HYDRO LAKES TO BE MADE BEAUTY SPOTS

Chronicle (Levin), 10 February 1947, Page 3

HYDRO LAKES TO BE MADE BEAUTY SPOTS

WELLINGTON, Peb. 8. Bt'.sides tlicir imxiortance iu the cxl>ansif)ii of tjic hydro-electric povve-r i syslcm of Ihe North islaiid, Ihe du I vciopiui'iil of the ehain of lakea 011 the | Waikato from Cambridge alinost to ! Taupo has (listincl possibilities from j Ihe recrcational poinl of view. That l Ihe Cio\ criuueut was fully aware of tlns ! was indicatod by Ihe Minister of Tourist aud Health Resorts, Ilon. W. E. I'arry, today, when he referred to the : study which had been inade of using » the lake at Karapiro for boat'ing, ylieht- ; ing, lishing aud general reereationa; ' [)iir[>oses. He said that it was hoped, ' vvitli the subsequeut development )f i the other lakes 111 the upper WaiKuto, I that the basin ultimateJy would beeome j oue of the most iniportant tourist, rei creatioual and sporting resorts of tlie I Dominion. Karapiro luKe would shortiy j be iilled, said the Minister, and lliere | was no doulit that a xiroxierly developed area eould beeome oue of the bcauty ] I spots of the Bumiuiou. Not only did it flie on the higliwav from Auckland lo

Rotorua but for 5)0,000 people of the Waikato area it eould be made an exeellenl watering [tlace aud recreational area. Eor hydro-electric putposes a eertaiu area of land surrounding the lake would need to be takou lo enable the Hydro-electric Bex>artment to carry out iiiaiulenaiice wurk effectiv elv, and ii was p roposed, 111 addition, to take two areas, one 011 Ihe southern bank near the (lam for development as a large pienic area and boat liarbour, and anjolher at Ihe easlern end of Ihe lake j near Matamata, which would be siniilarly developed. A considerable area 011 Ihe southern bank about two niiles from Ihe dain would be reserved as a village site for a large-scalc modern motor eamp and sl eps taken to preverif unsightly and liaphazard building development. No linality liad beeu j reaclied as to the ullimate finaneiai j adininist ration of Ihe uevv reserve, but ihe thought a domain board'with reprajseulatives from the surrounding local i authorities sliould have the responsij bilitv for inaintenance and with considerable revenue from tlie motor canip and other sources, the iinaneiat burden on the local authorities would be sinai 1. The Minister praised several far-sight- ' ed local body otlicials iu the Waikato ' area, particuiarly Alr. M. E. Fitzgerald, i engineer of tlie, Matamata County Coun- ; eil, who had for some timo l'oreseen Ihe potcntialit-ies of Ihe area and carried out some excellent spadework plauiung for its development.