Fletcher. — Recent Changes in Vegetation of Tawpo District. 71 



Dracophyllum has some large areas all to itself, but it is also found in single 

 plants among the other scrub. The tussock is fast disappearing ; it is 

 giving place to Leptospermum scoparium and Leptospermum ericoides. The 

 common fern or bracken (Pteris aquilina) grows on the edge of the patches 

 of forest in a thick rank growth, in gullies, and on the hillsides with 

 Leptospermum. 



The country has changed very much in appearance during the past 

 few years. Thirty years ago the greater part of the land to the north and 

 east of the Taupo Township was covered with tussock. When fires de- 

 stroyed the tussock a growth of Leptospermum sprang up in its place and 

 increased so rapidly that now it is hard to realize that where the Lepto- 

 spermum now blooms the tussock once held undisputed sway. 



This change is one of the cycle of changes now going on. If the Lepto- 

 spermum escapes the ravages of fire for any period above fifteen years, 

 the beginnings of forest growth are seen in the young Coprosma, Pitto- 

 sporum, and Nothopanax taking advantage of the shelter afforded by the 

 Leptospermum to obtain a start in life. These three families of plants 

 are the forerunners of others, and where the scrub escapes the ravages of 

 fire for a lengthy period nature is hastening to reclothe the country with 

 its ancient forest. I use the term " reclothe " because within the memory 

 of men still living the old forests extended over a much greater area than 

 at present. There is an old Maori now living at Oruanui who remembers 

 the time when the Oruanui Forest extended right on to the edge of the Taupo 

 Lake at Kangatira. The proof of this was to be seen all over that portion 

 of the country up to the last few years. The remains of the burnt logs, 

 mostlv Podocarpus totara, were collected by the European residents of 

 Taupo, and used as firewood. The last load, as far as I know, was brought 

 in in 1895 ; but in the more secluded gullies, and where they have escaped 

 the frequent fires, they are still to be seen. Mr. T. McKinley, who has a 

 pastoral lease over a portion of the country mentioned above, has used 

 nothing else for fencing-posts than the old charred Podocarpus totara logs. 



A short time before his death, in 1900, an old Taupo Maori named 

 Tahau told me that in the days of his grandfather the clumps of forest 

 now known as Opepe, Motukino, and Tauhara were all connected, and 

 extended over a very large area. It extended out towards the Eangitaiki, 

 the source of the Pueto, the Waikato River, between the present Township 

 of Taupo and the Aratiatia Rapids, and on to the Taupo Lake at Whare- 

 waka. The evidence of this is to be found in the remains of totara logs 

 over all the country mentioned. The old man was between seventy-five 

 and eighty years of age when he died, and if we reckon the boyhood of his 

 grandfather at fifty years prior to his own birth it gives a period of 125 

 years back from 1900 to the existence of this extensive tract of forest. 

 On the strength of the positive evidence here given we cannot resist the 

 conclusion that in other parts of the Taupo country where the burnt logs 

 are found they must be taken as conclusive evidence of the existence of 

 forest there within very recent times. 



The destruction of the forest came about in a very simple way. The 

 staple food of the Taupo Maoris in pre-pakeha days was fern-root, the 

 rhizome of Pteris aquilina. Great quantities of this starchy root was dug 

 up in its proper season every year and stored for use. The best fern-root 

 grew on freshly burnt bush country, and to provide this they were in the 

 habit of burning fresh patches of bush as required. They were accustomed 

 to break down the light scrub and burn it when sufficiently dry. The 



