Regional parks – from zero to heroic 28 in 50 years
But in that time the population tripled, and there’s no budget for future acquisitions
Second concrete step as coastal trail wins Friends
Friends of Regional Parks is strictly a high-level, umbrella group. It was formed to ensure that the Auckland Regional Parks network survived and flourished under the new unified governance arrangements for the region. So for Friends of Regional Parks to make a local…
Next step on coastal trail is trust and working group
Trust is the essential element in any successful collaboration. And it is never more so when that collaboration involves various community groups, elected council representatives, and council staff. Trust was clearly a key factor in Mahurangi Coastal Trail…
Regional parks 50th perspective unapologetically regatta-centric
Submission to Auckland Council Appropriately, Friends of Regional Parks’ submission has a largely regional-parks-centric viewpoint. But when putting its oar in, Mahurangi Action’s view is unabashedly regatta-centric. It is hoped, however, that Auckland Council will...
Auckland’s 175th and regional parks’ 50th as a major event
Decision as to which year to celebrate is slightly easier for the 50th anniversary. Auckland’s 175th anniversary is to be celebrated on Auckland Anniversary weekend 2015, eight months ahead of the day Captain William Hobson planted the Union Jack at…
Coastal path gains first concrete step
No better proof could possibly be had. Sat in the top-floor council chamber in the Auckland Town Hall, nine supporters of a $0.9 million coastal trail could have been excused for feeling unsure as to whether Auckland Council’s busy parks, recreation…
Wrong for Mahurangi but right for Aotea – Great Barrier
Ron was wrong about two important Mahurangi issues. At the time he wrote Jade River : A History of the Mahurangi, Dr Ronald Locker dismissed sedimentation as a serious threat to the health of the harbour, despite Dr Thomas Frank Wyndham Harris having published…
Mahurangi Coastal Trail high-tide Seaweek walk
Last year’s was a low-tide walk, and wade, with the odd wallow. Partly to demonstrate that the Pūhoi River can be readily be crossed at low tide, and partly to avoid the need to arrange for craft to ferry folk across, the Mahurangi Coastal Trail was…
Looking back over 50 years of regional park history
In the early 1960s, Mr F W O Jones, Auckland’s regional planning officer, was concerned at the rapid growth of urban development along Auckland’s coastline, which was preventing all but a favoured few from having access to good beaches. He recommended that large...
Low-tide walk to sample low-hanging fruit
Mahurangi can best ease the region’s growing pains by not housing its share of Aucklanders. According to the introductory video on the new unitary plan website, Aucklanders want a high quality, more compact city, in the face of the expected 30-year growth rate…
First draft of report for coastal trail discussion at club
Te Muri is the centre of four regional park identities: Mahurangi East, Mahurangi West, Te Muri and Wenderholm. Mahurangi Regional Park was extended by a $15 million purchase of 407 hectares of adjacent farmland during the latter part of…
$15 million Te Muri purchase lucky Te Araroa break
An additional argument has surfaced for the coastal trail. Between Pūhoi and Wenderholm, it was planned that Te Araroa should follow the south bank of the Pūhoi River. However, that plan unravelled when a property holder along the route refused to…
Ten minutes and local board agrees to walk
A coastal trail, for the most part, should be built close to the water. But not only is it necessary to skirt the steep and cliff sections of the coast, the elevation gained rewards walkers with views that more than compensate for the slight exertion involved. The…
After a century or more ferrymen to work Sunday
Once, they were an essential part of the roading infrastructure. Ferrymen were paid the princely retainer of £15, or more if they were very lucky, to be on hand to transport travellers across the region’s various rivers. Pūhoi River ferryman George Ryan received £20…
Friends oppose local board bid to control regional parks
Friends of Regional Parks (FORParks) has joined ratepayer and resident associations and others across the region in opposing the move by some local boards to take control of ‘decision-making and oversight’ of regional parks in their wards. Local board control of...
Road would ruin future for Mahurangi coastal trail
The grandest entrance to the harbour is from the sea, under sail. Coming a sublime second is to discover the Mahurangi on foot, from Waiwera. Currently, this requires closely judging the tide and some determined wading, to cross the Pūhoi. Once across the…
A unique role for Mahurangi and public transport
The public transport needs of the Mahurangi, in most ways, are unremarkable. Warkworth and Mahurangi East have long needed both a local bus service as well as better connectivity to Auckland’s bus system. But what is unique about the…
Te Muri acquisition key to coastal trail
It was to have formed part of a scenic coastal road. In 1973, when the regional council secured 63.8 hectares of coastal land at Te Muri for that purpose, such car‑centric thinking went unchallenged. Subsequently, the regional council’s ardour for the coastal road…
Captain Jones’ legacy complete at Te Muri
Captain Jones had first tried to secure Ōrewa Beach. But £10 000 was too rich for the government of the day, and so most of the land between the highway sea was subdivided—with a single beach house now fetching the several million dollars that that figure equates to...
Management plan review time for re-reading wedding bans
Weddings weren’t expected to be the subject of a Mahurangi Action Plan workshop. Nor did the Mahurangi Magazine expect to be posting wedding banns anytime soon. Nevertheless, the prospect of reversing the rule that effectively disallows the likes…
Planting day at Sullivans Bay – Think national, act local
Regional councillor Christine Rose said to the writer on her arrival, “I couldn’t resist your email!” …notifying ‘Mahurangi and friends’ of the planting. Neighbouring Mitapronounced: me-tuh Bay is the councillor’s favourite family holiday campsite. With the recent attacks by the district council…
Planting badly eroded hillside behind Sullivans campground
Come and help us plant trees! We are replanting the badly eroded hillside behind the Sullivans Bay campground. In exchange for your help, we will provide a barbecue lunch and hot drinks, hundreds of grateful trees and our thanks. Get to know what’s happening…
Success after three decades bleatin’ into submission
The locals’ vehicle-free concept blew the regional council’s plans for a road bridge across Te Muri out of the estuary. It was 1986 and test drilling in the bed of the estuary had rudely reminded locals that the splendid isolation Te Muri enjoyed was about to…
Origins of Auckland’s regional parks
I was a member of the Auckland Regional Planning Authority from 1960 until 1962. Each territorial local authority in the region appointed a member of the planning authority and I had been appointed by the Mt Albert Borough Council. The function…