PAEROA VINEYARD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4397, 31 March 1922, Page 3

PAEROA VINEYARD.

JN BUCHANAN’S BUSH. A PICNICKERS’ PARADISE. ADMIRABLE FOR SCENIC RESERVE. (By Literatus.) Nestling snugly on tne slopes of the Coromandel Ranges in the locality known as “Buchanan’s Bush” is a ’ delightful vineyard, the possession nt Mr William Lindsay Buchanan. To this charming spot during the grape season large numbers ofi people betake themselves during the weekends to purchase luscious grapes ' grown on that genial hillside. Baskets go up empty? but Come back dowered with the rich dark-fed berries, which are among Nature’s choicest gifts to human kind. The vineyard is so snugly surrounded by primeval native bush; that it is not observable until one is .almost on top of it, and to .the stranger walking into this Garden of Eden (minus the forbidden fruit) is like finding oneself transposed from a more or loss desolate prpspect into a land of peace and plenty. The place seems to have been intended by Nature for a sweet retreat where mind and body may receive soothing and sustenance, for it is cradled in a natural amphitheatre, the Western side being guarded from tih-o fury of the gales by a main ridge of the Coromandel Ranges, the northern and southern by two parallel spurs or semLencircling arms, and the eastern .aspect watched over by the tall and leafy native trees and

the luxuriant undergrowth, .with a liberal sprinkling of the shady and graceful punga tree ferns. ’’The soil is very evidently highly suitable for the growth of many kinds of fruit, Mr Buchanan seems to have interpreted Nature’s design very handsomely, for seven year,s ago he planted grape vines in that sylvan setting, to the ultimate beneficent joy of hundreds of people who flock thither year after year to buy the fruit of the' fertile vines which grow in great profusion and are laden heavily every season. Peach and other -trees abound, and are certainly far healthierdboking than the-trees one commonly sees in orchards elsewhere. Furthermore, owing tb the perfect shelter, the adaptability of the soil, and’ the happy circumstance that the sup’s rays for the hottest hours of the flay pour in a flood of vitalising light and warmth, the. vines and trees re- ■ quire only a.minimum of attention. Buchanan's Bush’ is certainly a delightful prospect, and one that the community of Paeroa might well strive to secure as an heritage for future generations—leaving Mr Buchanan still in possession of his vineyard find orchard, the fruits of his own,labour of love. Popular as the- locality now is, it is easy .to imagine that a hence, when the population of Paeroa may have trebled, it? value as a public park and picnic resort would be greatly ,en- ( hanced. A thousand pities it would ‘ be if this enchanting ' grove passed into other and ruthless hands, and the bush was destroyed. It would then be realised, when too late, what a grave mistake had been made in not having the place declared a scenic reserve and acquired by the people for the people. Health and happiness and sunshine are there, and for ';he sake of the town and their children the ratepayers would almost certainly favour a reasonable loan for the acquisition 'of' the one and only beauty spot and ideal picnicking ( ground within\walking distance of find to which a motor drive access could.be made at np gtaat expense. From vantage points higher up the range an excellent bird’s-eye view may be obtained of Paeroa and the Hauraki Plains, right across to Pate-tonga. The hills and valleys, the green carpeted fields, the sinuous windings of the Ohinemuri and the ' Waih'ou are fair to gaze upon. All over the Dominion communities • are paying dearly for such resorts, which the city fathers of former days could, in many instances, have ac- , quired for "a mere song.” Granted that actual necessities must ever be the t first considerations, it is nevertheless true that man does not live by bread alone, and after the week’s • work is done in shop, office? industrial building, on the farm or in the factory, there is a longing for the peace and seclusion of some favoured spot like Buchanan’s Bush where: "There is music in the morning When the sun is rising high ; Melody of woods and waters, And the songsters ofi the sky.”