THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S KAURI.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9, 31 August 1907, Page 2

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S KAURI.

M hen the Duke of Edinburgh was here in the year 1869. he planted several trees, notably two at the Grammar School, an institution which was opened by His Kot al Highness, one at Government House and one at One Tree Hill. At the Grammar School he planted a couple of Norfolk Island pines, at Government House a kauri, and at One-tree Hill an oak. The kauri is of very slow growth indeed. Some of the giants in the forests north of Auckland must be thousands of years old, judging from the rate of progress of trees which have been under observation from the time that they were planted. The surroundings of this one in Government House, for instance, have been most favourable, still after nearly forty years’ growth, it is still a comparatively small nve. its height being perhaps 20ft. and its diameter cannot be more than five inches at its thickest part. This and one or two others in the Auckland Domain are, we believe, the only speciments of this magnificent tree in the City boundaries. There is a very handsome one growing in tho grounds of the Dilworth Institute on the Great South Road, near the Remuera Railway Station; but beyond these one must go out to the Waitakerei ranges if one wants to see specimens of New Zealand’s grandest tree. The newspaper files, which were turned up for particulars of the Duke’s visit, make most interesting reading. The advent of his Royal Highness must have been an event of the keenest interest to the early Aucklanders, and the descrl]> five writers of those days evidently “ laid themselves out ” for the occasion. The good citizens gave their Royal guest a right royal time, and that he appreciated it is proved that he remained here much longer than he at first intended. There were no less than 410 volunteers, rank and file, on duty the day he landed, and probably the most interesting part of the reception was the escort of three large Maori war canoes, full of dusky braves, which paddled ashore with the dneal boat. Sportsmen will like to know that a shooting party, organised for His Highness, who was himself a splendid

shot, went out to Mangere and Otaliuhu, and bagged 33 brace. One would tramp far and long before he potted that many nowadays, even if one enlarged the boundary considerably. With our perfect system of cable news we can hardly realise that there were no English telegrams forty years ago—they had to wait for the mail before they got much newj from the outside world, and even our own inland news was somewhat ancient when it reached the big centres. To Kooti was then on the warpath, and on May the 10th there is a long dispatch from Hawke’s Bay, a month old. giving particulars of that friend's attack on Mohaku. The names of that day read strangely to our ears, and many of them are to be found only on the tombstones in Symonds-street.