Paparoa National Park is on the west coast of the
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
![Paparoa VC 27](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Paparoa_VC_27.jpg)
The park was established in 1987 and encompasses 430 km
2 (166 sq mi). The park ranges from on or near the coastline to the peaks of the
Paparoa Range
The Paparoa Range is a mountain range in the West Coast Region, West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It was the first New Zealand land seen by a European – Abel Tasman in 1642. Part of the range has the country's highest protection ...
. A separate section of the park lies to the north and is centred at Ananui Creek. The park protects a
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
area. The park contains several
cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
s, of which
Metro Cave / Te Ananui Cave is a commercial
tourist
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...
attraction. The majority of the park is forested with a wide variety of vegetation. The park was the site of the 1995
Cave Creek disaster
The Cave Creek disaster occurred on 28 April 1995 when a scenic viewing platform in Paparoa National Park, New Zealand, collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 14 people. The victims, 13 of whom were Tai Poutini Polytechnic students, fell onto roc ...
where fourteen people died as a result of the collapse of a scenic viewing platform.
The
Paparoa Track
The Paparoa Track is a shared hiking and mountain biking track located in Paparoa National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. The track was created as a memorial for the 29 miners who lost their lives in the Pike River Mine disaster. ...
, one of
New Zealand's Great Walks, runs through the park.
The small settlement of
Punakaiki
Punakaiki is a small village on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located between Westport and Greymouth on , the only through-road on the West Coast. Punakaiki is immediately adjacent to Paparoa National Park, and is a ...
, adjacent to the
Pancake Rocks and Blowholes
The Pancake Rocks and Blowholes are a coastal rock formation at Punakaiki on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. They are a popular visitor attraction.
Location
The Pancake Rocks and Blowholes are located at Dolomite Point, ...
tourist attraction, lies on the edge of the park. The park is also located near the towns of
Westport,
Greymouth
Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...
, and
Barrytown
Barrytown (originally known as Seventeen Mile Beach and Fosbery) is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. Barrytown sits on and is north of Runanga, on the Barrytown Flats. Punakaiki is further north. The town is nea ...
.
Location
Paparoa National Park is located in the northern
West Coast region
The West Coast ( mi, Te Tai Poutini, lit=The Coast of Poutini, the Taniwha) is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island that is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. ...
of the South Island, between the
Buller River
The Buller River ( mi, Kawatiri) is a river in the South Island of New Zealand. One of the country's longest rivers, it flows for from Lake Rotoiti through the Buller Gorge and into the Tasman Sea near the town of Westport. Within the Bulle ...
(Kawatiri) and the
Grey River (Māwheranui). It includes the western side of the
Paparoa Range
The Paparoa Range is a mountain range in the West Coast Region, West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It was the first New Zealand land seen by a European – Abel Tasman in 1642. Part of the range has the country's highest protection ...
and some separate eastern sections along the
Inangahua River
The Inangahua River is located in the northwest of New Zealand’s South Island. It is a major tributary of the Buller River, which it joins at the town of Inangahua Junction.
The Inangahua River begins near the Rahu Saddle and flows northwest f ...
. The park covers the catchment areas of the
Punakaiki
Punakaiki is a small village on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located between Westport and Greymouth on , the only through-road on the West Coast. Punakaiki is immediately adjacent to Paparoa National Park, and is a ...
,
Pororari and
Fox (Potikohua) rivers and
Bullock Creek (Punungairo), and also the
Metro / Te Ananui cave system and the southern side of the
Tiropahi River catchment.
History of establishment
In 1976, the
Federated Mountain Clubs had identified the northern part of the Paparoa Ranges as a potential wilderness area. In 1979, the
Native Forest Action Council
Native Forest Action Council was an environmental organisation in New Zealand.
It was formed in 1975 from what was the Beech Forest Action Committee to advocate for the protection of native forests and changed its name to the Maruia Society in ...
proposed a 130,000 hectare national park, including the northern Paparoa Ranges and land to the north and east. This eventually led to the National Parks and Reserves Authority identifying the western Paparoa Range as a prospective national park. Meanwhile, a joint proposal by the
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, abbreviated DSIR was the name of several British Empire organisations founded after the 1923 Imperial Conference to foster intra-Empire trade and development.
* Department of Scientific and Industria ...
and the National Museum succeeded in having a core area of great ecological significance – the forests of the lowland karst
syncline
In structural geology, a syncline is a fold with younger layers closer to the center of the structure, whereas an anticline is the inverse of a syncline. A synclinorium (plural synclinoriums or synclinoria) is a large syncline with superimpose ...
– gazetted as the Pororari Ecological Area in 1979.
The initial proposal for a large park incorporating the wilderness area was rejected, but after seven rounds of submissions, and help from other environment groups including the
Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society
Forest & Bird ( mi, Te Reo o te Taiao), also known by its formal name as the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, is an environmental organisation specialising in the protection and conservation of New Zealand's indigenous f ...
, an area of 30,327 hectares was gazetted as Paparoa National Park on 23 November 1987.
Landforms
The park has diverse geology and a variety of landforms including mountain, lowlands and coastal terrain.
Mountains
More than half the park is best described as mountainous, from the eastern edge of the
syncline
In structural geology, a syncline is a fold with younger layers closer to the center of the structure, whereas an anticline is the inverse of a syncline. A synclinorium (plural synclinoriums or synclinoria) is a large syncline with superimpose ...
to the crest of the main range. On their eastern side, an assortment of hanging valleys,
truncated spur
A truncated spur is a spur, which is a ridge that descends towards a valley floor or coastline from a higher elevation, that ends in an inverted-V face and was produced by the erosional truncation of the spur by the action of either streams, wa ...
s, towering bluffs and cirques overlook deep forested valleys running
north and south.
The predominant ancient
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
and
gneiss
Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...
rocks of the Paparoa mountains bear a closer
geological resemblance to those in distant
Fiordland
Fiordland is a geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the westernmost third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes, ...
than to the main range of the
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...
. This is because the
Alpine Fault
The Alpine Fault is a geological fault that runs almost the entire length of New Zealand's South Island (c. 480 km) and forms the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate. The Southern Alps have been uplifted on the fa ...
has separated them from their original neighbours over the
last 10 million years.
Karst
![Paparoa 28](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Paparoa_28.jpg)
Rivers flowing from the Paparoa Ranges pass through the limestone syncline, creating subterranean waterways and extensive cave systems that are one of the features of the park.
The main rivers are the
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
,
Pororari and
Punakaiki
Punakaiki is a small village on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located between Westport and Greymouth on , the only through-road on the West Coast. Punakaiki is immediately adjacent to Paparoa National Park, and is a ...
. Another of the rivers is Cave Creek, site of the 1995
Cave Creek disaster
The Cave Creek disaster occurred on 28 April 1995 when a scenic viewing platform in Paparoa National Park, New Zealand, collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 14 people. The victims, 13 of whom were Tai Poutini Polytechnic students, fell onto roc ...
. Cave Creek is fed by a complex cave system.
Upstream of the Xanadu and Taurus Major
sinkholes
A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...
, on
Bullock Creek (the most northerly on the west coast, others being near
Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to:
People
* Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan
* Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning
* Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland
Places
* RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...
and
Fox Glacier
Fox Glacier (; officially Fox Glacier / Te Moeka o Tuawe) is a temperate maritime glacier located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Like nearby Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier is one of th ...
), a
polje
A polje, also karst polje or karst field, is a large flat plain found in karstic geological regions of the world, with areas usually . The name derives from the Slavic languages and literally means 'field', whereas in English ''polje'' specific ...
of up to about square and deep can form after heavy rain. Bush felling and drainage took place in the polje from the 1870s, but the wetland ecology has been undergoing restoration since 1986. The other large polje in this country is at
Lake Disappear
Lake Disappear is an intermittent volcanogenic lake (see also turlough and polje) situated in the North Island of New Zealand, just over 20 km from Raglan, 4 km beyond Bridal Veil waterfall. It has also been described as a solution ...
in Waikato.
The river gorges, confined by high, forest-crowned limestone cliffs, provide a means of access to the park's
karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
interior. However, in many of the tributaries the gorges are narrow, steep and include waterfalls. Dry, mossy streambeds, karren, sinkholes (or dolines), blind valleys and basins where water emerges from caves or vanishes into sinks are all indicators of the complex subterranean system beneath. Intricate systems of shafts, passages and caverns have been slowly formed by the continual effects of water through the soluble limestone. The forest ensures that this process continues by supplying decaying vegetation to add to the acidity in the flowing water. The largest single feature in the karst region is the Barrytown syncline. Limestone is exposed on both flanks of the syncline with more recent gravels and mudstones occupying the low-lying area in between. These more easily erodible rocks overlie interstratal karst. The majority of known cave systems are in the western side of the limestone syncline where underground drainage patterns are concentrated mainly along horizontal lines of weakness in the
bedding planes
In geology, a bed is a layer of sediment, sedimentary rock, or pyroclastic material "bounded above and below by more or less well-defined bedding surfaces".Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. Jackson, eds., 2005. ''Glossary of Geology'' ...
.
Coastal region
![Fox River- Paparoa National Park, New Zealand](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Fox_River-_Paparoa_National_Park%2C_New_Zealand.jpg)
The Paparoa coastline is characterised by high cliffs cut away by waves from the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...
, with indented coves and sandy beaches. There are small islands offshore and rock pillars. These terraces were once islands, which became part of the mainland when New Zealand was uplifted quite recently in its geological history. The most well known feature of the coastal region is the
Pancake Rocks and Blowholes
The Pancake Rocks and Blowholes are a coastal rock formation at Punakaiki on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. They are a popular visitor attraction.
Location
The Pancake Rocks and Blowholes are located at Dolomite Point, ...
at Dolomite Point, near Punakaiki, where evenly layered stacks of platey limestone have been eroded in places to form surge pools and
blowholes.
The
Truman Track
The Truman Track is a short, easy walking track located north of Punakaiki, in the coastal Paparoa National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. Although only long, it has been described as "one of the most delightful and interesting short ...
, located north of Punakaiki, provides access from to a headland via a short walk through coastal forest of ferns, nikau palms, podocarps and rātā, with flax nearer the coastline.
Wildlife
Bird habitats within the park range from on or near the coastline to the peak of the Paparoa Ranges. Several species such as tui, bellbird, kaka, New Zealand pigeon and parakeets migrate from winter habitat in the lower forests to summer habitat in the upland forests.
A significant feature of the coast is the colony of the rare seabird, the
Westland petrel
The Westland petrel (''Procellaria westlandica''), (Māori: ''tāiko''), also known as the Westland black petrel, is a moderately large seabird in the petrel family Procellariidae, that is endemic to New Zealand. Described by Robert Falla in 194 ...
or tāiko, that is located on densely forested terraces just south of Punakaiki river. The Westland petrel breeding site at Punakaiki has been identified as an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
, by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
.
Large colonies of
New Zealand fur seal
''Arctocephalus forsteri'' (common names include the Australasian fur seal, South Australian fur seal, New Zealand fur seal, Antipodean fur seal, or long-nosed fur seal) is a species of fur seal found mainly around southern Australia and New Z ...
s have been established adjacent areas around
Westport such as at
Cape Foulwind
Cape Foulwind is a headland on the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, overlooking the Tasman Sea. It is located west of the town of Westport, New Zealand, Westport. There is a lighthouse located on a promin ...
. Rare
southern elephant seal
The southern elephant seal (''Mirounga leonina'') is one of two species of elephant seals. It is the largest member of the clade Pinnipedia and the order Carnivora, as well as the largest extant marine mammal that is not a cetacean. It gets it ...
s and
leopard seal
The leopard seal (''Hydrurga leptonyx''), also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). Its only natural predator is the orca. It feeds on a wide range of prey incl ...
s also visit.
Hector's dolphin
Hector's dolphin (''Cephalorhynchus hectori'') is one of four dolphin species belonging to the genus ''Cephalorhynchus''. Hector's dolphin is the only cetacean endemic to New Zealand, and comprises two subspecies: ''C. h. hectori'', the more nu ...
s (some of the highest population densities in the nation) and some other dolphins including
killer whale
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pa ...
s
can be observed close to shores as well. For whales, their number is still very small, but various species have been observed.
Protection from mining
Although Paparoa National Park is protected from mining by Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act, there have been proposals to allow some mining within the park's borders. On 22 March 2010, the Energy and Resources Minister
Gerry Brownlee
Gerard Anthony Brownlee (born 4 February 1956) is a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand National Party. He has been a Member of Parliament since 1996, was Leader of the House, Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery and Minister of ...
and Conservation Minister
Kate Wilkinson
Kate Wilkinson (October 25, 1916 – February 9, 1993) was an American stage, film and television actress.
Career
She is best known to TV audiences for her roles as Viola Stapleton in the CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light'', a role she played ...
released a discussion paper including a proposal to remove 7,058 hectares of land from Schedule Four of the
Crown Minerals Act 1991
__NOTOC__
The Crown Minerals Act is an Act of Parliament passed in 1991 in New Zealand. It controls the management of Crown owned minerals. Potential changes to Schedule 4 of the Act created controversy and opposition in 2010. The definition of ...
, including the Inangahua sector of Paparoa National Park. The area of the Inangahua sector included in this proposal was 3,315 hectares, or 8 per cent of the park. The proposed change would remove the prohibition on mining for the area concerned.
On 26 March 2010, a spokesman for Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee said that opencast mining in Paparoa National Park could not be ruled out.
On 20 July 2010, in a joint statement by Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee and Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson, the Government announced that it had received 37,552 submissions on its discussion paper, and that it had decided not to remove any land from Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act for the purposes of further mineral exploration or extraction. Ms Wilkinson said the government had agreed to continue with its proposal to add 14 areas with a total of 12,400 hectares of land to Schedule 4, including 240 hectares of Paparoa National Park (the northwest addition).
Enlargement of the National Park
Following the liquidation of
Pike River Coal
Pike River Coal Ltd was a mining company listed on the NZX, New Zealand and Australian Securities Exchange, Australian stock exchanges. Its primary operation was the Pike River Mine, the site of a Pike River Mine disaster, mining disaster with ...
,
Solid Energy
Solid Energy was the largest coal mining company in New Zealand and is a state owned enterprise of the New Zealand Government.
The company was formed from the former government department State Coal Mines. It was then established as a state owne ...
purchased the assets of the company. The government then purchased the 3580 ha of land around the Pike River Mine. The environment minister,
Nick Smith, announced on 15 November 2015 that the 3,580 ha of land was to be added to the Park.
Paparoa Track and Pike29 Memorial Track
A walkway, the
Paparoa Track
The Paparoa Track is a shared hiking and mountain biking track located in Paparoa National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. The track was created as a memorial for the 29 miners who lost their lives in the Pike River Mine disaster. ...
from
Blackball
Blackball, black-ball, black ball, blackballed, or blackballing may refer to:
* Blackballing, a rejection in a traditional form of secret ballot
Film
* ''Blackball'' (film), a 2003 film starring Paul Kaye
* '' Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Stor ...
to
Punakaiki
Punakaiki is a small village on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located between Westport and Greymouth on , the only through-road on the West Coast. Punakaiki is immediately adjacent to Paparoa National Park, and is a ...
and the ''Pike29 Memorial Track'' were constructed through the park as a memorial to the 29 miners lost in the 2010
Pike River Mine disaster
The Pike River Mine disaster was a coal mining accident that began on 19 November 2010 in the Pike River Mine, northeast of Greymouth, in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island following a methane explosion at approximately 3:44 pm ...
. Most of the families of the victims approved, but there has been some criticism because
Solid Energy
Solid Energy was the largest coal mining company in New Zealand and is a state owned enterprise of the New Zealand Government.
The company was formed from the former government department State Coal Mines. It was then established as a state owne ...
decided in 2014 that it was too risky to re-enter the mine to recover any remains from the mine.
![Paparoa 27](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Paparoa_27.jpg)
The formation of the Paparoa Track has been a catalyst for the emerging adventure sports community on the West Coast with events such as The Paparoa
which features trail running and mountain biking over the track. The event is based around the regions mining history and also celebrates the number of exceptional female adventure athletes the region has produced such as Casey Brown, Ruth Croft and Emily Miazga.
See also
*
National parks of New Zealand
The national parks of New Zealand are protected natural areas administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC). The first national parks established in the country were all focused on mountain scenery. Since the 1980s the focus has been ...
*
Forest parks of New Zealand
Conservation park is a type of specially protected status for land held by the Crown in New Zealand for conservation purposes. The status is set up under the Conservation Act 1987 and the parks are administered by the Department of Conservation (D ...
*
Regional parks of New Zealand
Regional parks of New Zealand are protected areas administered by Regions of New Zealand, regional councils, the top tier of local government in New Zealand, local government.
Auckland Region
There are 31 regional parks in the Auckland Region man ...
*
Protected areas of New Zealand
Protected areas of New Zealand are areas that are in some way protected to preserve their environmental, scientific, scenic, historical, cultural or recreational value. There are about 10,000 protected areas covering about a third of the country. ...
*
Conservation in New Zealand
Conservation in New Zealand has a history associated with both Māori and Europeans. Both groups of people caused a loss of species and both altered their behaviour to a degree after realising their effect on indigenous flora and fauna.
Protected ...
References
External links
Paparoa National Park mapPaparoa National Park Short WalksInland Pack TrackMarch Against Mining in Paparoa National Park
{{authority control
National parks of New Zealand
Buller District
Grey District
Protected areas established in 1987
Important Bird Areas of New Zealand
Protected areas of the West Coast, New Zealand
Paparoa National Park