Coromandel Forest Park

Last updated
Coromandel Forest Park
Coromandel Forest Park (Coroglen to Tapu).jpg
Coromandel Forest Park, west towards Firth of Thames
New Zealand relief map.jpg
Disc Plain red.svg
Coromandel Forest Park
Location Waikato Region, New Zealand
Nearest city Tauranga
Coordinates 37°01′32″S175°39′51″E / 37.0254308°S 175.6640365°E / -37.0254308; 175.6640365 Coordinates: 37°01′32″S175°39′51″E / 37.0254308°S 175.6640365°E / -37.0254308; 175.6640365
Area71,899 hectares (177,670 acres)
Established1971
Governing body Department of Conservation

Coromandel Forest Park is a protected area and conservation park administered by the Department of Conservation, covering 71,899 hectares of the Coromandel Peninsula, in the Thames Coromandel District of the Waikato Region. [1]

Contents

It consists of hills and valleys covered in dense native bush. [2] One of the valleys, Kauaeranga Valley, also includes several swimming holes. [3]

The park borders the holiday resort town of Whangamatā. [4]

History

Early history

The forest park began as the Crosbies Settlement, an isolated group of five lots farmed by European settlers Thomas and Agnes Crosbie. The lots were only accessible by foot, horseback or horse-drawn sledge. The lots were sold to another family in 1917, who had abandoned by the land by 1926. Other attempts to farm the land were unsuccessful, and bush had reclaimed the cleared land by the 1960s. [5]

In 1970 and 1971, the lots were incorporated into the newly established Coromandel Forest Park. [1] A remaining woolshed was used as a trampers' hut until it blew down in the late 1980s. [5]

Modern history

The Department of Conservation built new huts in the park in 2010. [5]

A canyoner was airlifted out of the park in October 2019 following a fall. [6]

In January 2021, the Department of Conservation expressed concerns about the scale of illegal dumping of rubbish in the Coromandel Forest Park, including in waterways. [7]

Drone photography taken in June 2021 indicated possums were causing "top down" collapse in the Papakai block of the forest, while pest control was protecting native rātā trees in other parts of the park. [8] [9]

Mining

Wharekirauponga Forest, in the southern part of the park, was initially rejected as a gold-mining site in the 1980s, but further exploration drilling from 2005 onwards suggested it could be viable as a gold-mining site. [10]

OceanaGold purchased mining interest in 2016. [10] It found gold and silver in the area in February 2019, [11] and formally applied for a mining permit in May 2019. [12]

An anti-mining group, Coromandel Watchdog, claims the area should be protected from gold mining because the bush has high ecological value, priority ecosystems, threatened species and the headwater of a major catchment. [10] It claims mining would also destroy an important habitat of the endangered Archey's Frog. [13] Former MP Catherine Delahunty has been involved in protests against mining Coromandel Forest Park. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

Great Barrier Island

Great Barrier Island lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, 100 kilometres (62 mi) north-east of central Auckland. With an area of 285 square kilometres (110 sq mi) it is the sixth-largest island of New Zealand and fourth-largest in the main chain. Its highest point, Mount Hobson, is 627 metres (2,057 ft) above sea level. The local authority is the Auckland Council.

Waikato Region of New Zealand

Waikato is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupō District, and parts of Rotorua District. It is governed by the Waikato Regional Council.

Hakarimata Range

Hakarimata Range is a range of hills on the western edge of Ngāruawāhia township, in the Waikato region of New Zealand, overlooking the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers. The Hakarimata Range is separated from the Taupiri Range by the Taupiri Gorge, through which the Waikato River flows.

Coromandel Peninsula Peninsula in New Zealand

The Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island of New Zealand extends 85 kilometres (53 mi) north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west from the Pacific Ocean to the east. It is 40 kilometres (25 mi) wide at its broadest point. Almost its entire population lives on the narrow coastal strips fronting the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Plenty. In clear weather the peninsula is clearly visible from Auckland, the country's biggest city, which lies on the far shore of the Hauraki Gulf, 55 kilometres (34 mi) to the west. The peninsula is part of the Thames-Coromandel District of the Waikato region.

Thames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel District Council. The Māori iwi are Ngāti Maru, who are descendants of Marutuahu's son Te Ngako. Ngāti Maru is part of the Ngati Marutuahu confederation of tribes or better known as Hauraki Iwi.

Karangahake Gorge

The Karangahake Gorge lies between the Coromandel and Kaimai ranges, at the southern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. A sharply winding canyon, it was formed by the Ohinemuri River. State Highway 2 passes through this gorge between the towns of Paeroa, Waikino and Waihi. This road is the main link between the Waikato region and the Bay of Plenty.

Te Kauwhata is a small town in the north of the Waikato region of New Zealand, situated close to the western shore of Lake Waikare, some 40 km north of Hamilton and approximately 58 km south of Manukau City.

The Moehau Range is the northernmost range on the Coromandel Peninsula, extending from the settlement of Colville northwards to the tip of the peninsula. Mount Moehau is the highest point of the range, at 892m above sea level.

1080 usage in New Zealand

1080, the brand name given to the synthetic form of sodium fluoroacetate, is used in New Zealand in efforts to control populations of possums, rats, stoat and rabbits, which are invasive species in the New Zealand environment. Although the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment deemed the use of 1080 in New Zealand "effective and safe" in a 2011 re-evaluation and the substance is widely considered to be the most effective tool currently available for controlling possums over large areas, it remains a contentious issue, with the majority of the debate occurring between conservationists and livestock farmers on one side and hunters and animal-rights activists on the other.

Mining in New Zealand

Mining in New Zealand began when the Māori quarried rock such as argillite in times prior to European colonisation. Mining by Europeans began in the latter half of the 19th century.

Waitawheta River

The Waitawheta River is a river of the Waikato Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows from a point south-east of Mount Te Aroha in the Kaimai Range to the Karangahake Gorge at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula to reach the Ohinemuri River at Karangahake, five kilometres east of Paeroa.

Aorangi Forest Park

Aorangi Forest Park is a 194-square-kilometre (75 sq mi) protected area in the Wellington Region of New Zealand administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC). It had been called the Haurangi Forest Park but DOC changed to reflect the Māori name of the range protected by the park.

Waikawau is a rural community in the Waitomo District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, beside Waikawau River.

Waotu or Te Waotu is a rural community in the South Waikato District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.

Ahuriri Conservation Park

Ahuriri Conservation Park is a protected area of 49,000 hectares including tussock grasslands, forest, and river habitat, located in Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand, and centred around the headwaters of the Ahuriri River.

Aotea Conservation Park

Aotea Conservation Park is a 12,300 hectare protected area on Great Barrier Island in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf. It was established in 2015, and comprises 43 percent of the island.

Akatarawa Forest Regional park in New Zealand

Akatarawa Forest is a regional park in the Upper Hutt within the Wellington Region at the southern tip of the North Island of New Zealand. It encompasses 15,000 hectares of native and plantation forest. It includes the headwaters of the Maungakotukutuku Steam, Akatarawa River West and the Whakatikei River.

Aongatete is a settlement and rural community in the Western Bay of Plenty District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on State Highway 2, south of Katikati and north-west of Omokoroa. The landscape consists of a long valley descending into the Tauranga Harbour.

Maratoto is a valley and rural community in the Hauraki District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, north of Paeroa.

Awaroa River (Kawhia Harbour tributary)

The Awaroa River is a river in the Ōtorohanga District, on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north from its source near Te Koraha, through Hauturu to Kawhia Harbour. The river passes through both pasture and indigenous forest. Over half of the river is in forest.

References

  1. 1 2 Nathan, Simon. "Conservation – a history - A background issue, 1908–1965". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
  2. Hughes, Eleanor (19 July 2021). "Exploring Coromandel Peninsula's remote coastal walkway". stuff.co.nz. Stuff Travel.
  3. Thornber, Lorna (15 December 2020). "Six of New Zealand's best hidden swimming holes". stuff.co.nz. Stuff Travel.
  4. "New Zealand's Best Beach: The finalists revealed in our quest for the perfect beach". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Herald on Sunday. 17 January 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Hughes, Eleanor (3 November 2020). "Finding serenity in the Coromandel Range". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. New Zealand Herald.
  6. Molyneux, Vita (27 October 2019). "Canonyer airlifted out of Coromandel Forest Park after falling 10 metres". MediaWorks New Zealand. Newshub.
  7. Preston, Nikki (30 January 2021). "Dumping in paradise: The efforts people go to avoid tip fees". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. New Zealand Herald.
  8. "Spot the difference - photos of Coromandel forest reveal impact of possums and pest control". stuff.co.nz. Waikato Times. 9 June 2021.
  9. "Possums in Coromandel Forest destroy native trees and wildlife". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Waikato News. 15 June 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 Hope, Sharnae (9 December 2020). "Tunnel plan under conservation land raises ire of anti-mining group". stuff.co.nz. Waikato Times.
  11. Piddock, Gerald (27 February 2019). "Gold and silver found on conservation land in Coromandel". stuff.co.nz. Waikato Times.
  12. Piddock, Gerald (13 May 2019). "OceanaGold applies for mining permit in the Coromandel Forest Park". stuff.co.nz. Waikato Times.
  13. Smith, Allison (11 May 2019). "OceanaGold applies to mine under conservation land on Coromandel Peninsula". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Bay of Plenty Times.
  14. Smith, Allison (14 September 2018). "Coromandel group protest against mining on DoC land block road". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Bay of Plenty Times.