ROTORUA PARKS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 125, 19 January 1932, Page 6

ROTORUA PARKS

MR. TSCHOPP'S PLANS ATTRACTIVE SCHEME FOR LAKE FRQNT RESERVE. ALL TASTES CATERED FOR. Great public interest was aroused Jby the exhibition of plans for the development and beautification of the parks and reserves controlled by tbe Rotorua Borough Council prepared by Mr. F. Tschopp, landscape architect, who has just completed a six months' engagement ,with the Council. The plans include a lay.-out for the lake front, an area of approximately 29 acres, including the eleven acres which the council was authorised by legislation last year to reclaim from the waters of Lake Rotorua; the development of the Kuirau Reserve as a recreational and pleasure park; the provision of playfields for both adults and children and of formal gardens in the Town Belt, a lay-out for the beautification of the approaches to the Whakarewarewa Tliermal reserve. a design for the improvement of the surroundings of the historic carved Maori house at Whaka, and a lay-out giving three alternative schemes for the beautification of the streets of the borough, designed with particular reference to Fenton Street, but adaptable to any of the other streets. In opening the exhibition, the Mayor Mr. Thomas Jackson, emphasised that the proposals contained in the plans were only . tentative, the council not being committed necessarily to caiTying them out in their complete form. The work had, therefore, been specially designed to enable the council to carry it out in sections, each section being more or less complete in itself. It was, however, hoped that it would be possible eventually to carry out the whole scheme. Meantime it was proposed to commence such work as was possible by employing labour under the No. 5- scheme. Lake Front Park. The plan for the Lake Front provides for the development of the area including that yet to be reclaimed. between the Government Gardens and the Roman Catholie Church and Ohinemutu Pa, as a public park and pleasure ground. On the axis of Fenton Street there is a formal fiower garden with, as its central feature, an illuminated fountain. Behind this is a boat harbour 360 feet by about 200 feet and with a proposed depth of up to eight feet, on the inner margin of which is a music pavillion of a typc new to New Zealand, designed on the lines of the Hollywood Bowl, though of course, on a much smaller scale Outside the entrance to the boat harbour is a semi-circular breakwater.

which will at aii times assure cairn water within the harbour, which is intended to be used also for aquatic sports. The open space in front of the music pavillion is flanked on one side with an auditorium and on the other with a kiosk. Provision is alsc made for a bath-house and a club hou,se. Diving boards, water-chutes and othe aquatic equipment is alsc provided for. - On the western side of the wharf ai the foot of Tutanekai Street is r children's bathing pool proteeted from the open water of the lake by a breakwater and warmed by the overflov from adjacent hot springs. There ' are also two children's playgrounds adjacent. The main feature of the lay-out of ■ the area is a landscaped motor drivc following more or less the shore linc and connecting on the east with £ proposed lake front drive through the Government Gardens and on the west with the Ohinemutu Maori pa. Treelined walks, ornamental shrubberies and other naturalistic plantations will provide shelter on the open grasseu spaces for picnickers. A lay-out for the area which it has been suggested should be leased as residential sites is also provided ir case the suggestion should be adopted. This provides for eight houses with landscaped gardens designed to harmonise with the general plan for the reserve lands.

> Kuirau Reserve. In" the Kuirau Reserve advantage has been taken of the many hot and cold springs, mud pools and other thermal activities to lay out a park which will be unique in many ways Among the amenities will be an open air warm swimming pool, a band rotunda and an ornamental lake. Ir this park provision has been made for every type of sport, including £ half-mile running and cycling track with grandstand, dressing paviliom and conveniences. The ground not occupied by the playing fields has beer landscaped, with ornamental plantations of native and exotic trees and shrubs and fiower gardens and the whole park is surrounded by a bound ary plantation serving the double pur tpose of providing shelter and back ground for the landscape work The Town Belt has been dealt with on much the same lines, suit'able to the situation and conformation of thc several areas, with the object of creat ing attractive parklands in the resi dential districts. The Whakarewarewa approaches work on which has already reached ar advanced stage, have been designed tc add picturesqueness, at present sadly lacking, to the entrance to the ther mai reserve, and the street, lay-out provides for the creation, where suit able, as in Fenton Street, or orna mental boulevards flanked by park strips planted wtih trees, shrubs anc' fiower gardens, surrounded by grass lawns. Attract and Hold Tourists. This, in brief, is a deseription of the complete scheme. Whether it wik eventually be earried out in its entirety will depend largely upon financial and other circumstances, but a' ' the Mayor has pointed out, it will not , be necessary to eommit the town tc .'the whole scheme before making s start, as each of the various workr can be undertaken in sections, each • section being in itself defi'nitely an - improvement hs regards the utility • and beauty of the area concerned. Particular care has been taken in designjng the various features to cater for

every taste and every need of resi-' lents and visitors, of both sexes and all ages, it being realised that if Rotorua is to gain the world-wide popularity as a tourist and pleasure resort which its natural advantages entitle it to, planr.ed provision must be made to cater more fully than is at present possible to cater for their amusement and recreation. In this way, it is realised tourists and visitors will not only be attraeted to Rotorua in ever increasing numbers, but they will also be induced to prolong their stay.