It’s coming up two years since we launched this petition to improve public access to our coastline, at Taronui.

Although access is via a Crown owned conservation strip, the only way to get to the Taronui Recreation Reserve remains a long and hilly walk, which rules out all but the very fit.

Legal opinion obtained under the Official Information Act held that it is ‘a pretty straight forward process to support and provide vehicle access’: It would simply be a management decision, within the Department of Conservation, as to how to administer the area. But what appeared to be a simple permission from DOC turned into a complex and long winded process.

In that time the only thing that has changed is that the handful of private property owners, who drive on the existing road, have erected an expensive electronic gate, on public land, to keep public vehicles out. There is no record of formal permission for the property owners to erect the gate and it’s worrying that, should they seek retrospective consent, there is no provision for community input.

Ngāti Rēhia, mana whenua and kaitiaki for this site, expressed some concerns about increased public use of the reserve. Therefore we changed our initial concept, in order to mitigate those concerns. The intention is to provide a buffer and offer a level of protection for the reserve and kaimoana. The dream is that we can improve public access, while enhancing the reserve as a place that engenders respect and wonder, recognising Ngāti Rēhia’s cultural landscape and creating educational opportunities for our tamariki to learn about culture, history and the environment. Working with, and guided by, Ngāti Rēhia, the community could create a heritage trail with interpretation panels, telling Ngāti Rēhia's story with other panels offering information about the unique marine environment. Plantings along the route are also envisaged.

The new preferred option involves the establishment of a car park on the Crown owned conservation strip, some 2170m north of Purerua Road, that could accommodate some 30 parked vehicles. This will mean a 850m walk to the Taronui Recreation Reserve and a final 580m walk through the reserve to Taronui’s beach, reducing the current walking distance from 3.7km to about 1.4km. Far North District Mayor John Carter is now taking an active interest and has set a date, December 17, for key parties to discuss access to the coastline.

Keri Molloy

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“There is the potential that DOC/FNDC and landowners could agree that vehicles use the road to a certain point and collaboratively work together for management.” – memo from DOC files obtained under the Official Information Act.