Labour Weekend Camp in Tongariro forest

Forest and Bird, Volume 23, Issue 1, 1 February 1992, Page 48

Labour Weekend Camp in Tongariro forest

TRAMPING, waterfalls, caving, white-water rafting and horse riding were some of the Tongariro forest attractions sampled by Forest and Bird members over the Labour weekend. Members learnt of the intertwined histories of the Whanganui River and the Tongariro forest that nourishes its waters.

The weekend provided renewed impetus to the six-year campaign for the creation of a Tongariro Forest Park to protect for all time the native forests saved from the Forest Service clearance in 1985. The forest offers a pandora’s box of unexpected adventures for trampers, trail bikers, and hunters. As the low altitude partner to Tongariro National Park, it languishes with tracks unadvertised, no sign posts and with pioneer Japanese honeysuckle threatening invasion. The locals held an unofficial opening of a conservation park in December to publicise its attractions and to focus attention on the need for active conservation management for this major natural area of the King Country. At the unofficial opening, they were able to celebrate the Minister of Conservation’s decision to proceed as soon as possible with the formal process of gazetting a Tongariro Conservation Park. (Many thanks to everyone who wrote to the Minister, and to Denis Marshall himself for acting on these letters.) Forest and Bird are preparing a brochure about the tracks in Tongariro Forest. It will be available from Owhango township, so visitors can enjoy this forgotten forest. Basil Graeme