Hunua Trail: Visitor Amenities Analysis The New Zealand Tourism September 2018 Research Institute Table of contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 3 The audit approach .......................................................................................................... 5 Visitor Amenities Analysis ................................................................................................ 6 Database and map of visitor amenities ................................................................................. 6 Web Audit ............................................................................................................................ 12 Wikipedia ......................................................................................................................... 12 Visibility on national tourism portals ............................................................................... 12 Regional level – Auckland ................................................................................................ 13 Local level ......................................................................................................................... 13 Social media ..................................................................................................................... 14 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 14 On-site experience audit ...................................................................................................... 15 Hunua ............................................................................................................................... 15 Clevedon .......................................................................................................................... 16 The proposed route to the Hunua Trail from Auckland CBD ........................................... 17 Hunua Trail: Tourism sector opportunities ...................................................................... 18 Benchmarking – examples of good practice ........................................................................ 20 Challenges ............................................................................................................................ 20 Conclusions and recommendations................................................................................. 21 Immediate actions ............................................................................................................... 22 i Acknowledgement: The New Zealand Tourism Research Institute (NZTRI) at the Auckland University of Technology AUT) conducted this research on behalf of the Franklin Local Board. This report was prepared by Carolyn Deuchar, Eilidh Thorburn and Simon Milne, with contributions from Suzanne Histen, Karin Malacarne, Birthe Bakker, and Nathaniel Dobbin. NZTRI acknowledges support from Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED), Inovo Projects Ltd and Watercare Services during the research. ii Introduction This report presents findings from a visitor amenities analysis (VAA) in the Wairoa Subdivision of the Franklin Ward (or ‘the area’). The goal of the VAA is to understand the nature of tourism products, facilities/resources, and experiences available in the area. The research was commissioned by Franklin Local Board (FLB) and will inform the development of the proposed Hunua Trail Project; emphasising the tourism opportunities associated with the Trail. The Franklin Local Board area is a collection of urban, rural and coastal landscapes across three subdivisions (Waiuku, Pukekohe and Wairoa) and is proximate to the resident populations and tourists of Auckland Central, Coromandel, and north Waikato. The Wairoa subdivision is home to the Hunua Ranges and includes several recognised visitor attractions (e.g. Clevedon Farmers Market, Pohutukawa Coast Trail) as well as many other high-quality opportunities that are relatively unknown but offer the potential for memorable experiences to be further developed. The area features lush forests, rich farming countryside, as well as east coast beaches and is close to hundreds of kilometres of cycling trails in the Waikato. The geographic area covered by the VAA stretches from Bombay in the south, Ardmore, Whitford, and Maraetai, through to Kawakawa Bay and Orere Point, and includes Hunua as well as Clevedon and the township of Beachlands in the north (see Figure 1). Figure 1: The research area: Wairoa subdivision Source: Auckland Council, Franklin Local Board area map 3 The Hunua Trail is an economic development project with a visitor focus. The proposed trail is part of a broader vision to create “world-class cycling (plus walking and boating) routes linking Auckland’s CBD to the Firth of Thames, Hauraki Rail Trail and south – to the Coromandel Peninsula and Waikato improving access to, and through, two remarkable natural areas of the Auckland region – the Hunua Ranges and along the Hauraki Gulf coast from Clevedon to Kaiaua” (Adams & Bamford, TRC Tourism, 2016, 2). The first stage of the proposed Hunua Trail is a cycle and walking trail through existing routes in the Hunua Ranges, that could then link to the Hauraki Rail trail, the Firth of Thames and south to Waikato and the Coromandel (Figure 2). The long-term vision is to link two areas (through the Hunua Ranges and along the coast from Clevedon to Kaiaua) with a proposed circular cycling and walking route to connect the Hunua Ranges with the Hauraki Gulf Coast - from Clevedon to Kaiaua (or specifically, Whakatiwai, just north of Kaiaua). Figure 2: Proposed route of the Hunua Trail Source: Adams & Bamford (2016) Franklin Auckland South | World Class Cycling & Recreation Opportunities The report commences with a review of the research approach and then summarises findings from the audit. The report concludes with a set of immediate actionable outcomes that highlight opportunities to make more of the area as a visitor destination as well as identifying tourism sector opportunities the Hunua Trail could bring that would complement the existing tourism offer. The report should be read in conjunction with Appendix 1 Inventory of assets, services and attractions Wairoa FLB.xls, and Appendix 2 Audit of the web presence of the Wairoa FLB subdivision (visitor experience). Full reports from the onsite experience audit of Clevedon and Hunua, and Appendices, Maps and related documents are available on http://www.nztri.org.nz/hunua 4 The audit approach The VAA is based on a local tourism audit (online and onsite experience audit) to catalogue and map visitor amenities in the area. The audit focuses on how these could link to a wider cycling and walking experience around the Hunua Trail. The VAA also considers other walks and trails, including the national Te Araroa trail/walk which enters the northern area of the Wairoa Subdivision and goes through Clevedon. An inventory of tourism assets (Appendix 1) was developed using desk-based (online) research. Data was transferred to and plotted on a Google Map that shows visitor attractions and activities including a rich array of tourism offerings in the area. The map is available on http://www.nztri.org.nz/hunua and provides visual representations of tourism offerings in the area. Taking a visitor perspective, a local visitor audit was conducted to see how visible and interactive places in the area are (online and onsite). Our team of five auditors (‘Mystery Visitors’) consisted of two international and three domestic visitors of mixed age-groups. Three of the auditors are avid trampers, ‘hard core’ cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts (including kayaking); the others are interested in moderate cycling, walking, nature/birdlife, rural environments, culture and heritage, and/or good food. Three auditors had visited the area previously. The Mystery Visitors conducted onsite audits, visiting two localities in proximity to the proposed Hunua Trail – Clevedon and Hunua. To add another dimension, two of the team completed an excursion to experience the proposed route from Auckland CBD. Hiring bikes in Central Auckland, auditors took the train to Manurewa and cycled to Auckland Botanic Gardens and onto Clevedon. Onsite audits were guided by the following themes: • Wayfinding: Can the visitor find their way, or do they get lost? How effective is street signage? Where can the visitor find information? • Interpretation and learning: Are there opportunities to learn about (for example) the Hunua Ranges, local birdlife, flora and fauna, conservation initiatives, and local culture/heritage? • A connected experience: To what extent would visitors to the Hunua Trail be enticed to explore the broader area? Are visitors who are making use of natural/community resources encouraged to visit nearby retail areas? NZTRI mystery visitors reviewed the ability of each of the two localities (Hunua and Clevedon) to create a positive visitor experience and considered the level of attractiveness of the local attractions and retail offerings that would bring visitors to the research area. To understand ‘what’s on the web’ for potential visitors to the Hunua Trail, an audit of the web presence of the area was also conducted by the team at several scales: national (visitors seeking tourism information on New Zealand), regional (visitors seeking tourism information on Auckland) and local (for visitors