15

a—l3b

Additional Reserves Proposed to be made for Climatic Pukposes, Marked " A." Western Division. A. R. P. Pare of Tamaki Subdivision No. 2 ... . ... ... 2,637 3 0 Native. No. 3 ... ... ... ... 1,925 0 0 No. 4 ... ... ... ... 2,724 2 0 No. 5 ... ... ... ... 1,568 010 Piripin ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5,899 324 Crown. PartofTeOhu ... ... ... ... ..,. 6,767 0 0 Freehold. 111., VI., VIII., IX., Umuioi Survey Distr.ei, ... 7,000 0 0 Native. Awarua lα, No. 3 South ... ... ... ... ... 3,420 0 0 Awarua lα, No. 3 North ... ... ... ... ... 6,230 0 0 Part of Awarua No. Iβ. ... ... ... ... ... 50,800 0 0 Crown. No. lc. ... ... ... ... ... 240 0 0 No. Ida. ... ... ... ... ... 18,500 0 0 No. Idb. ... ... ... ... 6,000 0 0 Native. Kaimauawa No. 2b. ... ... ... ... ... 27,000 0 0 No. If. ... ... ... ... ... 13,000 0 0 Part of TeHautu ... ... ... ... ... ... 89,300 0 0 Pihanga and Kakaramea ... ... ... ... • ■■ 15,000 0 0 „ Mount Maungaku and Part of Taurewa, 2so. 4 ... ... ... 3,000 0 0 „ Between Mount Hauhangatahi Reserve and watershed north oil 3,930 0 0 „ Native Reserve E. 1 15,700 0 0 Crown. South-west of Orupe Stream ... ... ... ... 2,000 0 0 South of Retaruke River .. ... ... ... 10,000 0 0 Mount Tauakira ... ... ... ... ... ... 2,000 0 0 Takihi Hill ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,000 0 0 Kawai-o-tawaki Hill ... ... ... ... ... 2,000 0 0 Native. Raetihi No. sb. ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,174 0 0 Part of Motukawa Block ... ... ... ... ... 3,000 0 0 Part of Rangipo-Waiau Block ... ... ... ... 4,000 0 0 Part of Raketapauma Block ... ... ... ... 1,200 0 0 Crown. „ ... ... ... ... ... 1,400 0 0 Native. Tuhirangi Hiil ... ... ... ... ... ... 2,000 0 0 Pukeokahu Hill ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,500 0 0 Crown. PukerikiHill ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,500 0 0 Kapiti Island at north end ... ... ... ... ... 1,000 00 „ Total ... ... ... ... ... 314,416 0 34 Eastern Division. Haurangi Mountains to Mount Barton .. ... 30,000 0 0 Crown and Native. Puketoi Range from Mount Butters to Mount Wahatuara ... ... ... ... ... 3,000 0 0 Crown and Leasehold. Total 33,000 0 0 Western ... ... ... ... ... ... 314,416 0 34 Eastern ... ... ... ... ... ... 33,000 0 0 347,416 0 34

MARLBOROUGH. Department of Lands and Survey, District Office, Blenheim, 23rd July, 1902. Re Circular 507, Preservation of Native Forest. In reply to your circular as above, I have to say that the forest land in the Land District of Marlborough lies chiefly in the Sounds County and the northern part of Marlborough County. The most valuable forest we have in Marlborough for timber purposes is situated on the Rai Valley, including its branches, the Valleys of the Ronga and Opoura Rivers. (For further information about the various timbers in the Rai Valley, extent and quality, &c, see Memorandum 195/72, of the 25th June, 1897, being a report from the Marlborough Land Board ; see, also, Parliamentary Paper 1-sb, presented to the House on the 17th October, 1894.) A few years ago a very active agitation was got up in Nelson for the reservation of the Rai River watershed as a national park. It is admirably adapted for this purpose, and the scenery is very picturesque, but I fear that the commercial value of the timber is too great to allow of it being set aside as a scenic reserve. Fortunately, however, there is another large area of forest land, which, from a scenic point of view, is perhaps superior to the Rai Valley, although the timber is not nearly so valuable It would make a very fine national park, and it comprises nearly the whole of the Pelorus watershed above its junction with the Rai River, and is easily accessible from the main coach-road between here and Nelson. This national park, as I may call it. abuts on a large climatic reserve, and if we add to this the proposed scenic reserve at the head of the Wakamarina