Strong pouring rain didn’t put guests off for the opening of the Sir Edmund Hillary Hope Reserve, on Saturday 23rd May. The reserve is located east of Raglan on Old Mountain Road. An overflowing car park at the reserve meant that many visitors had to park at Waitetuna School and be taken by bus to the reserve.
Guests of Honour, Peter and Sarah Hillary opened the new reserve named after the famous mountaineer and the Hope family who farmed the area for over 70 years and helped protect it. The late Michael Hope was a well liked Waikato District councillor for a lengthy period with along list of community achievements.
Sir Edmund Hillary was the first patron of the Native Forest Restoration Trust which owns and manages the new reserve.
Peter Hillary said, “My father stridently supported the activities of the restoration trust. Dad felt very strongly about our parks and regenerating our forests. It’s maintaining our environment. It’s maintaining pride in the places we live in. More and more of this country needs to be regenerated.
“So thinking about the Ed Hillary Hope Reserve, it’s not good enough just knowing about it and where it is. You have got to come here. You have got to walk here. And most importantly, you have got to bring our young people here, not just so that they experience it, but that they love it. Because when you love it, it becomes part of who you are.”
The new reserve which is next to the DOC Four Brothers Scenic Reserve has 180 hectares of established forest and more than 280 hectares of farm land available for restoration. The reserve is protected forever by a Queen Elizabeth II covenant. The project is part of the Waikato Regional Council’s Halo Project, which involves active pest animal control at selected sites near Hamilton to support bird life such as tui and kereru. The WRC contributed about $500,000 towards the cost of the land, with funds built up over eight years, while the Native Forest Restoration Trust donated $860,000.
Restoration Trust Manager Sandy Crichton said, “As the reserve is close to both Raglan and Hamilton it is very special and there would be lots of community involvement in its operation. We would like to see the Ed Hillary Hope Reserve become a flagship reserve for the trust, a reserve with great public access and high recreation value.
“Old logging roads will be developed for walking tracks, and the restoration of pastureland will involve local volunteers. We plan to connect the Karamu Walkway through the new reserve to create a new loop track, a track that we would like to use to tell the story of restoration on the new reserve.”
The WRC’s natural heritage team leader Alan Saunders said, “Establishing the Ed Hillary Hope Reserve was an exciting development for the region when it came to protecting stands of native bush and promoting flourishing bird life. The region’s remaining stands of native forest are fragmented and often riddled with pest animals and weeds. The creation of this major new reserve is just magic when it comes to us protecting what’s there now and restoring things for the future.”
Waikato Regional Council chairwoman Paula Southgate said, ” The reserve opening was a very positive step. Having this new reserve close to Hamilton will significantly expand natural areas near the city and also support the expansion of native bird life both in and near the city.”