Regional Tourism Report – twt conservancy
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- North Egmont (Maunga Taranaki)
- Tongariro Alpine Crossing
- 3.2.1 Existing DOC infrastructure and usage
- Destination Name Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers per annum
- Destination Name Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers
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45 of 90 3.2 Supply‐side Situation and Trends 43, 44, 45,46
Having examined public demand for recreational facilities, the next section of this report reviews the supply of DOC destinations at a national level as well as specifically in the TWT Conservancy. The Department’s past and present role in protecting and developing New Zealand’s natural resources is discussed and DOC‐related TWT infrastructure/destinations is outlined.
Tasked with managing a great number of assets across the country, DOC has traditionally been facility‐focused compared to its current destination management approach. This includes maintaining facilities located within New Zealand’s natural environment such as tracks, huts and bridges – many of which were inherited from its predecessors and the sum of which has sometimes been unknown. Over the years DOC has become more aware of its assets and a decade ago its brief was to restore the country’s indigenous biodiversity, protect public conservation areas and supply access to these places for all New Zealanders. Today DOC’s vision is that New Zealand is the greatest living space on Earth and the Department is increasingly interested in how all people choose to use our natural spaces. Its destination management approach sees DOC working collaboratively with others towards common goals and there is a commercial objective to seek business opportunities that deliver increased economic prosperity and conservation gain.
DOC has become more customer‐centric in its provision of experiences, aiming to meet the needs of New Zealand’s residents and visitors. While the Department still manages around 4,500 destinations, including 14 National Parks, it is now focused on understanding demand to provide the best mix of facilities and services to ensure quality, enjoyable experiences suitable for a range of visitors. Its Destination Management Framework (DMF) approach looks to increase the participation of people in recreation and protect New Zealand’s historic heritage. 47
Networks.
Icons are key destinations intended to underpin national and international tourism in New Zealand, Gateways encourage people to start recreating in the outdoors and to learn about conservation, Local Treasures provide local places for local people and support regional outdoor recreation needs and Backcountry Networks are intended to provide challenging adventures in protected natural areas. In general Tongariro Icons and Gateways are primarily alpine‐based (i.e. Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Whakapapa Village walks), whereas Wanganui destinations are river‐based (i.e. Wanganui Journey) and Taranaki destinations alpine/coastal‐based (i.e. Mount Taranaki, Tapuae Marine Reserve).
Destination management considers people’s desired experience when they visit DOC‐managed destinations rather than the maintenance of assets. It also aligns with the shared goals of other organisations such as Sport New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand who similarly seek to optimise user experiences. It is essential that DOC continues to work with others to deliver the best possible outdoor experiences to visitors. This includes national organisations (i.e. Tourism New Zealand and Sport New Zealand) as well as Regional Tourism Organisations, iwi and individual operators. Not only do these organisations have common objectives but DOC has a core role of facilitating the enjoyment and protection of New Zealand’s natural environment – which suggests enabling others to implement the experiences that visitors desire.
43 Department of Conservation, A short history of the Department of Conservation: 1987‐2007, www.doc.govt.nz/publications/about‐doc/a‐short‐history‐of‐doc/
44 Department of Conservation, Statement of Intent 2003–2006, 2003
45 Department of Conservation, Statement of Intent 2012‐2017, 2012
46 Department of Conservation, DOC's 25th Anniversary Exhibition, 2012
47 Department of Conservation, Destination management framework: A new approach to managing destinations, 2011
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46 of 90 DOC has acknowledged tourism as one of New Zealand’s biggest export earners and a sector closely aligned with its own goals of helping to build economic prosperity, having more people participate in outdoor recreation and spending their leisure time and money in the places they recreate. 48 The DMF discusses people engaging with the natural environment as visitors and considers their overall experience when visiting a destination. The objectives of DOC also align closely with Sport New Zealand who highlight the importance of organisations and groups that provide opportunities for people to participate in outdoor recreation to be firstly aware of any changes in participant needs and then to be able to manage their resources to respond effectively. 49
At a regional level Tongariro is described by international travel guides as New Zealand’s volcanic plateau – it is an active volcanic region providing a playground for snow sports enthusiasts in the winter and a summer destination for trampers. 50 The region’s towns are recommended as offering a range of outdoor experiences across the seasons from extreme activities to more sedate engagement with nature. For example Taupō offers both adrenaline‐pumping activities 51 as well as scenic experiences, while Ohakune 52 and Turangi 53 provide access to many outdoor summer activities but come to life in winter. Wanganui’s river and National Park are described as its central attractions. The overall area is said to offer many opportunities to experience the outdoors 54 and the city itself is described as pleasant with a thriving arts community. 55 Taranaki is described as being dominated by Mount Taranaki and the Egmont National Park. 56
It is surrounded by coastline offering good surf beaches and, although slightly isolated from other New Zealand cities, 57 its main centre (New Plymouth) is the commercial heart of Taranaki with an international port alongside arts and garden attractions. 58
A map of current DOC destinations in the TWT Conservancy is shown overleaf. This map has been sourced from the DOC website and highlights what are promoted as the Conservancy’s key places; categorised as “Great Walks”, “Must See Places”, “Easier Experiences” and “Historic Places”. 59
It is acknowledged that Mt Taranaki, Wanganui River, Mt Ruapehu and Lake Taupō are also significant facilitators of recreational activity across the TWT region, although not necessarily identified as individual destinations on the DOC website. As shown in the map the TWT Conservancy currently contains groupings of destinations based around the Tongariro alpine region and Mount Taranaki/New Plymouth, with noticeably fewer destinations in Wanganui particularly towards its city centre. While the majority of TWT destinations are considered Easier Experiences or Must See Places, indicating that they are likely to appeal to visitor desires for outdoor experiences that are easy to engage in and are an escape from people’s everyday lives, groupings of destinations are somewhat isolated from each other and there is no clear linkage for visitors to transition across the Conservancy.
Current priorities for the DOC regions of Tongariro, Wanganui and Taranaki are to develop infrastructure around Icon and Gateway destinations, including alternative transportation modes to access destinations and
48 Department of Conservation, Destination management framework: A new approach to managing destinations, 2011 49 Sport New Zealand, Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2009–2015, 2009 50
Rough Guides, Central North Island, roughguides.com/destinations/australasia/new‐zealand/central‐north‐island/
51 Trip Advisor, Taupō, tripadvisor.com/Tourism‐g255113‐Taupō_North_Island‐Vacations.html
52
Lonely Planet, Ohakune, lonelyplanet.com/new‐zealand/Taupō‐and‐the‐central‐plateau/ohakune
53 Lonely Planet, Turangi, lonelyplanet.com/new‐zealand/Taupō‐and‐the‐central‐plateau/turangi
54
Lonely Planet, Wanganui Region, lonelyplanet.com/new‐zealand/wanganui‐and‐palmerston‐north/wanganui‐region
55 Rough Guides, Wanganui, roughguides.com/destinations/australasia/new‐zealand/western‐north‐island/wanganui/
56
Lonely Planet, New Plymouth, lonelyplanet.com/new‐zealand/taranaki/new‐plymouth
57 Lonely Planet, Taranaki, lonelyplanet.com/new‐zealand/taranaki
58
Rough Guides, New Plymouth, roughguides.com/destinations/australasia/new‐zealand/western‐north‐island/taranaki‐ peninsula/new‐plymouth/
59
Department of Conservation, DOC Maps: Discover the Outdoors, maps.doc.govt.nz/Viewer/Index.html?viewer=rwa
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47 of 90 the creation of commercial tourism opportunities. For Tongariro and Taupō this includes further progressing cycleways and providing access to outdoor experiences, such as a water taxi to support the Great Lake Trail and alternative experiences to the Tongariro Alpine Crossing for when weather conditions are unfavorable. Wanganui priorities are to support infrastructure and tourism business based around the Wanganui Journey and Mountain to the Sea Cycle Trail and attract sports people to the region. Taranaki is focused on increasing accommodation capacity and improving access to destinations through various transport alternatives.
North Egmont (Maunga Taranaki) Dawson Falls Stratford Plateau
Tapuae Marine Reserve and SLIMPA Whanganui Journey Mountains to Sea Cycle Trail The Timber Trail Kakaho Huka Falls Mid Tongariro River Tongariro National Trout Lake Rotopounamu
Tongariro Northern Circuit Whakapapa Village
● New Zealand’s Great Walks ● Must See Places ● Easier Experiences ● Historic
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48 of 90 3.2.1 Existing DOC infrastructure and usage
This section lists the relevant high level DOC infrastructure for each of the TWT Conservancy areas including visitation numbers where available (as provided by DOC). Trend data was unavailable for analysis in this report.
Taupō The dominant Icon destination in the Taupō area is Huka Falls, followed by the major Tongariro based attractions. These Icon destinations are very accessible, located near major tourism routes and have gained widespread exposure and popularity. Destination Name Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers per annum Huka Falls Icon 605,000
Tongariro Alpine Crossing Icon
82,500 Tongariro National Trout Centre Icon 58,000
Mid Tongariro River Walks Icon
45,000
Of the designated Gateway destinations, the Upper Waikato River Tracks attract the largest number of visitors. Destination Name Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers per annum Upper Waikato River Tracks Gateway 70,000
Lake Rotopounamu Gateway
30000 Tongariro Northern Circuit Gateway 6500
The TWT Conservancy encompasses a larger number of Backcountry and Local Treasure destinations. The most popular are listed here with the remainder outlined in the appendix to this report.
Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers per annum Tongariro River TR access track Backcountry 12,000
Clements Mill Road Backcountry 10,300 Tongariro River TL rds/tks Backcountry 8,000
RTM‐Ohinepango Spg 2 Waihohonu Backcountry 5,500 Waiotaka River access track Backcountry 5,000
Tauranga Taupō River access track Backcountry 5,000
Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers per annum Tokaanu Hot Pools and Car Park Local Treasure 135,000
Tokaanu Thermal Walk Local Treasure 65,000 Aratiatia Rapids Viewpoints Walk Local Treasure 40,000
Aratiatia Road Local Treasure 35,000 Blue Pool Toilet Local Treasure 30,000
Whakaipo Bay Amenity Area Local Treasure 22,000
‘sufficient’ supply of experiences and activities in relation to the preferences of the traditional markets, i.e. the variety of outdoor experiences and activities on offer in the area from water to alpine, sedate to extreme, iconic to niche experiences. The area is regarded as the nature playground of the North Island, with a stable or growing demand. It was acknowledged that the supply of nature‐related experiences will have to be sustainably managed in the future in order to preserve this demand.
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49 of 90 New planned or possible ‘pipeline’ developments in the area with a possible impact on recreation and tourism include the development of more cycle trails into wilderness areas such as the Kaimanawa’s. There is also a potential to link those new trails with existing cycle trails such as the Tongariro River Trail. The extension of existing cycle trails to other destinations such as Taupō Town, Tongariro National Park and other existing cycle trails (Timber Trail to Great Lakes Trail) and building transportation infrastructure around them (water taxi in Lake Taupō for instance) have also been raised as possibilities. In addition there are new walking opportunities identified at the southern end of the lake including a wetland walk and Mt Kakaramea. Other social and political issues have also been identified as potentially playing a role in future developments in the Taupō area. These include the perceptions around the access to the lake and the impact that future treaty claims may have on access to other areas. Changes to the local government act and also a potential amalgamation of RTO’s could have a negative and positive effect on destination marketing respectively. Tongariro
The Tongariro experiences on offer are also classified as Taupō‐related destinations. However, the Tongariro/Ruapehu area benefits and services the Tongariro drawcards to a large degree as well and are relisted here.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing Icon 82,500
Old Coach Road Icon
10,500
Destination Name Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers per annum Whakapapa Village walks Gateway 40,000 Tongariro Northern Circuit Gateway
2,500
Destination Name Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers per annum Dome volcanic eruptn/Lahar warning shltr Backcountry 14,000
RTM tk‐Ohakune Mtn Rd ‐Lake Surprise Backcountry 6,000 Dominion Road‐ (Tongariro Forest Access) Backcountry 6,000
Kapoors Rd ‐Tongariro Forest/42 Traverse Backcountry 5,000 42 Traverse‐Slab Rd crpk‐Dominion Rd cpk Backcountry 5,000
Destination Name Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers Bruce Road (CS) Local Treasure 454,000
Whakapapa Visitor Centre carpark/toilets Local Treasure 244,441 Whakapapa Village Bus Park Local Treasure 100,000
Ngauruhoe Place, Whakapapa Village (CS) Local Treasure 35,000 Mangawhero Falls Walk Local Treasure 25,000
Waitonga Falls Walk (RTM Track link) Local Treasure 20,000 Rimu Walk Local Treasure 16,000
Ruapehu District Council has a similar view on the demand trends for the area, i.e. it is stable or growing from the traditional markets. Supply is also seen as sufficient and sustainable management of experiences should be taken into account. Similarly to Taupō, the amount and variety of the local ‘supply’ of activities and
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50 of 90 experiences is seen as catering well to the demand of the traditional markets, including the expected growth in demand from these markets. The area is relatively more ‘niche’ oriented towards the scenic or active outdoor experiences and has less variety in unrelated experiences such as shopping or lake use, as has Taupō. Possible options of spreading demand over the existing infrastructure would alleviate pressures on iconic destinations such as the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Furthermore, the increasing popularity of cycling/mountain biking and new cycle way developments are seen as a good way to even out seasonality and to provide alternative activities for when Mt Ruapehu (or Tongariro) is inaccessible due to weather or other factors.
New planned or possible ‘pipeline’ developments in the area with a possible impact on recreation and tourism include the upgrading and development of new lift facilities on the Ruapehu skifields and the upgrading of some tracks (Taranaki Falls, Silica Rapids, Waitonga etc) and huts (Oturere). There has also been identified that there is significant potential for further mountain biking opportunities within Tongariro National Park.
Mt Taranaki is the dominant attraction in the Taranaki area, with high visitor numbers to surrounding/relating attractions such as Stratford Plateau and Dawson Falls.
Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers North Egmont (Maunga Taranaki) Icon 101,427
Pukerangiora Pa ‐ Potential Icon Icon
2,500
Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers Stratford Plateau Gateway 149,674
Dawson Falls (Maunga Taranaki) Gateway
73529 Ratapihipihi Gateway 7616
Tapuae Marine Reserve and SLIMPA Gateway
3,087
Destination type Estimated Visitor numbers Northern Summit Route Backcountry 7,520
Waimoku Track Backcountry 5,848 Ridge Track Backcountry 5,000
Ram Track Backcountry 5,000 North Egmont Summit Tk (Translator Rd) Backcountry 5,000
AMC Tahurangi ‐ Manganui Skifield Track Backcountry 4,296 Fanthams Peak Track Backcountry 4,000
Mangorei Track Backcountry 3,627
migration and an increase in the demand for recreational options, as well as a resulting increase in VFR tourism to the area. This increase in demand is likely to attract new recreation and tourism developments in the future.
There is potential to grow mountain biking opportunities, including Pukeiti and into the National park itself. There is currently lobbying for more heli‐tours on Mt Taranaki and also a potential expansion of air linkages to New Plymouth generally, making Taranaki more accessible. In addition, there are intentions to develop a historic heritage trail and to expand the successful coastal walkway. There is potential to explore how people can be connected to the marine environment via a marine reserve.
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51 of 90 Wanganui
Wanganui area has considerably fewer designated DOC attractions and comparatively low numbers of visitors to the well known places in contrast to the other TWT areas. The prime destinations are the Wanganui River Journey and the Mountain to Sea Cycle Trail.
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