Pa¯ in the park work starts at river beach
The edge of a popular beach by the Manawatu¯ River in Palmerston North is undergoing a transformation to honour its cultural history and provide a picnic space.
Known to locals as Waitoetoe Beach, the area is part of a parkwide redevelopment that includes a name change to Ahimate Park after Rangita¯ ne o Manawatu¯ asked for an ancestral pa¯ site to be recognised.
In other parts of the reserve, work is under way to create a limestone path route for dog walkers, with agility features for the dogs.
And by the middle of next year, a much-anticipated fenced dog park is expected to be ready for use.
At the moment, the most visible changes are at the approach to the beach, where willows and other exotic trees and vegetation have been razed.
City council leisure assets planner Jason Pilkington said the project was going through a phase where it was going to look bad before it got better.
There were still stumps to grind and weeds such as blackberry to be poisoned before grass could be established to stabilise the silty ground, and it would be next winter before native trees and shrubs could be planted.
A few trees had been preserved to provide shade over the new area that would be Ahimate marae a¯ tea, the open area traditionally in front of marae buildings.
Pilkington said the riverside pathway would be moved inland to create the space, and some pine trees would be felled and outdoor furniture created.
The cultural significance of Ahimate pa¯ would be honoured with a series of pou carved by Warren Warbrick using timber rescued from logs washed downstream after erosion at the Ashhurst Domain.
At the upstream end of the site, piles were being dropped into the river in preparation for building a waka launch ramp.
Pilkington said the ramp would double as a great place for children to play at the river’s edge.
Over the other side of the river and overlooking Ahimate was another pa¯ , Turitea, which would be marked when the He Ara Kotahi shared pathway being built from the Fitzherbert Bridge to Linton reached that far.
‘‘Some people might be upset by the changes, which is understandable, but I think once it is finished they will be pretty happy,’’ Pilkington said.
‘‘It will be aesthetically beautiful and contemplative. Parts are going to be full of people, but we also have to keep the wilderness feel that people appreciate.’’
The council’s sport and recreation committee has recommended adopting the name Ahimate Park.
Pilkington said work on the marae a¯tea would be the most obvious physical change over the next two years.
The dog park was programmed for the first half of 2018, and a car park the year after.
There would also be children’s play opportunities such as nets in trees, log scrambles and panels to encourage building forts.
The Ahimate Reserve Community has already adopted the name change.
Spokeswoman Rachel Keedwell said she liked the way tree removal had opened up views of the river.
The Friends of Waitoetoe Park have wound up their group after years of contributing to the park’s maintenance.
Convenor Iola Haggarty said Waitoetoe had never been her choice of name for the park, and she was comfortable with Rangita¯ ne’s call.
‘‘We need to be more involved with our cultural history. It used to have a lovely spiritual feel, and I would like to get that back.’’