Enthusiasm for Mangarakau’s attractions
Sally and Giff say that they both like showing people the special things about Mangarakau. “If we can help them to enjoy it, that makes us happy too,” says Sally. Photo: Neil Wilson.
Mangarakau and its surrounding districts have been attracting hard-working folk for a very long time.
Miners, flax-workers and timber-workers and their families once extracted livings from the beautiful isolated and challenging environment towards the Western margins of Golden Bay.
These days, a particularly hardy breed of farmer works there too, but something else has been happening and it looks as though it may be gathering pace. Tourism—especially nature-based tourism—is becoming a way to at least supplement if not make your living in the district. Like everything else, it involves a lot of hard work, but it seems to offer Mangarakau residents the chance to perhaps make a living without leaving their particular part of paradise. This kind of industry has the advantage of succeeding without extracting something that can only be used once.
Sally Everett and Murray “Giff” Gifford, two relatively recent arrivals to Mangarakau, are an interesting example of what can be done.
They are in just their third season as the hosts at Wetland View Park, where guests stay in their choice of fully serviced luxury chalets that can easily accommodate family groups.
Sally and Giff share an infectious enthusiasm for their property and its surrounding countryside.
“We both like showing people the special things about Mangarakau. If we can help them to enjoy it, that makes us happy too,” says Sally.
Giff has cut excellent tracks through the manuka and flax so that visitors can explore the property and get close to the fauna and flora (fernbirds, bitterns and mudfish, among others) that abound there. Recently he uncovered the remnants of an old tramway track that must have been used by flax millers or loggers. Giff and Sally have also opened up the track to the bridge over the upper Paturau River that was used until about the 1970s by logging trucks. It can be reached from Wetland View Park via a track that offers views of nearby Lake Mangarakau.
The biggest natural attraction Mangarakau boasts is its 400-hectare swamp. While it may not immediately appeal to everyone as a tourist attraction, it is nevertheless the largest wetland in the Top of the South region and a very important element in the area’s ecology. It has been made very accessible so the casual visitor can explore the area and gain an understanding of its significance. The swamp’s visitor centre has excellent displays of maps and photographs. The swamp itself has steadfastly repelled every attempt at drainage and development in the last 150 years, and is now protected. It is partly owned by the Native Forests Restoration Trust and it is cared for by a dedicated group of volunteers known as the friends of the Mangarakau Swamp.
It is the fascinating mixture of human history and natural beauty that makes Mangarakau such a great place. The outstanding hospitality Giff and Sally show to their visitors is another good reason to go. When The GB Weekly visited, we were treated to freshly picked raspberries, tomatoes and feijoas. Sally’s delicious Japonica Apple Jelly was another unexpected treat.
About an hour and quarter’s drive from Takaka, Mangarakau has plenty to see and do. The visitor centre in Takaka has maps and informaton about activities, or you can ask the friendly locals.
Neil Wilson
Sally and Giff say that they both like showing people the special things about Mangarakau. “If we can help them to enjoy it, that makes us happy too,” says Sally. Photo: Neil Wilson.
Kayaking up the Mangarakau River.
Photo: Marg Braggins.
