July 15, 2019
Matapouri gets help to cope with tourist onslaught
Matapouri is set to get new facilities to cope with growing visitor numbers thanks to a grant from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund.
The Northland beach made headlines over the summer when the local hapū declared a rāhui over the neighbouring Mermaid Pools because of the pressure from tourists.
Spokesperson Aperahama Edwards says a $1.1 million grant to Whangārei District Council to restore Matapouri beach is welcome, but it is too early to say whether it will be enough to lift the rāhui.
"The only access to the Mermaid Pools or Te Wai O Te Taniwha was via a wāhi tapu, rangitapu, the headland at Matapouri. Our ancestral remains are still there and they were being disturbed by the sheer volume of people climbing over the headland track," he says.
In total the Government is spending $12 million on 34 projects and six studies across 25 councils to improve tourism facilities, including building camping facilities, car parks, toilets, water treatment and waste management facilities.
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