Recreation in the Waitaki : a project [dissertation] submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Diploma of Natural Resources [Lincoln College]

Abstract

The initial aim of this project was to investigate the present and potential recreation resources in the MacKenzie Basin, however after doing some preliminary field work in the area it became apparent that from the point of view of recreation the normal boundaries of the MacKenzie basin were abitary divisions of little real significance to this particular activity. Therefore this the study area has been extended to encompass a considerably larger area which is defined more clearly in terms of topographic phenomena which represent more meaningful constraints to human activities. As a result it has become impossible to achieve an in-depth approach to the study and has necessitated a much more general coverage of the area concerned. This study will now be more in the form of a reconnaissance report which will outline the study area as it exists at present, the recreational activities and the facilities which serve them and any likely future developments which may occur. I do not presume to propose a comprehensive solution to any large scale problems, rather it is my intention to provide an introduction to those problems in the hope that it may provide a basis upon which further work can be planned. Recreation is, or at least should be, an integral part of any resource study in the area and should be considered as such in any future work which will hopefully be done within a multiple-use framework. The somewhat singular approach to planning here in the past must not be allowed to continue as the importance of wisest possible use of land and water based resources is becoming paramount in this country. In this context the pre-occupation with hydro-electricty planning and development in the study area does not seem to be in the best interest of the people of New Zealand as a whole or even those living in the area. As population numbers continue to increase in this country the importance of providing recreational facilities to enable a degree of balance to be maintained in urban life is likely to become increasingly important and as I see it, this is where the future of the study area lies.