A SUBMARINE FOREST.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2280, 14 November 1889, Page 2

A SUBMARINE FOREST.

A. travelling! correspondent of the New , Zealand '• Herald," who is -doing' the Ray of Plenty district, thus refora to an (xtrnordinafy Bubmarino forest : — Stretch tng awny from Whale Island is a small cluster <>f Islets oalled the Bunura lilands, and hereabouts, and to the outside of Whale lal.nd, foe about a mile, are 0 b.< | found tbe best hapuka grounds o . ihe>' ooaet. This part of the ooasfc haa i>. w>ys-| beeu known for the size and quantity of the hapuka to ba found. Some of the frVn caught will turn the aoala at 1201 b, but from that down to 801 bia the general rnn of weight, . . , Outsido Whale Island about a mile, and where soma of the beßt of the bapnka grounds are situate, aome wonderful acbmtrine foeats are found. Theae forests aye found io patohea of somo extent at different plaoes, 1 and are composed of trees of tha nature : of the well-known totara. The sites \ of many of theee patohea of forest are well koown, especially to the Natives, who. 0.11 them totara, the branohes and leaves that have been drawn up to the surfaoa being exactly like tho totara of tbe forests oa land The trees grow to a height ef about 12ft or 14ft, and are objects of great speculation bs to thalr of gin and nature. The height of the trees has beeu readily ascertained, as the bIUs of theae fores! a are favouiite fishing spots for hapuka. When Gahlng, a £Ux Hue with a stone attaohed as a sinker la added to the fishing line. When the line ia lowered tbe stone can be felt to etrike the top of the trees. The line Is tben lowered further ontil tbe stone reaches tbe bottom, when the fishing-line aud bait hang juat at the top of the treea. The hapuka are suppoaed to be tmonget the trees, aud to oome up tothe bait abovo them. The Hues often get foal of the tree 3, when either the line has to go or a branch to oome up. Thla la the object of tying iha fl x to the ond of the line, as tbe fl.x part, readily. The trees at tbe bottom are of extiaordl.avy tough* nea*, aod, if the line onoe gets fairly oaught In tbem It Is - generally a oase cf losing or tb inducing the line. Limbs and branches of tbo tree, at the bottom h*ve been often hauled np, and theee queer eatnplo. of trocs are matters of cover ending Interest md speculation. The poaltion of thesa forests ls well koown, aod supposed to be comparatively rxseurtve, bue, as they are looked oa aa priv.nte fhhlng grounds by tha Natives fo? hapuka, uo dt finite attempt has been mado to ascertain their extent. Evau fn foggy and rooghlah wt ather the pr^aonco of these trees Is easily ascertainable by the feel of the sicker on the leaves. From what haa boen seen of the portions of tho trees haulod to tbe .urf.oo the sterna of the trocs p,co found to be aa bard t. Iron and equally tough, and ii faot, are so hard aod tough a. to be h.cdiy breakable. The wood is alaoaa hard aa Iron, and his vary muoh l ; ke patrifiod wood In appearance. Tho leaves and foliage are as cough as leather, bu v . a branoh of one of tho treea when hauled up bas a very pretty appearance, and, being as tough and hard as it la pretty, the reason Is easily seen why fishers do not oare to get the'r lines entangled amongst theee cubmarine force's. The depths at whioh thejr are found la sime 18 to 25 fathoms, and how apparently growing tl i.ber trees 00 mo to grow at tha bottom of the ooaan ! and thrive m auoh an unosoal element, Is a question that has not yet been solved although many oonj :oluros have beea ventured; Attached to some of tha ' branobea drawn up very curious parasites are occ.alonally found. In more than one case, attio.ed to „ email branoh. a long worm or snake-like parasite h»a boen found <.£ muoh the oonaletenoe and appo&ranoe of leather. The oolour waa a sort of baff stono oolour with dark Btrlpei horfzmtsl'y nil along tho body. 1<; curled abjut the woo 4, aud fpparetit'y _ -__-*_» at B_im_.J__.m/>so-._ali-h_iii«k._»<«»i.i^--ti touch, and, ahhouoh decidedly allvo whon drawn up, died ohortly aftorwar<!3 and bad a Ee'.r!fi:d a; pearanoe, aionlUr to the wood, and npparenly got equally as tad and tough. The loegth ot thu Bp.olm.n waa m.ny feet, as it was wound chs.ly round and round the b»&n:b, and Ita thickness wonld ba about . thot of tho sm.ll finger of a mans hand. Aft)> dying, tnst.ad of deoiylng, as an ordinary living thing would, thla queer sp.olm.n of submarlno forest life seemed to harden and toughen to euoh an extent at to appear almost lnde.truotible. Speola 1 mens of theae unique parasites are to bobtalued and forwarded to the Herale offioe In Auckland, so that those w'lo lakd an Interest ln bo oh things ct-n iaspeoe them for themselves.