Park notices - 2019

Deer Culling in Northern Forest 

Posted 13/10/19

Greater Wellington Regional Council shall be carrying out deer culling in East Harbour Regional Park Northern Forest from 14 October to 24 November hunters will be only hunting when weather conditions are conducive to hunting. No hunting will be undertaken on weekends, public holidays or school holidays. Hunting will on occasion be occuring at night.

Professional hunters with knowledge of the area and the skills required to operate in the sensitive environment are being employed by GWRC to hunt deer prone areas of the Northern Forest block for wild deer and signs of their presence. 

Members of the public using the area will be advised to stay on the main sign-posted walking tracks and to keep dogs on leads. Warning signs erected at all park entrances will be used to notify the users of the area.

The culling is necessary to minimise the impact of deer on the ecological values of the forest, which has been identified as an area of high biodiversity value by GWRC’s Biodiversity department. Heavy browsing of favoured plant species by deer can eliminate individual native species from an area resulting in the loss of diversity and functionality of the forest ecosystem. Reducing wild deer numbers will assist GWRC in their efforts towards restoring the native ecosystem functions of the Northern Forest.

Lighthouse complex closure

Posted 27/9/19

The lighthouse complex at Baring Head will be fully closed to the public from 6th November while work to repaint the two houses is carried out.

We want to keep visitors to the park safe and this area has many hazards, including work removing lead based paint.

This area will be closed until further notice. We apologise for the inconvenience and will keep you updated on when the site access will be open again.