A 1650-hectare recreational and adventure park in the Bay of Plenty opening this month is being heralded as the first in New Zealand to be tailored specifically to accommodate both active and passive recreation plus education activities.
The TECT (Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust) All Terrain Park is located on State Highway
36, midway between Tauranga and Rotorua and has been under development since 2008. The opening, on this Saturday will be the first time the public has access to and use of the first stage of development in the park.
The opening will be celebrated by a public Discovery Day featuring the various activities that will become permanent within the park.
While there are other adventure parks around New Zealand, the TECT All Terrain Park is unique for its size and diversity of terrain.
Divided into four large corners, the park enables active sports to be well separated from the passive and non-motorised activities.
On opening day, the park will cater for enthusiasts of motorsports, off-road four-wheel driving, motorbike and trail bike riding, mountain biking, target shooting, horse riding, walking, running, abseiling and dog sledding.
The $8.5 million park is jointly owned and governed by the Tauranga City Council and the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.
Naming rights to the park were given to TECT in acknowledgement of its contribution of $3.5 million towards the project.
Purchase of the land was triggered by demand from the sporting public. Population and urban spread in Tauranga city and the Western Bay district has squeezed out areas formerly used by many recreational clubs such as target shooting and motorsports that are at odds with residential development.
The TECT park is well away from the city and residential areas and will provide the wider community with an adventure park protected permanently from the pressures of urban growth.
Historical and cultural dimensions are integrated into the park's development reflecting Maori and early European history of the area in which the park resides. A number of local schools have already been involved in outdoor educational activities including tree planting, environmental monitoring, and designing and building the park's distinctive picnic tables.
For more information about TECT All Terrain Park, visit:
http://www.westernbay.govt.nz/Major-Projects/TECT-All-Terrain-Park
