NEW PLYMOUTH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1402, 30 March 1912, Page 20

NEW PLYMOUTH.

SOME OF ITS BEAUTY SPOTS. PUKEKURA PARK AND MARSLAND lIlf.L. If Taranaki is the Garden of New Zealand, New Plymouth, the capital of the province, may very well describe itself as the gem of the garden, in which, by the way, the town's cltiel park, Pukekura, may well be called the jewel, and as a matter of iaet, .New Plymouth is at once one of the prettiest and one of the plea*antest towns in New Zealand, lis mild climate and beautifully sunny days and coot nights make the growth of flowers u simple matter, and the gardens and parks are usually gay with colour all the year round, and not the least of its attractions are its numerous pretty villas,and tastefully laidout. gardens, to which the somewhat broken.character of the land.upon which the town is built admirably lends itself. Tree ferns and native shrubs grow everywhere- in wild profusion, tho ferns attaining a perfection not excelled in any other part of New Zealand. The town has Mount Egmont, the ice. mountain, in its centre, Pukekura Park, and Marsland Hill, full of ancient and historic memories, where now stands a monument to those heroes who fell in tho Maori War,- and with the names of tho regiments which were in the province .on active service. Another scenic triumph in the making is the Esplanade, which is now being constructed with the idea of transforming it into a lovely carriage drive to the Breakwater, winding by the seashore through an avenue, of trees, Almost tho oldest town in New Zealand, the progress of New Plymouth has been more of solid and certain development than anything in the shape of boom, but there are signs that new vigour is being put into the town, the impetus being possibly caused by the petroleum and ironsand'developments almost in tho borough, and tlie enterprise which is being shown by the New Plymouth Harbour Board in preparing its port for the reception of overseas traffic. As a scenic resort New Plymouth possesses advantages which aro unequalled in some respects by any other town in New Zealand. Chief of these is Pukekura Park. It is a veritable Eden. Its many naturally beautiful features, which spread themselves in reckless profusion over the broken nature of the ground, have been added ta and improved by the formation of artificial lakes and by tho judicious planting of native and English trees. Tho majestic punga fern is seen everywhere on hillside and in the vallcvs fringing the sides of the lakes, and in places throwing its protecting shelter over the paths which wind in and out for miles all over the Domain. Here and there these shady paths give a glimpse of majestic Egmont, or overlook the lakes in the distance. Rustic, bridges '•panning the waters add fjirthcr beauty to the scene. Another effect is the tea-house sheltering in tho shadows of the lake and giving colour to a picture of Arcadian simplicity. Above, the lakes rise an eminence manned by ths historic cannon "Dicky Barrett,"' while further along, down in the vallev of this beautiful garden, is a natural, amphitheatre, used by Taranaki in her Rugby gladiatorial combats. Tho banks around this level piecn ol ground rear- themselves up U0 to 100 feet, and are scarped in long seals cut from mother earth. Pukekura Park is about thirty years old, and when taken over by the board which manages it so well, it was nothing but rough rural land. Tho land was originally all hills and gullies with a splendid w-ater supply, and so the place naturally lout itself to (he intended purpose fioni tho first. Tho work of laying out-and beautifying the grounds.has been steadily carried out, and without a. Government 'subsidy. All the mouev required in the building up of this 'natural paradise has been provided bv the townspeople, and it is not surprising to iind that they, are intensely proud of their work. The lakes cover an area between seven and eight, acres, and they have been artistically laidont. A conspicuous feature of the town is Marsland Hill, described as one of tho most historical spots in the Dominion. It

is only three minutes' walk from the centre of the town, and from it a fine view can be made of the surrounding country. For several hundred years this place was a very strongly fortified ' Maori pa, the palisades of which were forty feet high. When New Plymouth was threatened with Maori invasions in the 'sixties a, barracks was built on the hill, where the women and children were placed for safety. The remains of the old fortifications stood on the hill until a few years ago, when for some unknown Teason they were Tcmoved. Some of the iron taken when the barracks was dismantled was used in the construction of one of the mountain houses up Mount Egmont. Tho site on Marsland Hill is a splendid one for the monument in memory of those who fell in the Maori wars. Immediately at the foot of Marsland Hill is St. Mary's Church, a picturesque 6tono edifice, which was commenced •in the very earliest days, and which has been added to from time to time. St. Mary's Church is one of the most historical in New Zealand. It lies in a churchyard hallowed by tho dust of those who fell in the Maori war. Within the walls of the building are a number of hatchments, or tablets, beautifully painted by the Ven. Archdeacon Walsh, in memory "of the various regiments and branches of the service which served in the Maori wars. In tho time of the war the churchyard was used by the military as a stockade, and the church itself as a picket house. Other historic places, which, however, lie outside tho borough, are the Sugar Loaves, Parihaka, and Nganiotu pa. where tho present Moturoa frcezI ing works stand now.

time, when its flanks' are : sheathed in | snow from its summit down' to fully 4000 • feet, it presents one of the most dazzling I find enchanting scenes imaginable. From I these .snow fields descend Ihoso' I countless streams, which, radiating | in all directions, _ water tho i slopes and surrounding plains at almost | every quarter of a mile. Legislation has ( preserved for all lime a largo area of ( i'orest-i'jml country, which nets as a gatlb ering ground for (ho water supply, and thus preserves for ever these numerous si reams, allowing their waters to run away gradually and without floods. This area is the Mount Kqinont National Kirk, of 7!),00ll acres, abounding in forest grandeur, sylvan and alpine, waterfalls, recks and streams. It is not surprising that the people nf Taranalci possess an unqualified admiration and respect'for F,?mon(, and that they always term it affectionately "The Mountain." 'THE STORY OF EGMONT. . Egmont was once called Pukchaupapa, or lee Hill, so named from the perpetual snow on the top. Then it was called Pukeonaki, in accordance with its graceful slope, and finally it was named- by the Maoris Taranaki, after Rua-Taranaki, a rangatira who was said to have been the first man to ascend its sides. The honour was also claimed by Tahurangi, who lit a fire on the top, to show that ho hurl taken possession of. the mountain. Whenever' the wisps of smoke-like cloud were seen clinging to the summit, (as they often "do, the Maoris of. old said that it was the "fire of Tahurangi." Egmont stands silent and alone, an icy monument of alpine grandeur, and the Maoris, following their custom, have weaved a romantic legend as to its present isolation. Once upon a time Taranaki dwelt in the centre of tho island, in the neighbourhood of Tongariro and lluapehu. All three lived happily together until Taranaki fell in love with Tonganros wile, Pihangn, the graceful-wooded mountain with the crater at its top, now filled with water. When Tongariro discovered Tara-. naki's passion for his wahine, ho became very angry. In fact, he exploded with anger, and in the course of his volcanic ebullitions, he delivered to Taranaki a prodigious kick, which is seen on Egmnnt to this day, on the south-east side, under what is now called Fanthom's Peak. Poor Taranaki was lifted bodily to the westward, and in his flight he tore up a course to the Wanganui River, nnd also ccom-eci out Hint river itself. A group of rocks hoar Ohura, and also at \\ auotara, are said to have been dropped by tho fugitive in his hasty flight. From Waitotara,' Taranaki ilcd westwards as far a= tho Ngacre, near Eltham, where he rested, and caused the great depression of earth which made the swamp. Continuing his journey, he arrived just after dark at the south-east end of tho Pouaki Ranges, which had been there for ages. The tired traveller was persuaded to rest 'at rduaki, and in his sleep that night he was bound, fast by- a spur from the ranges, and awakening found, himself a prisoner. There'ho has remained to this day. And now when the mists and clouds settle on. Egmont s noble head, this indicates, according to an-; other Maori legend, that ho is crying and bewailing over tho loss of his-.mistress Pihanga and tho ungentle treatment metcd'out to him by turbulent Tongariro. Near Egmont is Toka-a-Rauhotu Rock, a carved stone, supposed to have been the female guide to tho mountain in its flight, and which even now stands by the prisoner looking upon him with longing eves When her innna was great she could and did strike dead anybody who touched her, but. this power lias departed, from her since the coming of' tho pakeha. FROM THE TOP. One has but to sco Mount Eginont on a fine, clear dnv to understand tho desire which seizes so maiiv people to stand on its summit. From the top the view is superb. To the eastward lie the volcanic cones of Tongariro, Ruapehu, and Ngauruhoe, while around is an indescribable panorama, including tho whole of the Taranaki, dotted with its thriving and flourishing towns and villages, rivers, and streams, and habitations in all directions, and with smokb curling up at various inI tervals, nnd giving tho required touch

—W. C. Burrows. N.P., Photo,