Terrain

Welcome to 2012.
From the
Ranger’s
desk
As a family we have enjoyed a welcome
break at Mahia Peninsula which we luckily
timed when the sun was shining – not a day
below 25 degrees so swimming sunbathing,
fishing and crayfish for tea were the order of
most days.
Our youngest son Charlie landed his first
fish off the beach and our eldest Sam learnt
how to surf alongside his Uncle Dean.
As the Park heads into the year I must say it
is with sadness that Ric Balfour has finished
as Park Manager.
During his four years in the position it was
a privilege to work with Ric. Both of us had
done our early training with New Zealand
Forest Service so we were very close in our
working and personal relationships.
I wish Ric all the best in his new role as
chief executive of the Tauranga YMCA and
no doubt we will continue to see him up
here on his mountain bike and he certainly
will be keeping in touch through YMCA
activities here in the Park.
2012 has begun with a bang. It is great
to see the NZDA up and running on their
shooting range. After all that hard physical
work preparing their site they can now
enjoy the fruits of their labour.
Congratulations must go to Grant
Hammond, Dean Maisey and all your team
for a job well done.
On 22 January we also had Te Matai
Motorsports in the Park for a rally time trial
attended by many spectators.
As Park ranger it was very satisfying to see
the two major user groups finally enjoying
their respective sports (shooting and
motorsports).
The ranger’s job never ends and weekends
are my busiest time so be assured I will
always be patrolling over the weekend
periods. If I am not on duty there will always
be someone up here to assist user groups
or members of the public.
While wet weather at the start of the year
slowed activity in the Park, our roading and
trail network stood up pretty well under the
rain, only requiring a small amount of repair.
Jarron and son Charlie
The public is making the
most of the Park and the historic tunnel
trail has been exceptionally popular with
locals and visitors from elsewhere in New
Zealand and overseas.
Many self-contained motor home travellers
are enjoying overnight stays in the peace
of the Park and the Adrenalin Forest high
wire course is doing extremely well with
the carpark near to capacity most days –
even when it is raining.
Community Corrections work gangs are
back in the Park doing maintenance and
landscaping programmes.
We welcome Paul Lissette our Track and
Trail coordinator who is doing a fantastic
job and Paul Ashby who is doing forestry
work and surveying for our data base.
Please remember to keep your speed
down within the Park boundaries, we
have kids on bikes, horse riders, dogs on
leads and people just walking around
taking in the ambience of the Park, so the
last thing I need is someone screaming
around in motor vehicles or motorbikes.
There is a rake on the back of the Ranger’s
ute that has been compulsorily handled
by a number of young people whom I
have caught doing “wheelies”.
Believe me - it is rather humiliating and
very time consuming having to rake
every stone back into place under the
eagle eye of a fairly grumpy ranger!!
The Tauranga Model Aircraft Club has
started preparing their site so soon we
will have two airstrips in the Park – I wish
the club all the best for that project.
That’s it from the Ranger’s desk.
I am gearing up for a
full-on year and I wish
user groups all the best
for 2012.
Jarron McInnes
Park Ranger
At work on the range, from left: Grant
Hammond, Dave Bragg with Rocco
the Labrador and Keith Theobald.
Steady, aim, fire
– NZDA on target
to open
It’s been a long wait but the New Zealand
Deerstalkers’ Association Bay of Plenty
Branch has its sights set on mid-February to
officially open its new range in the southwest
corner of the All Terrain Park.
The 300m full bore rifle range has taken 18
months, 1200 voluntary man hours plus 200
hours of donated machinery time to construct –
at an estimated value of $100,000.
The resulting project is the pride and joy of the
club and is one of the most modern rifle ranges in
New Zealand, being only one of three built in the
last 10 years.
Club spokesman Grant Hammond says building
a range of such prestige would not have been
possible without the huge voluntary input by
club members and donations of machinery and
materials from local companies.
“We have managed to produce a range that is
worth $150,000 to $200,000 whereas when we
started 18 months ago we thought we would only
be able to spend $60,000.
“We are really proud of this range. We began with
a smaller plan but we have been able to extend it
through the voluntary help and grant money we
have received on top of our own club funding.’’
The club has succeeded in gaining charitable
funding of $25,000 from the Lion Foundation
and New Zealand Charitable Trust for firing line
materials, fencing and backstops, in addition to
$60,000 raised by the NZDA Bay of Plenty.
Donations of roading metal, building materials,
transport/cartage, plastic drums, culverts and
many other items or services have been donated
by local businesses and individuals. The club is
preparing a sponsors’ board in recognition of
these generous supporters to our project.
An estimated further $100,000 is needed to fully
complete all facilities on site including closing in
the shooting station and building a range office
and lunchroom.
However the work done to date is sufficient to
make the range operational, so from mid-February
it will be opened for club days and
public open days under supervision
of NZDA members.
For more information contact: Grant
Hammond, phone 021 1373831 or
email nzvarminter@gmail.com