NATURE NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 35, 11 February 1933, Page 9

NATURE NOTES

HOME OF THE BOBES

THE TANGARAKAU GORGE

.(By E. H. D. Stidolph.)

The road between Stratford anJ Ohura, for a distance of about six miles in the Tangarakau Gorge, passes through some of the most magnificent forest to be seen anywhere in the North. Island,' Fortunately the Government has set aside extensive areas of land, in this locality as scenic reserves, so that with a measure of protection the glorious scenery of the gorge should ba preserved for all time. In one or two places, some damage has been done by, fire but beyond this the only ..blot oa. a scene'of primeval beauty-is the, cor/ rugated iron- shanties and buildings connected with the coal mine working at the Tahora end of the gorge. Perhaps the most fortunate circumstance* however,, is the fact that the railway,, line which connects Stratford -with; Okahukura, near Taumarunui, avoidsT the gorge "and a repetition of the desolation to be seen -in the Manawatu Gorge will not take place. In the early days, before railways and roads were ever-thought of, the'Manawatu Gorge was easily the equal of 7 th»; Tangarakau, but the demands of civi-~ lisation- have brought disaster to rh» beauties of the Manawatu and two ugly scars stretch from end to end of tha gorge, the road on one side andtha l railway on. the other. Devastatingj fires have swept ■ many parts of .tha' gorge and noxious plants such as brdoni have taken possession of the lowe?: reaches of the hillsides.' Higher up,: toward the crown, of,the hills enclos-: ing the river, the native forest can. ba seen in'"all its glory, but the seena along the river banks is one of deso-. lation. Every effort should be mada to ensure that the Tangarakau Gorge is maintained in. its present primaeval condition and not allowed to bo deyaar tated in. the way the Manawatu. Tia* suffered. < -*•

The almost virgin forest of tha Tangarakau Gorge is the home of a large number of native birds and a day or two . spent there is richly rewarded by its insights into the life of its feathered inhabitants. A. typical scene can be given. High overhead the cry of the kaka could be heardana<; two. birds were seen flying together over the forest. . The cause of their excitement was at once apparent. A 1 harrier, the common hawk.of New Zealand, had been foolish enough :to in« vade the exclusive territory of the bolilittle bush hawk, a much smaller yird than the harrier. Accompanied .by sharp, angry calls the bush hawk had put the harrier to flight, and the two birds could b© seen, beneath the kakas, passing across the valley. The incident showed just what a coward tha harrier was, as its persecutor was only; - half its size. Beneath the two' hawks half* a dozen or so native pigeons were indulging in flights of joy, for the sun: had just broken through the heavy, mists which had enshrouded the gorge.'All these more conspicuous birds could" be seen in the air at the one time, while the notes of many smaller, species could be heard. Tho joyous notea 6t the bell-bird, the honk of the tui, the chatter of the parrakeet, the cheerfulness of the grey warbler, the babbl* of the whitehead, the: screech of the long-tailed cuckoo, the sigh of the Bhining cuckoo, the feeble little tick of th» riflemen wren, the squeak of the pied; fantail, the penetraTting "peep^.of the tomtit, the ringing notes of the silvereye, and ra the bushes below the road the ecstatic song of one of the rarestof New Zealand's bird, the robin—th*, notes of all these biTds could be heard in the forests. -.■_ .'.-....

There are few" localities.; in.^ wEicK the .North Island robia is now-to bar found on the mainland. It is not^uncommon, in the Tangarakau GOTge, being distributed-throughout. .Qa ;the occasion of the writer's visit the'bird-waa-met with" five..times, two of which.: it-was seen on.the roadside.. In.-thij other instances its unmistakable notes were heard in the neighbouring trees.:. This was the only locality in which tha robin was encountered during a tour off. several hundred mUes in the Celling-" ton and Taranaki districts. Thef onljr.l other district in which, the writer has found this species in the North. Bland is near Botorua, where it occurs in fair; numbers at Mamaku. In the Wellington district it has been reported in ths last "year or two near Shannon, in tha Tararua Banges, but it does not appear;'. to occur elsewhere in these mountains* Probably the most favoured place for. ithe observation of the robin, is Kapiti; Island Bird Sanctuary, where this- | charming bird is one of the chief delights of this island refuge. It is also' included among the inhabitants -of i Little Barrier Island, which fortunately^ is likewise a sanctuary for natve birds.. | A year or two ago a resident of Day's ißay reported having seen a robin in the bush there, but nothing further has [been heard of the occurrence of this species in. that neighbourhood. Allother observer.asserted -that: one 'tad been seen on the slopes of Mt. Kaukau, near Khandallah. It jvould T>e iater^ esting to know if any other bird-loVerf have;seen the robin in these' localities* as it' would be particularly pleasing if it became a permanent resident of tha bush\ reserves around. Wellington. Assertions to the, contrary notwithstanding, the robin is still the quiet, confid* ing bird of old.

The Tangarakau Gorge is also in* habited by another, interesting bird—the kiwi. During the night its call can be heard in many directions and this bird must be fairly numerous int the locality. The kiwi found" -at Tangarakau is the North - Island species, ' which occurs elsewhere iv Taranaki, notably .along., the ■ Wangan'ui Biver, aid on the.slopes of Mount Egmont.' ' Anyone spending, a night ia the. Tangarakau Gorge can neVer; forget the morning chorus of beE-birds, which starts at- the very first sign of dawn. The notes are an; almost exact imitation of the distant tinking "of bells. It is to the accompaniment of such exquisite, music of'the wilds thati the day starts in this beautiful gorge and the experience is one never to b* forgotten. .■ .- ■ " '■.:-