A THREATENED BEAUTY SPOT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1761, 28 May 1913, Page 8

A THREATENED BEAUTY SPOT.

WAIKAREMOANA BUSH. Tho beauties of Lake Waikaremoana aro likely to bo seriously marred it steps are not taken to preserve tho bush around its shows. The Napier Chamber oi Commerce has taken the matter up, and in a | letter which- it has addressed to the l'rime Minister (tho Hon. W. F. Massey), points j out that the land adjoining tlie north and west sides of Lako Waikaremoana is still in tho hands ot the Natives. This lako, says the secretary of tho chamber in the letter, "is undoubtedly one of tho finest, if not the finest, scenic asset iir the North Island, nearly all of the surrounding busk being still in its virgin state. Tlio land on tho south and east sides consists of forest reserve, but on tlu north and west there is nothing to prevent tho Natives from themselves destroying the bush, or leasing the land to Europeans, who may very toon destroy the whole scenic effect. Indeed, it is knoivn that quite recently Europeans were negotating for the lease of a largo peninsula, which is one of the most prominent features in tho lake. My chambsr feel that it would bo a thousand pities if this or any part of tho bush adjoining the liiko were destroyed, and at a large meeting held on May 15, they passed a resolution urgently begging the Government to take immediate steps to acquire all tho land from the water's edge to thc_ sky-line, both of Waikaremoana and Waikareiti. The area would 1m about 38,000 acres, which could bo acquired at a very small sum from tho Natives. ... In tho meantime my chamber think a ranger ought to bo aopointed who shall have power to prevent'people lighting iircs in the bush. Within the past sis months a fire occurred within tho forest reserve close to the Upper Aniwaniwa' Falls, and although it was mostly over the track of an old lire, it also spread somewhat into the standing bush, and made an ugly blot on tho sccncrv> Much of the. virgin bush has been destroyed in nearly all tho South Island lakes, but at Waikaremoana an opportunity still presents itself of preserving the wiiolo surrounding bush intact."