The public mountain land resource for recreation in New Zealand

Abstract

The first volume of these studies concentrated on the needs, behaviour and wants of New Zealand mountain recreationists. It was the conception of Dr Robert Aukerman of Colorado State University in his leadership of this mountain recreation research programme at Lincoln College that an inventory and analysis of public mountain land resources for recreation should be an integral part of the programme. Bruce Geden and Jenny Davison had begun such work as part of their post-graduate Diploma in Natural Resources projects at Lincoln College. Under Bob Aukerman's guidance, first Bruce Geden then Jaquetta Smith developed and unified the inventory to include all pub public land areas "perceived as mountains" throughout the main islands of New Zealand. Jaquetta Smith and Jenny Davison patiently canvassed the agencies administering such lands, identifying from a variety of sources the records of natural resources and recreation facilities for each administrative region.

The variety of talents that each brought to the study, Jaquetta Smith with degrees in geology and forestry, Jenny Davison in history, Bruce Geden in geography, were unified in their common interest in natural resources and recreation. Their combined work is presented in a format which takes account of both public administration and regional geography.

This inventory is of mountain land which is conventionally considered as public land. Omitted from it are the extensive areas of mountain lands which are included in the pastorally-occupied areas of both North and South Island. The recreational use of South Island pastoral runs is the subject of studies reported in the third volume of this series. Recreational use of North Island pastoral properties may be principally as access to public mountain land resources beyond their boundaries. Such questions of access are briefly mentioned at appropriate points in this inventory.

Also omitted from this inventory are most of those areas of mountain lands which remain as Maori Land. It would be presumptuous of this Institute to report on such terrain without the active cooperation of Maori people. The recreational significance of such Maori Land to both Maori and other people warrants a full exposition in its own right.

This volume will be welcomed as the first compendium of public recreational land resources on a national basis. What is presented here may stimulate other appropriate agencies to compile similar inventories of recreational resources of New Zealand coasts and wetlands and to expand the recreational assessment of New Zealand water bodies. Only by such documentation are the issues of access and management likely to be clarified. The interests of both New Zealand residents and visitors from overseas demand that these issues receive the purposeful and sustained attention of citizens and administrative agencies alike. It is the hope of this Institute that these three volumes of studies will help make this possible.