RECREATIONAL USE OF WHAKAREWAREWA FOREST PREPARED BY APR CONSULTANTS LTD FOR ROTORUA DISTRICT COUNCIL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UNIT OCTOBER 2007 Recreational Use of Whakarewarewa Forest 2007 FOREWORD Whakarewarewa Forest has provided a haven for recreational use for many years in Rotorua. This gem is largely untapped as a potential showcase for New Zealand as a premiere attraction for recreation, sporting, community, nature events and action tourism activities. This report was commissioned to gauge both the impact that the forest has on Rotorua and to determine further the sustainability of the forest as a valuable local and national resource for growing and cementing Rotorua as the place to work, live, invest and play. The intention of the forest management company to reduce the number of tree species in the forest has caused controversy with user groups and individuals. The ‘value’ both economically, socially, culturally and environmentally would be adversely affected should the reduction of species from the current levels occur. The respondents to the surveys in this report were asked about their views on the levels of reduction and corresponding impact on forest usage. Of major interest is the overall level of increase in visitors and forest recreational usage. Of specific note is the increased expenditure in mountain biking related activities from $1.94 million in 2005 to around $2.56 million in Rotorua over the past year. This is reflective of the surge in mountain biking as a recreational activity and the effect it has had on the local economy. As readers will note, overall mountain bike-related spending is estimated to be around $7.37 million or an average of $20,192 per day in Rotorua. The advent of the proposed runway extension to the Rotorua Regional Airport to allow Trans- Tasman flights, will add to the attractiveness of Rotorua as an International destination for ‘world events’ that can utilise local infrastructure and the forest. The growing number of events has significantly increased the number of domestic and international visitors to Rotorua that either come as participants or as spectators. As an example of these effects, the World Mountain bike Championships held in Rotorua in 2006, provided national and international coverage to mountain biking in the district. The event attracted 538 competitors, 1,572 accredited visitors, 246 media and around 40,000 spectators. The estimated television audience was 35.2 million while the website attracted in excess of 12 million hits. The Whakarewarewa Forest is a classic example of how sustainable land use by way of diversification from the original intended forestry to one of enduring recreational capability, could be adopted for future generations in New Zealand. Grant Kilby General Manager Economic Development Rotorua District Council APR Consultants Ltd ii Recreational Use of Whakarewarewa Forest 2007 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Brief This report was undertaken by APR Consultants Ltd (APR) for Destination Rotorua Economic Development, a unit of Rotorua District Council. The objectives of the project were to: 1. Quantify the recreational use of Whakarewarewa Forest and in particular the use related to major forest users such as mountain bikers, walkers, runners, horse riders and other recreational groups. 2. Estimate the economic impacts associated with recreational use of the forest. 3. Provide information on the characteristics of the forest that recreational users value. The report contains information gained from reviews of information about the history of the forest, user patterns from field counts of recreational users, and interviews/surveys with key stakeholders, Rotorua residents and forest users. Though outside of the original brief, interest expressed by forest users also prompted the development of an on-line survey which was completed by more than 1,500 people. A major focus of this study was estimating recreational values associated with the diversity of trees in the forest. History Whakarewarewa Forest is unique in terms of its location, history and people’s perception of the forest. Nowhere else in New Zealand is there a major forest available for recreation just five kilometres from a city centre. Whakarewarewa Forest is classified as a State Park and is therefore a protected area, though not one that needs to remain unchanged. State Parks are managed for a number of different purposes such as protection of soil, water and wildlife habitats, preservation of areas of scenic, historic or scientific importance, timber production and recreation. Whakarewarewa Forest is more than 100 years old with the first blocks of land purchased in 1896. Originally a Māori pā called Tokorangi, belonging to Ngāti Tangaroa-mihi, was situated on the northernmost hill overlooking Tarawera Road. There are a number of Māori legends relating to Whakarewarewa Forest and surrounding land, the most well known of which is that of Hatupatu and Kurangaituku, the ‘Bird Woman’. Planting of the forest began in 1899. It was one of several forests planted around that time in a bid to forestall a timber shortage that was predicted due to rapid deforestation of native forests. Determining which trees to plant in Rotorua in the early 1900s was a matter of trial and error. Due to difficulty in obtaining reliable seed, coupled with unseasonable frosts, few species were suitable for extensive cultivation in the area. The species grown were therefore as much the result of chance as due to deliberate design. The California redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) failed in most locations, now only surviving in pockets such as the Redwood Memorial Grove. Principal species grown in 1910 were European larch (Larix deciduas), Corsican pine (Pinus nigra var. laricio), Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Austrian pine (Pinus nigra var. austriaca), several species of eucalypts and to a lesser extent Radiata pine (Pinus radiata) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Most of the early planting was undertaken by good conduct prisoners, with the first camp being built at Waipa. Following an inventory of native forests in the early 1920s there was realisation that the forests would not regenerate as quickly as previously thought. This led to a decade of rapid planting of exotic species, mainly Radiata pine. Utilisation of timber from Whakarewarewa Forest began on a small scale in 1912 when several tree species were thinned and the thinning was used for firewood and mine props. The first logging contract was let in 1928 to cut timber for railway sleepers. Over APR Consultants Ltd iii Recreational Use of Whakarewarewa Forest 2007 the next ten years timber production for firewood, sleepers, mining props and fenceposts increased steadily until 1939 when the first large scale felling of Radiata pine began. All felled timber went to the newly established Waipa Mill. Demand for exotic timber increased in the 1950s due to increase interest from export markets for logs and also the opening of the Tasman Pulp and Paper Mill in Kawerau. New areas of planting began, with the Highlands Block (purchased 1964) and Waimangu Block (purchased 1975) incorporated into the Whakarewarewa Forest. Whakarewarewa Forest was officially designated as a Forest Park in late 1975 but moves had already been made prior to this for people to enjoy the forest recreationally. Several sites were opened as picnic areas and walking, BMX and motorbike tracks were also developed. The Visitor Information Centre was opened in 1978. Today Whakarewarewa Forest is a leading recreational facility, comprising around 5,700 hectares of forest, managed by Kaingaroa Timberlands on Crown Forest Licence land. Numerous ferns and shrubs (both native and introduced) are present as well as swamp plants and several species of native orchid. The variety of trees to be seen in Whakarewarewa Forest is far more than would be found in a more recently established forest and includes numerous species of pine, spruce, larch, acacias and eucalyptus as well as examples of walnut and chestnut. The forest is also home to numerous bird and insect species. Recreational Use Whakarewarewa Forest is well known as a recreation area for user groups including walkers, runners, mountain bikers, horse riders, dog owners, picnickers and tramping groups with many local and out-of-town visitors enjoying the recreational opportunities available. In 2005 a study by APR calculated forest usage at around 185,000 recreational user activities per annum. Of these, around 51,000 related to mountain biking. The 2005 study added to earlier APR studies undertaken in 1999 and 2004 to assess the recreational use, use of facilities and values that people associate with the forest. Recreational use in 2007 was estimated based on the results of an on-line survey, field survey, residents’ survey and field counts of recreational users and activities. All of these surveys have limitations and it is important that data is interpreted reliably. The data from these surveys was also compared to results from earlier work. As an example of the data needing careful interpretation, all 2007 surveys reported a small sample of people using the forest on a daily basis over the past year. These ranged from a low of 2.7% in the Rotorua residents’ survey, to 8.9% in the on-line survey and 9.2% in the field survey. It is likely these results are skewed upwards by recall bias and/or acquiescence bias. At the very least, inclement weather, Christmas Day and other low user days are likely to limit activity to less than 365 days per year. Even allowing for non use of the forest by respondents in the resident survey (39.0%) and on-line survey (16.6%) the average use of the forest as outlined by those in the surveys was 18.7 times per year for the resident’s survey, 49.9 times per year for the on-line survey and 51.6 times per year for the field survey. Surveys undertaken in 1999 and 2004 showed average annual use of 40.0 and 20.9 times respectively.