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OUTDOOR RECREATION RESOURCES IN THE MANAWATU
With
A PRELIMINARY CASE STUDY OF FOXTON BEACH AS A
WATER-BASED RECREATION RESOURCE
A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfilment 0£ the Requirements £or the Degree of
Master 0£ Arts in Geography at Massey University
By NG CHIN YONG
1974
ABSTRACT
The subject of supply of outdoor recreation resources is discussed in this thesis. The nature of the resources
suitable for outdoor recreation and the present use made of them are deteI'mined. The extent and use of one type of
recreation resource in the hlanawatu - the Water-based recreation resource - i s extensively reviewed. A preliminary case
study i s made of Foxton Beach as a water - based recreation environment. The results of the study of the ecological
implications of' recreation on the beach and the visitor surveys conducted there are presented. Major areas of 'ecological
intolerance' are described and the recreatlon behaviours exhibited by the visitors at the beach are reported. Foxton Beach is reported to be able to attract visitors from within and outside the ~anawatu region.
III.
PREFACE
"Leisure of course will be greatly extended. A much shorter work-week will no doubt prevail in 1980, and another ten or fifteen years will have been added to the average life- span ••••• Not labour but leisure will be the great problem in the decade ahead. That prospect should be accepted as a God-given opportunity to add dimensions of enjoyment and grace
to life."
David Sarnoff, FORTUNE
Janua1,y 1955.
In this age of the population and l eisure explosions New Zealand's landscape has become one of her most valuable - and most vunerable - assets. Yet there exists no recognised need to evaluate this asset for outdoor recreations There is, moreover, surprisingly little concern about the implications
that growing outdoor recreation has on thi s a:.=;set. One rnigh t offer, thereforei an evaluation. of the iV:anc1watu landscape for outdoor· recreation resources, an account of its pr·esent supply and the ecologicaJ. implications that outdoor recreation has for some of these resources.
This thesis iE, an exercise in Recreation Resource Planning and does not asp:ir-e to be anything rno:ee. The studJ is aimed mainly at r):.Hking an inventory of recreation resources, with a case study on u water - based recreation resource. It is
hoped that part of' the results rna,y be valuable in the f'icld of Planning, and al Go sti rnulu tc further ref;earch in thj_s much negl ected relationship between leisure and natural resources.
IV.
ACKNO\'lLEDG E;;I.ENTS
In preparing this thesis I was fortunate to receive assistance from many people. In particular I wish to express my thanks and appreciation to the followin~:
Mr B.G.R. Saunders, Reader in Geography, Massey University, who aroused my interest in Recreation Planning and supervised my thesis work.
Manawatu, Pohangina, Kiwi tea, Oroua and Kairanga
County Councils; Palmerston North City Corporation; Foxton Borough Council; New Zealand Forestry Department, Palmerston North; and the .. Man'awa tu Branch of the Acclima ti sa tion Society for access to their literature and helpful comments.
Ministry of 1?orks Water Testing Branch, Bulls; and the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, Palmerston North, for
assisting in the Water Quality Tests.
Miss H. Larsen who provided assistance in organising the survey team and whose companionship and encouragement were deeply appreciated.
Mr s Robyn Russell who typed the thesis.
Abstract Preface
Aclmowledgements Table of Contents List of Tables List of Pigures List of Plates Glossary
Introduction Chapter One Chapter Two
Chapter Three Chapter Four
Chapter Five Photo Coverage Appendices Bibliography
· TABLE OF CONTENTS
Resource Survey
Available Population and Resources
Inventory and Management Part One: The Manawat~
v.
PAGE I I
III IV
V
VI VIII
X XII 1 5
27
39
~ater Recreation Environments. 64 Part Two: Foxton Beach - A
Preliminary Case Study of A
V·/a ter-Based Recreation
Environrnen t.
Summary and Conclusions
99
lL~2
li+9 170
TABLE I I I
III IV
V
VI
VI.
LIST OF TABLES
Assessment of Land-based recreation resources Assessment of Water-based recreation resources Assessment of conservation interest
Assessment of landform landscapes Assessment of landuse landscapes
Relationships of landform and landuse landscapes
VII Composite scores of landuse and landform
PAGE 10
15
1721 22
23
landscapes, and assessment of scenic resource 24 VIII
IX
X
XI
Theorectical and practical grade score system Relative quality of recreation environments of
the Manawatu
The supply of scenic reserves
An Inventory of recreation opportunity on publicly designated recreation areas
XII Recreation acreage as percentage of total county land area
XIII Comparison of r ecreation densities
XIV Availabi l i t~.,,- of Crown and ;:aori lands in the Hanawatu
xv
XVl XVII XVIII
Habits of outdoor recreationalists in Britian Average Accessibility Index
. .
Accessibility Index
Chemical Test to Show ~ater Quality
XIX v;ean daily maximum and rninimmn temperature for Ohakea (1940 - 1970 °)
xx
Kethod of Travel25
25
41
L~S
48 4-9
52
72 77 78 84
104 120
TABLE
XXI
XXII XXIII
XXIV XXV XXVI XXVII XXVIII XXIX
"How far have you travelled to get here today?"
Origins of Visitors
"Is your visit a trip out from home or part of a holiday stay here?"
Patterns of visiting Foxton Beach
"When was your last visit?"
"What were your reasons for coming here?"
Satisfaction with Beach
Changes desired at Foxton Beach
"Which of the following facilities would you like t o see developed?"
XXX "Ylould you visit Foxton Seach again in the
XXXI
XXXII Y.XXIII XXXIV
near future?"
"When do you think you will visit this place again?"
Size of' Groups
Composition of' Group
Personal data of visitors
. ..
VII. PAGE
121 122
123 124 125 126 127 128
130
131
131 132 133 133
FIGURE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
LIST OF FIGURES
Location
Physical Characteristics
Systems Approach to Recreation Resourch Evaluation
Suitability for Land-Based Recreation Suitabiltiy for ~ater-Based Recreati on Relative Ecological Evaluation
Land-form Landscapes Land-use landscapes Scenery
Recreation Environments
Available Population within 10 miles Available Population within 30 miles Availaole Population within 50 miles
VIII.
BETV,EEN PAGES
3 & 4
4 & 5
p
& 78 & 9
11 & 12
14 & 15
20 & 21
22 & 23
23 & 24
24 & 25
29 & 30
31 & 32
34 & 35
14. Outdoor Recr~ation Resources - Scenic
Reserves and Public Recreation Areas 40 & l.jl 15.
16.
17.
18. 19.
20.
21.
22. 23.
Available Supply - Crown and r::aori Lands 52 & 53 Organisation of a Reeional Agency 56 & 57 Regional Agency - Relationship to other 58 & 59 Or0s.nis2.tions
Comparative Physical Accessibility 78 & 79 River Pollution - :.:ans.watu and Oroua Rivers 80 & 81 Site of Proposed Weir 87 & 88 Proposed ·,,ei:r> - Artist Impression 88 &: 89 Proposed Plan for Raumni Recreati on 1\rea 89 & 90 Riverbank at Esplan2de 91 & 92
FIGURE
24. · A Proposed Plan for Coastal Recreation
25. Foxton Beach: Relative location, Population Structure and Wind Patterns
26. Foxton Beach: Two Profiles
27. Application of l'llcHarg Is Analysis of Ecological Tolerance
28. Recreation Activities
29. Relative Ecological Sensitivity 30. zoning fo~ Recreation
31. Origtns of Journeys 22 October 1972 32. 0Pigins of Journeys 12 November 1972
33.
34.
Origins of Journeys lLf January 1973 Origins of Journeys
-
Percentage Combined total of the _, ~ surveys35. A Conceptual Plan for Recreation Development
.. , -·
of
lX
BETWEEN PAGES
97 & 98
102 & 103
105 & 106
107 & 108
112 & 113
113 & 114
115 & 116
123 & 124
123 & 124
123 & 124
123 & 124
135 & 136
Plate 1 Plate 2 Plate 3
Plate
4
Plate 5 Plate 6 Plate 7 Plate 8 Plate 9 Plate 10 Plate 11 Plate 12 Plate
13
Plate
14
Plate 15 Plate 16 Plate 17
Plate 18 Plate 19 Plate 20
Plate 21
Plate 22 Plate 23 Plate 24 Plo.tc 25
LIST OF PLAT~S
x.
Relief Typical of 'Lower Range' Landform Relief Typical of '_Rolling Hill' Landform Power- Boa ting Environment of \','hirokino Bridge, Manawatu River
Totara Reserve
Existing Raumai Picnic Area
The Proposed 'Ra~mai Recreation Area. ' Vinegar Hill Picnic Area
Scenic View of Oroua River
Ae1•ial View of Himat~ngi Township View of Tangimoana Beach Pront View of Lake Xaikokopu
View of Lake Kopatara
Aerial View of Foxton Beach
Aerial View of Foxton Beach l ooking Northwards F'orcdune Environment of' Poxton Beach
TJmv-Tide at the r::anawa tu River :.:ou th Beach Aerial View of Public rtecreation Facilities at Foxton Beach Township
Public Picnic Area at Foxton "leach View of Car Park, Paxton I3e&ch
Low-Tide at i,'.anawa tu River r,1outh Beach Boat Ramp Beach- Buggying inside Ecologically 'Intolerant Zoneti '
View of Ocean 3each Looking Northwards View of Ocean Beach Looking Southwards
Vj_ew of Rubbish T.ip, l<'oxton f3each
A Legacy ot.' Bnd Citing of R'.11Jbi sh 1'i p
Plate 26 Plate 27 Plate 28
XI.
Aerial View of Ocean Beach
View of Public Car Park from the Beach
Housing Encroachment on Beach Front, Foxton Beach.
Fabridam:
M.R.D.C.:
XII.
GLOSSARY
An inf la table and def la table rubber•ized fabric table which can be pressurized by either air or water. When ~~lly inflated i t acts as a fixed dam
comparable to a rigid structure; when completely deflated i t offers a minimum flow resistance and permits the passage of flood f'lows •.
Manawatu Regional Development Council.
Outdoor Recreation: "Lei sure time activity undertaken in a relatively non-urban environment
characterized by a natural setting for the primary purpose of enjoyment and physic2.l or mental 1uell-being."
O.R.R.2.C.:
P.N.c.c.:
P.N.C.D.A.:
Outdoor Recreation Resource Review Commission.
Palmerston Nor·th City Corpor8.tion.
Palmerston North Civic Design Association.
1.
INTRODUCTION
The recreational use of leisure is as old as the hills and the history of outdoor recreation is as long as that of
trade. It was not, however, until after the Industrial
Revolution that together with a transformation in systems of transport and communications, and, the growth in affluence and leisure, did outdoor recreation in the developed countries make a significant impact on the national natural resources.
Within the last twenty-five years or so its growth has been so significant and demanding that it has been now eA-ploded with a new industry - the recreation industry. Internally in New
Zealand, the index for the propensity to participate in outdoor recreation has also increased significantly.
Recreation is an accepted and important part of life and the inclusion of recreation planning within the planning world is now a vital and inevitable one. Fairly rapid changes in recreational requiresents are expected to result from
population growth, technol ogical changes and economic factors in New Zealand. The increase in mobility over the last few years through the access to a motor car has provided an easy means of escape from the humdrum life of an urban environment:
everyone wants to be a gypsy, keen to tow the caravan to get away from it all. This factor of mobility has tr•iggered off an outdoor recreation movement that is often orientated towards countryside resources. Consequentl;-y-, the growth and demand for outdoo::.~ recreation will br•inE major pressure for shifts in
resource use. It is t heref'o1·e ir:.por tant to plan for outdoor recreational use of resources. Hence, one of the principal
2.
planning goals towards which this study was directed was the assessment of resources for outdoor recreation. The other goal was to account for how existing resources were used.
The concern with outdoor recreation is a natural one, and while dernand on resources is inevitable follov1ing a rising and continuing trend for outdoor life, little is available in New Zealand on research and planning studies of outdoor recre- ation resources. Studies of any major significance to research understanding are limited to those on the Waimakariri River (Dalmer 1971; Hayward and Boffer 1972); Foreshore of Waimairi (Lincoln); and, Kawaka1.rn Beach ( Auckland Regional Authority 1972). This study hopes to make a contribution to the use of outdoor recreation resources in the Manawatu area.
The thesis proposes to focus on the supply aspect of resources for outdoor recreation. More specifically, i t proposes to determine the nature of the resources suitable for outdoor recreation, and, where recreation resources have been developed, the present use made of them. The purpose of planning recre- ational resources is, first, to evaluate the physical envj_ron- ment for its suitabilj_ty for outdoor recreation purposes (such an evaluation allows natural resources to be classified for outdoor recreation uses);.and second, to allow the quality, quantity and spatial distribution of these to be identified and mapped. Chapter One of the thesis is provided with these objectives in view; the techniques used for evaluation are modelled closely along those us(~d in the La!larkshi.re Study
(CoL:,pock 1970).
The thesis is dj_vidf1d into three ftu•ther chapters.
Cho.pter two is concerned wj_th the s:rat.j_al dj_mensions and
3.
patterns of user pressures where the spatial relationships
qetween the 'available' recreation resources and peoples (which have recreation planning and development implications) can be discerned.
The third chapter presents an inventory of public outdoor recreation areas in the study area and also advances a cause for a 'regional agency' to manage, acquire and supervise development of recreation resources for the region.
Chapter four of this thesis looks at the use of a specific category of recreation resource - the water-based recreation resource. This chapter is divided into two par~s:
Part I describes broadly the present use made of the different types of' water-bodies in the study area for outdoor rec1•eation and the proposals made for future use of these resources. Part II defines Foxton Beach as a preliminary case study of a water recreation resource where the present use and futu1"'e developments of the beach are considered from the ecological and social
perspectives. 'l'he summar•y and conclusions are in the last chapter. 'l'he area under study
The area w1der study comprises of the five counties of Kairanga, Oroua, Kiwi tea, Manawatu and Pohangina. These counties are statj_sticaJ. a:-eas and the grouping of these together help form a core unit for study. For the purpose of identification this core area shall be referred herein as the Manawatu region.
An indication of the region's boundary and locatj_on with respect to the whole of' the North Island is given in figure 1. The
physical characteristics of the region is shewn in figure 2. The dichotomy between lowland and upland is evident in this figure ..
LOCATION
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I I
/ '-
I" '
/ . / ....-(
I I \
/ Kiwitca 1 - _ - - ... / I
I I
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I \ I Pohangina /
r' \ ( ,/
I ' /./ /
I '/_., / /
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✓--"\ ' /
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/
_,..., '
/I ) Oroua , /
, t, ''"v
/ / \ ,.,_,'
,_/' I \ /
/'"/
,
...,
/'\Manawatu I , I /
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Kairanga /I
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I/ ,... J
(
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"'-/ '-__,
10 miles
'- · - - - - -
Figure 1 NCY ·
- ..:.~...U:.."'T~u::.:J.:ACL:.o::.-.-.v : , r r n n . . a , . r . . Q . l l i e , " " : A ~ ~ l : 7 ' . ~ ~ . z _ J . ~ ... 51D!' ~Ji~U71tlA'i~ ~ ~ . . . ;;,e;:cme,•1 'I! •·-•:::M#"Se ' I
4.
On the west is a belt of sand in the form of dunes and plains and these extend up to twenty miles inland from the coast.
This sand country represents the most recent stage in geological development of the region's coastal lowland.
Inland from the sand belt lies the extensive sheet of alluvial flood plain. This is the fertile agricultural area. Relief at the sand country seldom exceeds fifty feet and those on the low lying agricultural plains seldom reach an altitude greater
than twenty feet above sea level. This extensive lowland formed by the sand country and the agricultural plain gives
way to a rolling and hill topography where the southern end e.g.
the Mount Stewart - Halcombe - Feilding anticlines combine with the dissected river terraces to elevate the surface to heights between 120 to 600 feet. The eastern margin of the study area is bounded by higher reliefs e.g. the foothills and range
environments of the northern Tarawas and the Ruahines.
The north-eastern margin is formed by the Rangitikei River and this is joined by the Ke.whatau in the extreme north.
The Oroua and the Kiwi tea rivers run through longitudinally to 'divide' the region into halves, with the Manawatu river looping its way at the lower end to form the south-west end boundary.
STUDY AREA
Physical Ch aracteristics -rlAILW/1V ttllil~ MAIN TOWNS
•
MklN · RIVERS STATE IIIGIIWAYS
SAND DUNES RANGES
MAJOR llRIJAN
f11lE/lS ~ HIGH COUNTRY
FIGUl1E 2
-:nii•
