The near 20 per cent expansion in the size of the park has been welcomed by Maru Tapsell of Te Puke's Waitaha iwi, who collaborated in the preparation of the report.
He said the thing they feared most was that the land stayed in private hands and was sold to a property developer. Instead, it would become a cultural drawcard that also contributed to the environmental, social and economic wellbeing of communities in the Western Bay of Plenty.
Mr Tapsell said the purchase fitted the idea conjured up by Maori of the sustainability of water for future generations as expressed in the phrase, from the mountains to the sea.
''It is the best thing that could happen in terms of evolutionary change.''
The purchase was a good way to spend the council's revenue from its majority shareholding in the Port of Tauranga, he said.
Tauranga Tramping Club member Jean Thomas was enthusiastic about the acquisition.
"We are so lucky to have that park and anything that enhances it is fantastic."
She said the park had good terrain and was a great asset to the region.
The park was put up for sale last year and the regional council decided on December 7 to put in a tender.
The Papamoa Hills Cultural Advisory Group considered the purchase would contribute significantly to the community, the council's integrated catchments manager Chris Ingle said.
Along with the two pa, the 25ha property had four recorded archaeological sites, a terraced hill site and an adze "findspot".
"It is highly likely that the property contains additional unrecorded sites that have both visible and buried archaeological features," the report said.
The Maraeroa pa and ridgeline was part of the wider Te Rae o Papamoa complex. Maraeroa was built by Waitaha to accommodate relatives including Ngati Raukawa. Ngati Raukawa were brought there by Haerehuka of Tunohopu, who also brought Waitaha back to Te Puke to reclaim their ancestral lands.
The council acknowledged the work of the late Awanui Black, the regional councillor and chairman of Komiti Maori who was a "staunch advocate" of expanding the park.
There was little native vegetation left on the block and the council planned to retire the steeper and wetter parts of the land from grazing and plant out the paddocks.
Waitaha, Nga Potiki, Ngati He and Ngati Pukenga representatives on the advisory group strongly supported the acquisition of the property.
Heritage New Zealand's regional archaeologist, Dr Rachel Dermody, commended the council on the purchase of the Lennard property, saying it had been a landscape at risk.
The larger of the pa sites featured complex terracing, a number of pits and a defensive ditch at the northern end. The other pa site comprised two large platforms with terracing and midden.
Papamoa Hills Cultural Heritage Regional Park:
* Opened July 2004
* 20 per cent annual growth in visitor numbers
* Attracted 110,000 people in year to June 2016
