Recreation in the Waimakariri Basin; an introductory study with special reference to the Broken River region

Abstract

The authors of this study have approached the problem of planning for recreational use of the Waimakariri Basin in the Canterbury Mountains by placing emphasis on the constraints imposed by the environment itself. In this they have honoured the spirit pervading all aspects of this Institute's concern with the tussock grasslands and mountain lands, respect for the land, for its condition, its variety, its quality, its reality. This Institute was at its foundation charged with investigating all aspects of the management of tussock grasslands and mountain lands. A few years ago Mr Hayward compiled and edited a review of all aspects of land conditions in the Waimakariri Basin. In that review, recreation received rather summary treatment, not because of ignorance of its significance but rather because of absence of a defined focus of public interest. A focus of public interest has been provided by the Castle Hill recreational proposal and this focus has been sharpened by the conflict of interest in that area between conservation in a strict sense and recreational development. The inter-relation between recreation and other uses is also acknowledged in the authors’ treatment of the topic and the dimensions that they have considered for planning recreational developments in a multiple context are appropriately the dimensions of the Waimakariri Basin.