ROUND THE RESERVES

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 146, 16 March 1921, Page 9

ROUND THE RESERVES

TITIVATING GREATER WELLINGTON-

WORK THAT COULD BE DONE IF-!

(By

Sylvius.)

Some years ago the sports grounds available in "Wellington were so few that the place and the people in iit were constantly being twitted with the lack. Such opprobrium was not undeserved, for with Newtown Park and the Basin Reserve as the only public sports grounds for a quarter of a century it did seem that. Wellington was "dying down” on that form of city improvement. Other than the two grounds mentioned there was the Hobson Street paddock, Buller’s paddock (site of Buller St’reet), and Pearce’s paddock (off Abel Smith Street), which even then were being encroached upon by t’he slow growth of the old town. The p.ast twenty years have seen..a distinct awakening in respect to recreation grounds and city lungs, and the person who says that Wellington is deficient in playing areas is not conversant with the facts. We still have the "Basin” and Newtown Park, but in Wellington North there is -Anderson Park and Kelburn Park, small, but, excellent cricket and football grounds, whilst the City Council has made another lawn tennis court possible at the head of Bolton Street. In Wellington city proper, Central Park has been created and beautified as a resT~park end playground for tibe children (within five or six minutes of tho centre of the city). In Wellingon South there is Wakefield Park —two splendid grounds on the road to Island Bay; a ground in the making above Salisbury. Terrace (Prince of Wales’s Park), tho municipal golf links at Berhampore!; and on the Town Belt.’ the Newtown Tennis Club’s courts, and a new Croquet lawn for the ladies of the district. At Karori, a splendid park has been made with a large acreage, and on the other side of the city, beyond the hills, there is tho Kilbirnie Recreation Ground.' and a 100-acre reserve at! Lyall Bay. These, without counting Miramar and Seatoun Parks in the newly-absorbed district. In this brief category does not appear numerous little "bits and patches” her® and th<u£ e fmiall reserves and plantations, which are all receiving attention, and which reflect the aesthetic progress that is gradually but surely being made. As the present council will be. going out of office next month, a visit was paid to several of the places referred to by the members of the Reserves Committoe, which has this phase of the citv’s work very much at heart. .Tho party was accompanied by Councillor W. J. Thompson (chairman), himself a. skilled horticulturist. and the director of reserves (Mr. J. W. M K<mzie), who is keen on improving any little corner of the city available in order tq relieve as much ns possible the inherent drabness of the place. Tho committee first of all visited Oriental Bay, where an improvement scheme has been in intermittent progress for ten years past. The new lamp clusters along the Parsed were greatly admired. It, was not very clear what was to bo done at the band rotunda, but it. was mentioned that the idea was to asphalt the surrounding walk and place a few of the John. Newton seats in comfortable proximity to the structure. Mr. M.'Kenzie offered the suggestion that a little strip ol rook garden close up to the concrete base ot tho rotunda would give the building a picturesque finish. A stop was made next to tho kiosk, where it is proposed to'turn part of the old quarry site (on tho fiat), now disfigured by heaps ot stone setts, into a little resting place for strollers. . .. , , In Evans Bay the chairman indicated a section which had been purchased from the Hataitai Land C°nip«ny on the main road, opposite the Hatiut.U bathing shed. At present the section is ill-drained, but at a small expenditure it is hoped that a double-terraced rest park could be made' without much difficulty. The idea was generally commended. From Evans Bay the committee whirled up to the Town Belt above Newtown, and there, at the head of Mein Street inspected the new croquet lawn about 70 by 28 yards-the piaymg area of which is being duplicated. Tliis aiea, which has been fenced, is hacked by a perfect little amphitheatre in theiorm of a gentle rise to the top load, an closure which was planted a few yeais ago, and is now proposed b ® con V. into a playground for children. It is said to be the only spot in the distnet that is sheltered from the n ° r^ e ’ Of course the ladies wanted more croquet grounds on this area, but the children Rave first call on the area. There is still a nice piece of sloping grou between the croquet ground and the/Newtown Tennis Club’s courts on the Jet available for the extension of recreation grounds in that localitj. . Down below, where the uateiS Evans Bay moisten the land, the recent expansion of Kilbirnie Park and the substantially-built . dressing rooms were insnected iSomo ten acres arc now turfed. When completed there , wlll J 05 acres of playing area at K

birnie. ’ At Lyall Bay a brief visit was jiaid to the Lyall Bay Reserve, which is a far-extending recreation ground in the rough. There are 100 acres 'of flat and sand-dunes in this block, which was acquired by the city and Government finder an agreement that the latter were to be permitted to use it. for military' purposes when such was desired. 'This big ground is partly enclosed by a belt of young pines, which flourish in the sandy soil. It is proposed to erect a dressing-shed for footballers in the north-west corner of the reserve at an early <jato. .£20,000 could be spent on this ground alone—but that is for the future. At Island Bay the committee viewed a section, opposite tho beach, which was recently acquired as a rest. park. Two very ancient and unsightly cottages are to be sold for removal at once, and the committee propose to ask the council to purchase strips of adjoining (vacant) sections, which will make the area roughly about au acre in extent. En route to the city the new plantations opposite Wakefield Park, and the site of the proposed rest park and golf Units extension were represented by green 'hill-sides. At tho Busin Reserve the south-west enclosure was looked at by councillors. The director of reserves has proposed to convert the space into a playground tor children (on the lines of Myers Park m Auckland), but some councillors believe that the future years will see the area tn demand for a new grandstand. It will be a matter for the new council to say what will be done here as there are big alterations already, scheduled tor the Basin (including a pavilion three times the size of the existing one, to be set right back to Sussex Square).. At Kelburn Park the committee viewed from afar the custodian's residence in course of erection. Here,, at the southern end, five new croquet lawns have been laid down and top-dressed for use next season. At the present time the ladies are allowed to play on part of the cricket area, but it is too near the danger-line to be quite comfortable. Next summer should see them well out of shell-fire. Now the ladies 'want a pavilionp for themselves, and are prepared to pay -£ICO towards its cost, as well as an annual rent for the ground. One returned to ,the city from this jaunt pleasantly impressed with the many very beautiful, if costly, grounds the city has supplied not without difficulty, and confident that good work has been faithfully done by the outgoing Reserves Committee and Director M Kenzie.