Coromandel Forest Park is a
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
and
conservation park administered by the
Department of Conservation
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
, covering 71,899 hectares of the
Coromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel Peninsula () on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west from the Pacific Ocean ...
, in the
Thames Coromandel District of the
Waikato Region
The Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City, as well as ...
.
It consists of hills and valleys covered in dense native bush.
One of the valleys, Kauaeranga Valley, also includes several swimming holes.
The park borders the holiday resort town of
Whangamatā
The town of Whangamatā is on the southeast coast of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 30 kilometres north of Waihi, to the north of the western extremity of the Bay of Plenty.
In holiday times the popu ...
.
History
Early history
The forest park began as the Crosbies Settlement, an isolated group of five lots farmed by European settlers Thomas and Agnes Crosbie. The lots were only accessible by foot, horseback or horse-drawn sledge. The lots were sold to another family in 1917, who had abandoned by the land by 1926. Other attempts to farm the land were unsuccessful, and bush had reclaimed the cleared land by the 1960s.
In 1970 and 1971, the lots were incorporated into the newly established Coromandel Forest Park.
A remaining woolshed was used as a trampers' hut until it blew down in the late 1980s.
Modern history
The Department of Conservation built new huts in the park in 2010.
A canyoner was airlifted out of the park in October 2019 following a fall.
In January 2021, the Department of Conservation expressed concerns about the scale of illegal dumping of rubbish in the Coromandel Forest Park, including in waterways.
Drone photography taken in June 2021 indicated possums were causing "top down" collapse in the Papakai block of the forest, while pest control was protecting native
rātā trees in other parts of the park.
Mining
Wharekirauponga Forest, in the southern part of the park, was initially rejected as a gold-mining site in the 1980s, but further exploration drilling from 2005 onwards suggested it could be viable as a gold-mining site.
OceanaGold
OceanaGold Corporation (OceanaGold), previously named Macraes Mining Company and then GRD Macraes, is a gold mining and exploration company based in Vancouver, Canada and Brisbane, Australia
OceanaGold operates the Haile Gold Mine in the United ...
purchased mining interest in 2016.
It found gold and silver in the area in February 2019,
and formally applied for a mining permit in May 2019.
An anti-mining group, Coromandel Watchdog, claims the area should be protected from gold mining because the bush has high ecological value, priority ecosystems, threatened species and the headwater of a major catchment.
It claims mining would also destroy an important habitat of the endangered
Archey's Frog
Archey's frog (''Leiopelma archeyi'') is an archaic species of frog endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of only three extant species belonging to the taxonomic family Leiopelmatidae. It is found only in the Coromandel Peninsula ...
.
Former MP
Catherine Delahunty
Catherine Delahunty (born 1953) is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. From until 2017 she was a member of parliament in the House of Representatives representing the Green Party.
During her time as an MP she served variously as the ...
has been involved in protests against mining Coromandel Forest Park.
See also
*
Conservation parks of New Zealand
References
{{Authority control
Protected areas of Waikato
Thames-Coromandel District
1971 establishments in New Zealand
Protected areas established in 1971