Pāpāmoa Hills walk and talk delves into history

Regional councillor Kat McMillan will lead a walk and talk up Pāpāmoa Hills on Monday.

Anyone who has driven past the Pāpāmoa Hills regularly is likely to have seen evidence of changes that have been made to the regional park.

On Monday, there is a chance to dive a little deeper into the park’s development and the history of the area with a twilight walk and talk guided by regional councillor Kat McMillan.

The walk starts at 6pm and is part of the month-long Sustainable Backyards programme organised by Tauranga-based Envirohub.

“The idea is it’s a really inclusive event,” Kat says. “I’ll do a bit of a review down at the bottom where we’ve got the 3D map and the storytelling boards - so people can gather there and we will kōrero [talk] there.

“Then we’ll head up and walk nice and slowly and people can ask questions along the way, chat to me and chat to each other.”

There are eight pā sites on the hill and the area has cultural and archaeological significance.

“It’s only recently that we have actually recognised all of that with storyboards,” Kat says.

“It will be good to be able to point things out and let people read the signs and let them enjoy the park.”

Spectacular views, especially at sunrise and sunset, are another asset of the park and the plan is to watch the sunset before descending

The event is free and it is suggested that people wear good walking shoes and take a head torch if they intend to stay for the sunset.

“It’s cool to be partnering with Envirohub to be able to showcase the regional park,” Kat says.