Conservation takes over NZ high country farm
18 Aug 2010
A South Island high country merino sheep station has become one of the largest covenanted private conservation areas in New Zealand.
Kiwi farmers Roland and Jenny Mapp have placed 1300 hectares of their 2000-hectare farm, Spray Point Station in Marlborough, under the QEII open space covenant - a voluntary but legally binding land protection agreement.
The conservation agreement is the fulfillment of a dream for the Mapps - avid conservationists who want to preserve Spray Point’s rich cultural history and important ecological status for future generations.
The couple plan to do this by combining the agricultural activities of fine merino wool production and breeding Limousin cattle, with eco tourism activities that will help ensure the ongoing ecological and economic sustainability of the station.
"If we can diversify Spray Point, it will ensure future sustainability and protects all sorts of things, including a way of life for future generations," says Jenny Mapp.
Covenant with nature
Visitors will be able to access the new covenanted area through four private walking tracks already on the property.
The station has over 20km of walking tracks that pass through a variety of vegetation unique to the Marlborough high country, from open tussock to matagouri / native shrublands and mature bush.
The QEII covenanted area contains rare native New Zealand species - some of which can only be found in Marlborough, including the endangered northern pink broom and the local endemic mountain daisy which only grows in the surrounding catchments.
There are also strong resident populations of native falcons, invertebrates and trout. Parts of the area have also been approved as a ‘permanent forest sink’, a long-term carbon storage scheme.
Private walking tracks
The four walking tracks on Spray Point are open all year round, although the Mapps recommend October / March and May / July as the best times for tramping.
Hunting season is held during March and April as it helps with pest control - an important part of the conservation project.
Adventurous visitors can choose to do a three-day guided walk, which finishes at the top of Mt Stronvar. Permanent safari-style accommodation is available for the third night at the top, among remnant beech forest and tussock.
A loop track linking all four tracks together will be ready next season.
Walks for all levels
Spray Point’s walking tracks suit all levels of visitors from beginners to seasoned trampers.
The ‘Cannister Bush Walk’ is an 8km easy climb along a well-defined 4x4 track, through a bush-filled gully and a creek crossing. Native falcons nest on rocky bluffs halfway up the valley while wild pigs and goats are perched higher up. Remnants of a big red beech forest provide lush vegetation.
Another easy walk is the ‘Cannister Loop Track’, which includes parts of the bush walk but returns to the refurbished pioneer cob cottage via Deane Avenue - named after the bulldozer driver who formed the road on this "steady hill". Good views include the Waihopai River, Spray Point farmhouse and the mountain ranges where Sir Ed Hillary first practised his mountain climbing skills.
The most adventurous walk, the 18km ‘Spray Valley Track’ starts between the Waihopai and Spray rivers and travels through back country to a mountain range backing Molesworth Station’s Awatere Valley. Visitors can stay the night at Boundary Creek Cabin, which has six bunk beds, a log fire, outdoor barbecue, cooking and hot shower facilities.
Those with good fitness levels can choose to climb Mt Stronvar. A 4WD ridge-top ride takes visitors up to 3000 feet, followed by a two-hour climb to stunning views of Mt Tapi (the highest mountain outside of the Southern Alps) to the coast at Rarangi. Various unique vegetation and tussock can be seen during the climb.
Tourism activities
The Mapp’s tourism venture offers "off the mapp" holidays that include visitor accommodation and a glimpse into the unique lifestyle at Spray Point.
Farm visitors can choose to stay at Cob Quarters - a restored cob cottage that retains much of its 19th century early settler charm (including pencil ‘graffiti’ on the walls), or at Boundary Creek Cabin, a Kiwi bush retreat.
Spray Point Station's tourism activities include multi-day guided hiking expeditions, horse trekking and mountain biking, 4WD and heli-touring, hunting and fishing.
Bird watching and indigenous local flora are the other major attractions, and visitors can help with some of the many conservation projects on the station.
Sustainable tourism
Roland and Jenny Mapp bought the 2000-hectare high country farm in the Waihopai Valley in 2004.
The property included the run-down ‘cob’ cottage, one of the few remaining examples of this form of 19th century architecture in the Marlborough region. Since 2006, the couple has restored the cottage using traditional methods.
"The place has over 1000 hectares of mature beech forest in the middle of it and there’s more that wants to regenerate, so we’ll let it," says Jenny Mapp.
The Mapps practise ‘carbon farming’, where they allow traditional grazing country to return to native forest.
Background: QEII National Trust
The QEII open space covenant is a voluntary but legally-binding protection agreement. Once the agreement is entered into, it binds all current and future owners of the land.
The landowner’s rights are not jeopardised by the agreement, but the QEII Trust will help from then on with advice and support (financial in some cases) for ongoing management of the covenanted areas.
The QEII National Trust is an independent statutory organisation which was set up in 1977 to secure, promote and encourage the preservation of natural and cultural features on private land in New Zealand. The trust works closely with the Department of Conservation, regional and district councils, the Historic Places Trust and others committed to protecting open space.
More information
Staying eco-style in New Zealand
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