ABOUT Shakespear Open Sanctuary

At the tip of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula Shakespear Regional Park has sheltered bays, wetlands, regenerating native forest, cliffs, historic places and a lookout with views second to none.

Close to Tiritiri Matangi island bird sanctuary, Shakespear Regional Park is considered an ideal site to create an open sanctuary – a predator free haven for native species.

Open public access will continue. The hilltops will still be farmed but remaining land area will be restored to native bush land. It will be a place for people to enjoy and a haven for native plants and animals.

Pests such as stoats, ferrets, weasels, possums, rabbits, hedge hogs, wild cats rats and mice destroy our native wild life and must be removed from the park to become an open sanctuary.

Volunteers have, for some time, been helping rangers get rid of these pests to prepare the way for the return of our native birds and other animals. Pest numbers are right down.

Since Shakespear was opened in 1972 thousands of trees have been planted by staff and volunteers. Gullies have been fenced off to allow bush to regenerate and a start has been made on restoring the wetlands. The bush restored so far is already attracting the birds from Little Barrier Island and Tiritiri Matangi and will provide a suitable habitat for ground dwelling species such as kiwi to be reintroduced once the open sanctuary is created.

THE PARK

Prior to 1853 when the area was purchased by the Crown, a subtribal group Ngati Kahu occupied the end of Whangaparaoa Peninsula where Shakespear Regional Park now sits. Their main settlement was between Te Haruhi Bay and Army Bay where fortified pa protected the area. The earthwork remains of Maori activity are still obvious in places.

The park is named after the Shakespear family who were connected to this land from the late 1800’s until the Auckland Regional Council acquired it in 1967.The Shakespears built a large homestead on the hill overlooking Te Haruhi Bay around 1910 which is today run by the YMCA as Shakespear Lodge.

Opened to the public in 1972, the park has continued to be run as a farming operation, at least in part to maintain open space for recreation and views. A mix of sheep and cattle graze the park but are excluded from the valleys and wetlands where revegetation is being encouraged for conservation reasons.

THE FENCE

In November 2006 the Auckland Regional Council accepted that the best way to achieve an open sanctuary in Shakespear Park is to build a predator proof fence. This will run from Army Bay to Okoromai Bay, enclosing an area of about 500 hectares, and all introduced mammalian pests will then be eradicated. There are many such fences around the country so the expertise is available and the ARC has already tested the idea at Tawharanui Regional Park. At Tarawharanui Open Sanctuary the result is a great success.

The sanctuary includes most of Shakespear Regional Park and smaller parcels of land owned by the New Zealand Defence Force (this area remains off limits to the public) and the Rodney District Council. The project has the full support of all three land owners and the local community.  As you will see from the map the maximum amount of land is enclosed for a relatively short length of fence. The fence is 1.5 km long and estimated to cost $600,000.

The exact path of the fence is still being established to take account of archaeological and natural features. The fence will be positioned to have as little impact on the park aesthetics as possible. Access to the park, New Zealand Defence Force facilities and Rodney District Council’s sewage treatment plant will not be restricted by the fence, and the boat ramp and dog walking areas will remain where they are and be outside the fence.

THE FUTURE

You will be able to

• Enjoy a pest-free park
• Wander through the restored wetlands
• Walk through the regenerating forest
• Enjoy the sight of Takahe