Schedule of Natural Character Values and Characteristics To be inserted into District Plan Working Draft as at 6 June 2018 CHARACTER CHARACTER CLASSIFICATION VALUES AND CHARACTERISTICS AREA AREA NAME NUMBER 1 Rocky Point – Te High Landforms: Puru Hill Country These elevated (approximately700m asl) coastal foothills branch steeply off a prominent ridgeline from the main Coromandel Range down towards the Firth of Thames. The sequence of largely intact spurs and gullies within the character area have a strong relief and jagged profile, drained by numerous streams. Vegetation Type, Cover and Patterns: A sequence of remnant and regenerating coastal forest cover along the ridges and slopes from shoreline up to lowland forest. Vegetation types include pohutukawa, kauri, broadleaf and small-leaved scrub, manuka and kanuka. The simple vegetation pattern reinforces the underlying topography. Cleared areas of pasture/grassland occupy some of the more moderate slopes and have been excluded from the character area. Sea / Estuarine Water Bodies: These elevated bush clad coastal slopes form a prominent backdrop to the Firth of Thames. The flat expanse of sea provides a noticeable contrast with the steeply rising hills, separated by a narrow rocky shoreline. Land Uses / Activities / Structure: The area within the character area includes public conservation land and is largely free of built development. Sizeable areas of coastal development have been excluded from the character area however several dwellings and associated infrastructure are scattered over the hills. Together with the wilding pines and farmland these modifications reduce cohesion and naturalness where they are adjacent to the character area boundary. Overall, the HNC area remains relatively undeveloped. Habitat Value: The area provides a varied habitat from coastal to elevated ridgelines with a low level of modification and extensive indigenous vegetation cover. The differences in slope and aspect due to the complexity of the landform and the numerous stream gullies further add to the variety of habitat available. 1 Natural Processes: The steep, complex coastal foothills are expressive of their volcanic origins and formative processes. Natural regeneration processes are legible in the sequence of vegetation cover from indigenous forest to regenerating shrublands. The stream gullies draining ridgelines to the sea are highly expressive of natural hydrological and erosional processes including visible deltas formed at stream mouths. Wildness/ Wilderness/ Remoteness: The proximity of built development along the coast and adjacent hills, affects the perceived remoteness of the HNC area. Despite this, the homogenous vegetation cover, and dissected and elevated landform impart a sense of wildness. Experiential Attributes: The Thames Coast Road is located close to the foreshore where visitors can appreciate the connection between the rocky platforms and river deltas along the coastline and the contrast with the vertical relief of the coastal hills. While the coastal settlements create nodes of modification on the coast, the sensory attributes associated with the HNC area and surrounds are considered high due to the strong coastal influence on the elevated slopes and extensive indigenous vegetation cover. Context/ Setting: These coastal foothills are part of a distinctive stretch of coast where the mountainous hinterland of the Coromandel Range drops steeply to the sea confining the coastline to a narrow corridor. While the hills are situated immediately north of the main settlement of Thames and are located within a sequence of modified and developed pastoral valleys and coastal settlements, the character area itself has limited modification. The extensive forest cover of the Range beyond, provides a strong and dominant contrast of vegetated ridges and slopes. Transient / Dynamic Attributes: The elevated slopes and westerly aspect over the Firth of Thames make the character area highly receptive to changing atmospheric conditions with the upper slopes being lost to low cloud in adverse weather. The regenerating and mature vegetation cover, birdlife and other fauna, and numerous streams all display transient qualities with variations in season and weather patterns. Night-time Values: Night-time values within the HNC area are considered generally high due to the absence of dwellings and lit structures and the topography and vegetation cover which limit light spill. However, where the character area is in close proximity to SH25 and settlements at Whakatete Bay, Ngarimu Bay and Thornton Bay, light pollution affects the perceived level of naturalness of the coastal environment. 2 Northern Te Puru High Landforms: Hill Country This small character area comprises intact moderately steep coastal slopes north of Te Puru Stream which provide the northern backdrop to the settlement at Te Puru. Rising to approximately 250m asl, 2 the character area forms the lower slopes of a much larger prominent ridgeline that connects to the main Coromandel Range. Vegetation Type, Cover & Patterns: The coastal slopes are covered by very good examples of indigenous secondary coastal. The vegetation forms a clear sequence that extends from the coastal fringe pohutukawa through to the broadleaf forest extending up the Coromandel Range. Vegetation includes pohutukawa forest, kauri, broadleaf and small-leaved scrub, fernland, manuka and kanuka. The vegetation pattern clearly reflects the underlying topography. A few wilding pines are apparent on steep slopes. Sea / Estuarine Water Bodies: The bushclad slopes within the character area form part of a sequence of landforms connecting the riparian margins of Te Puru Stream with the coastal escarpment above the foreshore and serve as a backdrop to the settlement locate at their base on a coastal alluvial fan. Land Uses / Activities / Structure: The landform on the coastal boundary has been modified by the development of the Thames Coromandel Road, however the character area is free from buildings and man-made structures. Wilding pines and nearby settlement does reduce the naturalness of the wider landscape. Habitat Value: Regenerating coastal forest covers the coastal slopes. From shoreline to lowland forest. Together with the low level of modification present, this forest sequence provides opportunities for varied habitat. Natural Process: The coastal slopes and the ranges beyond support a diversity of relatively intact native vegetation and legible vegetation patterns and regeneration processes. Together, the landform and vegetation clearly link the high ranges beyond with the stream and the sea; the steep bush clad southern slopes draining the ridgeline into Te Puru Stream are expressive of natural hydrological and erosion processes. Coastal alluvial processes are apparent in the formation of a fan where the settlement of Te Puru is located. Wildness / Wilderness / Remoteness: Despite the proximity to the settlement of Te Puru and its associated infrastructure, this character area imparts a sense of wildness due to its interplay with an active seascape, the narrow, enclosed Te Puru Stream valley, and the extensive vegetation cover that connects with the remote Coromandel Ranges. Experiential Attributes: The elevated landform, vegetation coverage and type and proximity to the Firth of Thames, convey a sense of naturalness and provide a short but scenic corridor for travellers on the Thames Coast Road and Te Puru Creek Road. Viewers can appreciate the connection between the coastline and stream and the contrasting bush covered slopes. 3 Context / Setting: The character area is situated between the Te Puru Stream and settlement to the south and a pastoral ridge to the north. It comprises the upper coastal orientated slopes that backdrop the settlement and form part of a long ridgeline connecting to the Coromandel Range. Above the settlement the character area is free of modification and connects to extensive forests in the hinterland. Transient / Dynamic Attributes: The extensive vegetation cover and types, birdlife and other fauna, and streams all impart transient qualities which vary with different seasons and weather patterns. The riparian and coastal boundaries of the character area provide opportunities to convey particularly noticeable dynamic natural attributes such as those associated with fluctuations in tide and river flow. Night-time Values: There is a high level of naturalness within the character area due to the absence of dwellings and limited exposure to lights. However, where the character area is in close proximity to SH25, and the dwellings and infrastructure at Te Puru, potential for light pollution does impact slightly on the perceived integrity of the naturalness of the coastal environment. 3 Waiomu Hill High Landforms: Country The small discrete character area comprises an intact landform of moderately steep, low coastal slopes located south of the settlement at Waiomu. Rising to approximately 200m asl, these coastal spurs branch off a large prominent ridgeline that ultimately connects to the main Coromandel Range. Vegetation Type, Cover & Patterns: The character area contains a sequence of well regenerating coastal forest and broadleaf and small- leaved scrub, the pattern clearly reflecting the underlying topography. Pohutukawa forest along the coastal boundary of the character area forms part of a corridor on both sides of the Thames Coromandel Road. Wilding pines are apparent in places. Sea / Estuarine Water Bodies: The character area