Waimairi’s recreational foreshore

Press, 27 February 1980, Page 25

Waimairi’s recreational foreshore

By

SUE SHEPHERD

Walkways linking picnic areas along the Waimakariri and Styx Rivers, a wildlife reserve at Brooklands Lagoon, and preservation of the Waimairi foreshore in i-ts natural state, are top priorities in the newly released Waimairi County Council reserves investigation. The investigation, conducted and presented by the Christchurch Lands and Survey department, is part of a total coastal inventory and evaluation being conducted by the department on a national scale. The Christchurch office has completed sutides of the Cheviot and Ashley/Waipara County coastal areas and hopes to release studies on the Christchurch and Mount Herbert coastlines by June.

The Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands

(Mr B. K. Sly) said that in the mid-1960s the department was worried at the speed with which beaches were being consumed by holiday developments. The department wanted to plan ahead of these demands and allow for expenditure to buy up recreational reserves at rural values — before zoning changed the value of the land.

The investigation embodied the department's philosophy on the management of these coastal areas for the next five to ten decades, he said.

The report also provided a public service by highlighting areas so that groups and local authorities could focus their attention on a common area for improvement, conservation and preservation.

Subjects included in

the study were public access to and along the coast and riverbanks, preservation of wildlife habitats and other scenic or scientific features.

The report, approved by the Minister of Lands (Mr V. Young) .should generate discussion in the Christchurch area, as it could influence recreational, social and economic development in the region, said Mr Sly. Public submissions and comments on the report are open until May 30, 1980.

Mr D. B. Rich, chairman of the Waimairi County Council, said the report reinforced much of the work ‘lie council had been doing and confirmed areas of reserve to which the council was giving some priority. Councillors had always paid a lot of attention to the protection

and development of reserves and recreational areas, he said.

“Over 10 years ago, the. council took steps to protect coastal areas from development by progressively' buying up land in the coastal strip,” said Mr Rich. The council had always been interested in the con-

cept of developing a recreational area down the W’aimakariri River to Brooklands Lagoon and along the coast and rivermouth.

The council welcomed the report and the possibility of further support and more rapid progress on its aims. As a result of tire report, the council could look to more assist-

ance from the Government in the purchase and development of reserves.

"These areas on tin fringe of a metropolitan area have tremendous recreation potential,” said Mr Rich.

Developments were expected to be completed in the next 20 to 40 years depending on resources

available and support from the Lands and Survey department.

Waimairi has started work on extensions to the Groynes, a sha picnic and recreation area on the South Branch of the Waimakariri River, off Johns Road. The first stage is nearing completion. It includes a lake for model yacht racing, fishing and other uses. Work has reached the stage of providing access, soiling, sowing and major tree planting. When completed, an area of more than 85 hectares will be developed.

The Reserves Investigation classifies the Groynes as being of high priority' regional significance and recommends that it should be developed as proposed by the council. A walkway should also traverse the length of the recreation area.

A walkway along the Styx River, from the Main North Road to Marshland Road, is also given high priority by the reserves investigation. The walkway will link-up with the Groynes, and continue downstream to the Bottle Lake planatations, Spencer Park, Brooklands Lagoon and the coast.

A walkway along this part of the Styx River would link recreational settings near the coast, with those along the upper reaches of the Styx River, the South Branch and the Waimakariri River.

The value of any walk-

way is enhanced if it follows a natural feature such as a river and is useful in providing access for .ishermen, said the report. The recreational potential of the walkway areas was high and had been recognised by the county as an opportunity for recreation in a rural scene, said Mr J. Edmonds, planning officer for the Lands Survey Department. Brooklands Lagoon is part of the estuary of the Waimakariri River where the outlet of the river has moved over the last 100 years before reaching its present position. The water of the lagoon is as polluted as that of the river and it is believed tha water from the river is forced back into the lagoon by the changing tides.

Land at the southern end of the lagoon is used for recreation and includes Spencer Park. The report describes the lagoon as one of a series of coastal lagoons' which are important feeding grounds for wildfowl. To accommodate the two predominant uses — wildlife habitat and recreation area —t he report recommended that the southern half of the lagoon be declared a wildlife management reserve.

Public access should be made possible to the eastern and western banks of the lagoon with walking tracks and picnic areas provided. The northern half of the lagoon should be managed primarily for water-based recreation.

Brooklands Lagoon and the establishment of a wildlife reserve were given medium priority and national significance in the report. The upgrading of the water classification in the lagoon was also necessary because of the importance of wildlife and recreation. The implementation of any recommendation, rated as of national significance.

would be the sole responsibility of the Crown, sr\ Mr Edmonds.

The lagoon is seen as an important winter feeding ground and a breedirs. ground for many speci.-. of wading birds, includhg pukeko, banded dotterels, oystercatchers, godwit, ducks, swans, geese am. gulls.

The Waimairi foreshore should be made a recreation reserve and preserved as an area for people seeking solitude, an absence of facilities and extensive open spaces, said the report. The reserves investigation gave the foreshore area, from the Waimakariri River to Waimairi beach, a high regional priority for preservation as a recreation area with an undeveloped appearance determined by natural processes rather than by man.

It was considered a rare opportunity for a city to have such a large undeveloped area in public ownership immediately adjacent to it which offered a setting suited to passive and unorganised recreation, said the report.

The demand for developed recreation facilities at the coast should be met by expansion of facilities at Spencer Park and Broad Park. rather than by developing any new area between these parks, it said.

The coastal area between Spencer Park and Broad Park was completely undeveloped and recreational use was light. It included activities such as walking, running, hors e-riding, dog-ex-ercising and fishing. Other proposals in the reserves investigation are parking and picnicking facilities at Stewarts Gully, management of whitebait and other fish spawning areas on the Waimakariri River and a regional walkway network. Mr Edmonds said Waimairi County Council had

no statutory obligation to comply with proposals in the report, and the department relied to a large degree on the co-operation Of local bodies.

Not many metropolitan centres in New Zealand had large open areas like the Waimairi foreshore, where an urban dweller could use an undeveloped foreshore, with no danger

of it being taken for commercial development. There was a tendency in the past to develop these low-use areas, but it was important to avoid development in the future, as they were of great value to urban dwellers, Mr Edmonds said. Mr Edmonds. said the report might help Waimairi to come up with

more detailed policy on the development of recreational areas for its review of the district scheme. Conflicting opinions would be taken into account in the scheme review and weight given to the opinion of those who lived in the locality and made use of the recreational opportunities, said Mr Edmonds.