Recreation reserve

A recreation reserve is a type of New Zealand protected area owned by the New Zealand Government and reserved mainly for sporting or recreational activities.[1] Many provide public access to coastlines, lakes and rivers.[2] Some are administered by the Department of Conservation.[1]

Bastion Point Recreation Reserve at Auckland's Bastion Point

Each recreation reserve has been established "for the purpose of providing areas for the recreation and sporting activities and the physical welfare and enjoyment of the public, and for the protection of the natural environment and beauty of the countryside, with emphasis on the retention of open spaces and on outdoor recreational activities, including recreational tracks in the countryside".[3]

There were 2,842 recreation reserves in New Zealand in 2015, covering total of 255,750 hectares.[2] Land Information New Zealand listed 599 recreation reserves on its website in 2022.[4]

Most recreation reserves are smaller than 1000 hectares, but some are much larger. Te Paki in Northland, for example, covers nearly 19,000 hectares of coastal landscape. Pūponga Farm Park, at the western end of Farewell Spit, is also larger than most. Other well-known recreation reserves include Pelorus Bridge and the reserves of the Marlborough Sounds, and Five Mile, Whakaipo, and other reserves around Lake Taupō.[2]