Whakapapa Village – change to public parking areas and restrictions

Introduction

Have your say on changes to the Whakapapa Village parking restrictions. Submissions closed 21 May 2021.

Submissions closed 21 May 2021.

Where

This consultation is for a change to the restrictions for all carparks at Whakapapa Village, Manawatu-Wanganui.

Information about Whakapapa Village area.

Current parking restrictions

We implemented the original Whakapapa Village parking restrictions in 2017. We did this to address winter and summer congestion issues in and around Whakapapa Village.

The current restrictions:

  • provide up to 3-hours for visitors to access local tracks, visitor information centre and other amenities
  • provide day and overnight parking for multi-day hikers
  • keep roadside clear of vehicles to enable snow clearing during winter
  • support access for emergency services, and
  • change in summer and winter to reflect the different visitor uses of the park, for example, 3-hour restrictions to day parking in summer and 1-hour all year round.

Map showing current parking restrictions (PDF, 5,061K)

We also made changes to the 2017 restrictions after additional parking areas were formalised in 2019.

Proposed parking restriction changes

We trialled the changes in 2020 and we propose to implement these from winter 2021.

The changes are:

  • inclusion of the additional public parking areas
  • rearranging the parking restrictions for consistency. For example, 1-hour parking from the Chateau up to the Fire Emergency Services entrance all year. However, it changes to 3-hours in winter and day parking in summer, downhill of the Chateau to the 50 km temporary speed restriction signs
  • ‘No stopping’ signage on both sides of Ngauruhoe Terrace. This is the main arterial route for Skotel accommodation and Taranaki Falls Track, and
  • closing the Taranaki Falls carpark at the end of Ngauruhoe Terrace.

Map of the proposed 2021 parking restrictions (PDF, 1,294K)

Whakapapa Village Parking longer than 3-hours

During winter, the 3-hour parking restriction is intended to allow visitors to access local tracks, the visitor centre, and other amenities.

Day or overnight multi-day hikers can contact or visit Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre in Whakapapa Village to get a parking permit to park longer than 3-hours.

How to make submissions

Email your feedback to us by 5 pm 21 May 2021.

Email: mmokoraka@doc.govt.nz

Your submission may be released publicly

All submissions are subject to the Official Information Act and can be released under this Act. If you have specific reasons for wanting to have your submission withheld, explain your reasons in the submission. Your reasons will be considered when making any assessment for the release of submissions under the Official Information Act.

What happens next

After submissions close:

  1. We consider the feedback and provide the outcome of the feedback to those that have submitted.
  2. We make a final decision.
  3. We implement the final decision for the proposed parking restrictions by 7 June 2021.

Contact

If you have any questions contact us.

Email: mmokoraka@doc.govt.nz