| Papamoa Hills Regional Park | |
|---|---|
Papamoa Hills from Papamoa
| |
 
| |
| Location | Western Bay of Plenty District, Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 37°43′57″S 176°17′15″E / 37.73250°S 176.28750°E / -37.73250; 176.28750 |
| Area | 135 ha (330 acres) |
| Established | 2003 |
| Visitors | 80,000 (in 2016) |
Papamoa Hills Regional Park is a protected area in the Bay of Plenty Region, owned and managed by Bay of Plenty Regional Council.[1] It is located between Papamoa and Te Puke, on Poplar Lane off State Highway 2.[2]
It covers 135 hectares of native bush and open farmland.[3] The landscape consists of steep hills,[3] reaching to a summit of 224 metres with sweeping views of the Bay of Plenty coastline from the Coromandel PeninsulatoEast Cape.[1][4]
The area is a traditional home for where Papamoa’s original Māori inhabitants,[2] including Waitaha, Ngā Pōtiki, Ngāti Pūkenga and Ngāti He.[5][6] Its traditional Māori name is Te Rae o Pāpāmoa, translating roughly as "the forehead of the woman who is the hills".[7]
The park is an operational farm several gates, located behind a Fulton Hogan quarry with regular truck traffic.[7][1]
There are several walking tracks, all requiring a reasonable level of fitness.[2] These include a 45-minute track from Poplar Lane to the trig station at the summit.[1]
Camping, motorbikes, mountain bikes, horse trekking and fires are banned, and dogs are banned at all times. There is no drinking water supply available in the park.[1] The park and carpark is open during daylight hours, with later closing times during winter.[3]
There are over 2000 archaeological and cultural sites within the park, dating back to 1650, including Te Ihu o Ruarangi Pā and six other pā.[7][2][3][1]
The park was established in 2003 to protect these sites,[2] becoming the first regional park outside the Auckland and Wellington regions.[7] Over 50,000 native plants have been planted on the trees since then.[2]
Visitor numbers quadrupled between 2006 and 2016, when about 80,000 people were visiting the park every year.[7]
An additional 25 hectares were added to the park in 2017.[8]
In September 2020, the summit track was briefly closed for an upgrade.[9]
In December 2020, Bay of Plenty Regional Council approved a concept design for a more substantial upgrade in December 2020, including a new carpark, new amenities, a new entranceway, and signage to explain the site's history and cultural importance. Work was due to start in late 2021.[5] Local iwi and hapū were consulted on and supported the plan.[6]
|
| |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Populated places |
| ||||||||||||||
| Geographic features |
| ||||||||||||||
| Facilities and attractions |
| ||||||||||||||
| Government |
| ||||||||||||||
| Organisations |
| ||||||||||||||
a - formerly a populated place within Kaimai Ward until 2019; b - partially shared with Whakatāne District | |||||||||||||||
