C.—6.

scenic reserve. An adjustment of boundaries was also carried out between the State forest reserve and the scenic reserve. A small portion of the scenic reserve adjoining the Blue Lake had been included within a fire-break maintained by the State Forest Service, while an implanted portion of the forest reserve adjoining the scenic reserve was outside the fire-break. It was decided to adopt the existing fire-break as the boundary between the scenic reserve and the plantation, and the matter was adjusted by making an area of 7 acres 2 roods 30 perches of the scenic reserve a reserve for State forest purposes and by setting apart for scenic purposes an area of 9 acres 1 rood 20 perches of the Waiotapu Plantation Reserve. Special legislation (section 15 of the Reserves and other Lands Disposal Act, 1934) was provided in this case. The new scenic reserves were then brought under the operation of the Tourist and Health Resorts Control Act, 1908, and the control vested by Order in Council in the Minister in Charge of Tourist and Health Resorts. The reserves will be developed for sightseeing by the Tourist Department, and it is considered that Waiotapu has a very promising future as a tourist resort. In the Wellington Land District an exchange was carried out for the purpose of straightening the boundaries of the Silverhope Scenic Reserve, and to enable a fence to be maintained on the boundaryline. Some small portions of the scenic reserve devoid of bush and totalling 8 acres 3 roods 7-8 perches were granted to the adjoining owner in exchange for portions of his property totalling 9 acres 0 roods 4-1 perches. The old boundary of the reserve crossed the Porewa Stream no less than twelve times, making the maintenance of a fence almost impossible ; but by means of the exchange a satisfactory boundary has been secured. The Silverhope Reserve, which is situated near Hunterville, is controlled by the Rangitikei County Council, and is a typical piece of the original Native forest that existed in that locality. Near Lake Rotoiti, in the Nelson Land District, an area of 1,250 acres of provisional State forest was set apart as a scenic reserve by section 12 of the Reserves and other Lands Disposal Act, 1934. Extensive scenic reservations exist around the shores "and in the vicinity of the lake, and arrangements are also in hand to reserve a further large area of Crown land in that locality. On the completion of these arrangements the provisional State forest area would have been the only considerable piece of bush about the lake not under scenic reservation, and under the circumstances the State Forest Service readily agreed to the proposal so as to complete the chain of scenic reservations in that locality. In the Marlborough Land District the Outer Chetwode, or Te Kakaho, Island, of 200 acres, was made a scenic reserve during the year. The island has distinct scenic possibilities, there being some good patches of bush, and the presence of fern and light second growth indicates that the area will quickly revert to its original state if left undisturbed. Together with the Inner Chetwode, which was reserved in 1904, the island will make an ideal sanctuary for the bird life of the Sounds. A further reservation in this district was that of an area of 4 acres 3 roods 20 perches of standing forest on a peninsula in the Mahakipawa Arm. This area is a well-known landmark in the district, and possesses evidence of ancient Maori occupation in the form of extensive terraces. At the close of the year the Department had in hand various important proposals which could not for various reasons be completed during the period under review. These included the acquisition of an area of 100 acres of bush on Ngongotaha Mountain, the funds for the purchase of which were generously provided by the Bruce Trustees ; the purchase of an area of kauri and mixed bush of great scenic value on the Waiare-Okaihau Road ; and the acquisition of some beautiful kauri and totara forest on the Russell-Whangaruru Road. In other cases negotiations are under way for the acquisition of desirable bush areas situated on main roads by means of exchanges based on timber-value, the State Forest Service providing the necessary timber for exchange purposes out of State forests. The Lands Department gratefully acknowledges the valuable advice and practical assistance given, by the Director of Forestry and his officers in this connection. The number of scenic reservations in the Dominion is now 965, covering a total area of approximately 671,000 acres. Scenery Preservation Board. A meeting of the Scenery Preservation Board was held in the office of the Surveyor-General, Wellington, on the 30th November, 1934, when scenic proposals in the North Auckland, Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, Nelson, Marlborough, Westland, and Otago Districts were discussed. Twenty-four recommendations were submitted by the Board to His Excellency the GovernorGeneral for the acquisition and reservation of areas of scenic and historic interest throughout the Dominion under the provisions of the Scenery Preservation Act. Supervision op Reserves. During the year special scenic Boards were appointed or reappointed as follows : The Papatowai, Kirk's Bush, Ohakune Lakes, Lake Kaniere, Riwaka, and Wairarapa Lake-shore Scenic Reserves Boards. Additional members were appointed to the New Plymouth Scenic Reserves Board and to the Hundalee Scenic Reserves Board, and additional reserves were entrusted to the care of the latter Board and of the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserves Board. During the year twenty-two ladies and gentlemen were appointed honorary inspectors for scenic reserves throughout the Dominion, and a certificate of appointment was issued in each case. The Department is grateful for the continued assistance of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture in the matter of the nomination of suitable persons for appointment as honorary inspectors.

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