer with a taste for importing exotic plants and animals); and the spectacular view from the island’s summit of the mainland and the Gulf islands. Adjacent to Rangitoto is Motutapu, the main source of revenue for the board. This 4,000acre farm, running 5,000 breeding ewes, 2,000

dry sheep, 950 breeding cows, and 1,000 dry cattle, brings in a yearly profit for the park. According to seasonal conditions and changing prices for primary produce this profit has varied from less than $lO,OOO in some years to up to $50,000 in others. The remaining necessary finance is granted by the Government. Because Motutapu is so vital in the management of the whole park, the public is allowed access only up to the fenceline of the island and in certain specified bays. However, a modest camping ground near the causeway leading to Rangitoto gives dozens of visitors the chance to stay on the island during their holidays. Organised activities for children are not forgotten either, for the Y.M.C.A. operates a camp in what was once a military base on the island where up to 200 children at a time can learn and play in the seaside environment. Favourite Picnic Venue The third heavily visited island in the park is Motuihe. Its long wharf enables the larger Auckland ferries to berth there, carrying crowds commonly totalling 3,000 or 4,000. It is a favourite place for picnics held by firms, churches, and clubs. Use of Motuihe has been varied in its history; in turn it has been the site of Polynesian fishing camps, a European

farm, a quarantine station, a war internee camp, and a naval base, but it has never given pleasure to so many before as it has in its ultimate function, that of a public park. Lighthouse Island The lighthouse island off Whangaparaoa Peninsula, Tiritiri Matangi, is also included in the park. Here an exercise in natural conservation is being carried out. Two years ago, the board terminated the grazing lease which had kept the island’s growth down to grass, and now with no stock grazing there, the island is steadily regenerating to a natural forested condition. It will take at least 20 years before mature growth will be achieved, but the island is remarkably fertile, and many species of native plant are already evident, including mahoe, kohekohe, and taraire, without any additional planting being carried out. Another familiar island on Auckland’s horizon is Brown’s Island or Motukorea. Like several islands in the park, this island has a deep historical significance, and its conservation in public ownership means that Aucklanders will continue to be able to land there and know that they are on the land where the first settlers in the Waitemata lived. From Motukorea were seen the schooners setting up the township, and the man living there in 1839,

John Logan Campbell, was later to become known as the Father of Auckland. Another of Auckland’s benefactors, Sir Ernest Davis, was a later owner of the island, who generously gave it to the people of Auckland for their recreational enjoyment. Outer Islands The outer islands which form a seaward broken boundary to the park are those which because of their scientific importance carry legal status restricting entry except by permit. These are the Poor Knights, Mokohinau, Hen and Chickens, the Mercury, and Aidermen groups. A permit is also required before landing on Little Barrier Island, but here the conditions for granting a permit are less restrictive, as there is a resident ranger on the island. The island has a large well-appointed bunkhouse, and the rugged terrain of the island is itself a factor in controlling the activities of human intruders. Thus an opportunity to see the country’s largest unmodified forest is there for those with no special qualification except a genuine desire to go and the physical agility to meet the difficulties of traversing the formidable boulders at the island’s only landing. Applications in writing for permits are handled by the secretary of the board at its Auckland office.

Administration Administration of the maritime park is centred in the Auckland office of the Department of Lands and Survey, which services the administering board of 10 members appointed by the Minister of Lands. At present there are six rangers, three of whom live at the main centres of recreation in the park: Kawau, Rangitoto, and Motuihe. A fourth is resident on Little Barrier and a fifth serves as relieving ranger throughout the park. A chief ranger is stationed at the Auckland office. In specialised fields, the board relies heavily on the country’s various scientific institutions: the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Wildlife Service of the Department of Internal Affairs, the museums, and universities. It is a two-way relationship. The specialists carry out research in the park, and in return supply the board with detailed scientific knowledge for the use of the board. In just one 12-month period—l972—six major scientific efforts took place in the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park: in February, March, and May field work on Little Barrier Island gave concrete proof of the extent to which cats have preyed on various petrel species; in May a large group of University of Auckland Field Club members undertook an ecological

survey of The Aidermen Islands; from January to March work continued on Rangitoto Island into the breeding characteristics of the blackbacked gull; in November Wildlife Service officers carried out wildlife and botanical surveys on the Aidermen and Mercury groups; in December it was the turn of the archaeologists—a survey of Cuvier and the Poor Knights Islands and another of a series of digs on Motutapu. It appears from this that the park is a collection of natural laboratories providing a multitude of studies for the naturalist. A Recurring Link Science, scenery, history, or recreation; in all these facets of the park there is a recurring link —the sea. The maritime influence is strong in this nation, and the creation and development of a park based on the sea are a natural way for the country to express this fundamental characteristic. It is not unique; there are island-based parks in many countries of the world, notably the United States and Japan, and in this country a second, in the Marlborough Sounds, has just been established, but the concept is fairly new. It is a trend of great significance to the New Zealand way of life.