New Zealand's newest public park unveiled
31 Oct 2007
The largest public park to be created in 20 years has been unveiled … and it incorporates snow-capped mountains, crystal clear lakes and a popular skifield.
Hakatere Conservation Park is in the Ashburton Lakes area and covers more than 68,000 hectares of land.
Conservation Minister Chris Carter says the park brings together 19 separate areas of conservation land and just-concluded negotiations mean historic Hakatere Station, on the shores of Lake Clearwater, will now be added.
''This huge new park is a special place, a landscape of clear streams and red tussock, of braided rivers, wetlands and alpine habitat where a host of rare native species can be found,'' Mr Carter said.
''The park's creation demonstrates not only the commitment of the Labour-led government to securing some of New Zealand's most precious landscapes for all New Zealanders to enjoy but also the hard work by Land Information New Zealand and the Department of Conservation over some years.''
The Green Party chose Ashburton Lakes and the upper Rangitata River as one of three sites to receive funding for restoration of wetlands.
Mr Carter said, ''Hakatere Conservation Park offers a truly New Zealand experience with almost endless recreational opportunities including water skiing, sailing, trout fishing and tramping. It is also significant that so much lakeshore will now be preserved for the public for all time.''
Mt Hutt skifield is within the park's boundary and the upper reaches of the Ashburton Lakes basin are a gateway for big game hunters, ski tour operators and mountain climbers.
While the public now has access to pastoral lease areas of Hakatere Station the freehold will remain in private ownership until July 2008. The Nature Heritage Fund paid $7.2 million to buy Hakatere Station.
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