Report on the Hahei Great Walks meeting By Stephan Bosman More than 160 people attended on Saturday the traffic problems experienced in the whole of last week the long-awaited public meeting the Cooks Beach, Hahei and Hot Water Beach in Hahei about the first stage of Thames areas during peak times. The report basically Coromandel District Council’s Great Walks recommended more data to be obtained before project and the traffic, primarily parking, issues final solutions can be agreed upon, but seemed Hahei experiences during summer and other to favour from the outset a Pa Road carpark peak holiday times. with a shuttle service to the Cathedral Cove Since the idea of a Cathedral Coast Walk, carpark at the top of Grange Road and a Lees the first stage of the Great Walks, was first Road carpark as a solution to Hahei’s problems. mooted, there was unease among the Hahei Saturday’s meeting was addressed by TCDC residents and ratepayers about the proposal. Mayor Glenn Leach, Mercury Bay Community Presented to them were, in essence, two walks Board Chairman Paul Kelly, Ngati Hei - from the Te Pupuha Blowhole south of Hahei representative Peter Matai Johnston and Gemma to Hahei village and from Cathedral Cove along White, local manager of the Department of Lees Road to the Stella Evered reserve on the Conservation. Purangi Estuary. Also presented to them were From what the speakers had to say, it was clear a pay and display car park at Pa Road at the that TCDC sees the pay and display carparks as entrance to Hahei and a pay and display car park a way to attract funding to not only maintain the on Lees Road. Cathedral Coast Walk, but also to upgrade the In February this year the joint Hahei Hahei infrastructure. A division of responsibility Ratepayers Association and Great Walks was also clearly spelled out - Council is to Stakeholders Group publicly urged TCDC not take responsibility for the Lees Road carpark to proceed with the Cathedral Coast Walk until and use that income for the Cathedral Coast TCDC Mayor Glenn Leach addressing the Hahei Great Walks meeting last week Saturday. Hahei’s infrastructure issues have been resolved Walk and the Community Board, under the Walk, the group with formal responsibility year than the Velodrome outside Cambridge and also stated that a “great walk” can never TCDC community empowerment model, will to develop the walk and at the moment made ever will, so some WRC funding should be be along Lees Road. They also urged TCDC to have access to the Pa Road carpark income to up of representatives of TCDC, Ngati Hei and channelled towards the walk. explore a walk around the coast. upgrade all of Hahei’s infrastructure, including DOC, will not merely impose its will on the I left the meeting thinking that some Leading up to last Saturday’s meeting, footpaths. people of Hahei and will work with the misunderstandings were cleared up. And I TCDC often stated that Whitianga will be the It was announced at the meeting that TCDC community to address concerns and find left the meeting genuinely hoping that the centre of a series of great walks in Mercury Bay, has in principle come to an arrangement with solutions for problems. governance group will keep to the fullest extent ideally from Hot Water Beach in the south to the owner of the land earmarked for a carpark on During question time, the Lees Road residents possible to their public undertaking to involve Kuaotunu in the north. The Hahei community Lees Road to be allowed to construct a carpark raised a number of concerns about increased received these statements with scepticism as for public use on the land. It was also announced traffic on the road and it was also asked why the the Hahei community in the finding of solutions, TCDC seemingly didn’t have a plan to cross the that plans are afoot to build a walkway around Hahei residents have no representation on the irrespective how trivial the problems may seem. Purangi River. the Purangi Estuary with a crossing of the governance group and why Waikato Regional And then I thought, really, the Hahei Also, earlier this year TCDC commissioned Purangi River at its narrowest point. Council has no involvement in the development community should have formal representation an independent traffic report from consultants All of the speakers assured the audience that of the walk. The comment was made that on the governance group. And now I’m waiting MWH, asking them to propose solutions for the governance group of the Cathedral Coast Cathedral Cove attracts far more people in a for someone to tell me that they disagree. •Kitchens •Laundries •Vanities •Walk in robes •Splash backs •Media Units Contact Carol Harker: 866 4111 or 027 22 66 289 www.kitchensoncoromandel.co.nz Rolla-Tilta-Sectional Garages and custom made doors Sleepouts Automatic Openers Houses We service all Your design or ours makes and models Licensed building practitioners 5 Year warranty on all new doors and openers All concrete work Ph 07 866 5544 or 027 493 2691 71a Cook Drive, Whitianga www.hoylandcontracting.co.nz Page 12 The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz Issue 665 - 2 December 2015.