A group of Manakau residents want to know what's happening with their favourite river spot and the adjacent Department of Conservation Waikawa campsite.
The Department of Conservation has closed vehicle access and slashed maintenance of a community reserve and free river camping site near Manakau.
A huge new $10,000 steel gate has appeared at the top of the hill leading to the popular day-time swimming spot, and some Manakau residents are fuming at the lack of consultation.
The Waikawa Reserve campsite and river is a publicly owned reserve overseen by DoC, which this week locked the gate and gave keys to a select few private landowners, and forestry and electricity contractors.
But some locals and regular users of the reserve are outraged at a lack of consultation.
Kuku man Greg Moffatt said he was concerned the decision to close vehicle access to a public reserve and cease maintenance obligations was made without any public consultation.
"Very few people realise this is happening and the reasons we have been given are spurious," he said.
It was the only public swimming or camping site in the area, made even more important with the 2020 slip blocking road access to Ōtaki Forks Reserve further south, he said.
Moffatt said in 2017 locals had a huge working bee, painting and cleaning up the site, but the onus to maintain what was a public reserve should really be funded and remain the responsibility of DoC.
"An immense amount of people use the site. It's a great swimming hole for kids. You can't put a price on it."
Local man Paul Hapeta said there should be enough money in any annual budget to maintain the site to a respectable level.
"What would it cost?" he asked.
"DoC administer it. But we all own it. They are the mandated authority to look after these parks and reserves on our behalf. They are reneging in their responsibility in saying they haven't got the budget."
He was concerned that any reviews into its closure chewed up money that was better spent on the site itself.
"And how much did that big gate cost?" he said.
Hapeta said a major problem brewing was the absence of a parking area, and cars would now be prone to theft. Forcing cars to park on the roadside well away from the site would only lead to trouble.
"Everywhere where you can't provide visual security is an open invitation..."
Nearby property owner John Page was concerned there had been no consultation pre-decision, and said there were underlying questions about DoC's short-term plans, too.
"It's not so much about being for or against. It's about full disclosure and process. Why? And what are the options?"
"How are they going to manage any problems in the interim? What is the tenure going to be short-term?"
Keen mountain runner Briar Moffatt said it wasn't just swimmers and campers using the site. The car park was used regularly by a large amount of cyclists, runners and trampers as an access point to Tararua Forest Park.
It was important for the well-being of communities that shared green spaces and camping sites remained accessible and were maintained, she said.
"We should at least talk about it," she said.
DoC operations manager Kāpiti-Wellington Angus Hulme-Moir said at this stage the closure was temporary because there was no money in the current budget to continue maintaining the reserve.
The issue would not be revisited until DoC's next budget round at the beginning of the financial year, July 1. Long-drop toilets at the reserve would be cleaned once a month in the interim, and the site would be periodically checked for rubbish.
Hulme-Moir said Covid-19 had impacted DoC's funding significantly and the reserve was a low-priority site.
He said heightened vandalism and dumping of rubbish at the site had increased costs, and it had "very low" use as a free camping site. Earlier this week more rubbish was again found dumped.
"People can still access the site, though. People can still swim there," he said.
DoC had installed bollards to stop vehicles ripping up grass areas and had increased security in recent times because of an increase in problem behaviour, which had raised the ire of neighbours nearby, he said.
"It's not a shiny site," he said.
There were instances where a third party could be engaged to manage a site on DoC's behalf, but in this case financial returns would be limited.
DoC figures showed maintenance of the site had an estimated cost of $20,000 last year,
An estimated 300 hours had been set aside to maintain the reserve - the cost of which was not quantified and included in the annual spend - although the amount spent on annual lawn mowing was set at $7,200, which equated to $138 each week.
There was an entry for summer portaloo hire at $2912, with additional toilets to meet summer demand.
Other costs were road re-grading ($4038, spread over two years), contractor repairs $3135 (variable, depending on the amount of vandalism), summer skip bin hire ($1000), while estimated transport and field equipment costs were set at $500 apiece.
The cost of security guard hire for New Year's Eve was $626.
Visitors to the site had generally given it good reviews in recent years on the DoC website, although there had been polarising comments about the state of the long-drop toilets.
Alice (7 out of 10) said they had the place to themselves "although the fire pit was cluttered with random rubbish, but the long drop toilet is ok."
Unnaleese (8/10): "Our camping experience at Waikawa Campsite was very pleasant. There is usually plenty of space to set up and do your own thing. There are bush walks to do, easy access river (boil before using), and we particularly loved waking up to the birds. For a free campsite, Waikawa is nice."
JT (7/10): "The little dump toilet was horrible. Uneven surface, but a lot of space and a good place for one night. Take a bath in the river if you want to."
Isabel (7/10): "It is a beautiful spot right within nature. There is plenty of room for vans, tents and larger motorhomes. Only negative is the little dump toilet. It really should be renewed and is just nasty. Apart from that it is a great spot and a good starting point for some walks and hikes as well."
Nad (7/10): "Beautiful place but the toilets are not so clean!"
Lizzy (7/10): "Really pretty area and nice areas to walk around and nice to hear the river. Had a cool shelter with fire pit. Someone had ripped up the grass so was muddy and could not camp in a lot of the grounds and the long drops were pretty gross. We would still stay here again."
sidcupjon (7/10) "A free DOC campsite, no different to some of the paid DOC campsites, so its a bargain!"
Amy (5/10): "It was near the river but the toilet was horrible! It smelled, didn't have toilet paper, lots of spiders and only one onsite. The trash was overflowing and the campgrounds smelled. It was worth the price...free!"
Kirsty (10/10): "Nice little campground amongst the birds and the trees. Drop loo problem seems to have been sorted - it was nice and clean and even had toilet paper. Would happily camp there again."
Rhea (7/10): "Really pretty DOC campground but the drop loo was terrible. There was also a cat (from a caravan) that kept trying to get our food! Also a few sand flies, but the stunning waterhole made up for it all.
Pei: (9/10): "Awesome place with a good view during autumn time, could see tui, and if you are lucky, you will have some fruits on the trees. Pitching a tent, lights a fire, having a cold bath, great!!"
Mycall (8/10): "Equally well resourced and looked after as many DOC sites that you have to pay for. This free site is very well situated if you are travelling on SH1. Just to update or correct other reviews, there are long drop toilets but not that many so I could imagine they might get a bit scuzzy if the site is busy. There is also a large shelter which has a purpose made opening in the roof to facilitate an open fire under cover. Nice touch.
Dick Kooij (3/10) "Along the river, grass was high, toilets were dirty, we drove away."
rhoskin (9/10): "Excellent camp ground. Quiet, even in the height of summer holidays you can still find a nice private area there. A nice small bush walk. Good river. We were pleasantly surprised and will definitely go there again!"
Ian gave it a 1 out of 10 in his review: "Yes, you can camp easily. Sadly the bush is in soul destroying state, with wandering dew on all forest floor, and vines over the canopy...tracks in poor state."
