Storm-damaged McKee reserve, near Nelson, may reopen to campers

Friday, 6 July 2018

McKee Memorial Recreation Reserve is a popular seaside spot for camping that sits on a thin stretch of shoreline under the Ruby Bay bluffs.

Campers may again be able to pitch their tents at the popular McKee Memorial Recreation Reserve, near Nelson.

Already prone to flooding, the picturesque seaside site was hammered on February 1 by the effects of ex-Tropical Cyclone Fehi. Inundated by stormwater as well as seawater from a surge that swamped several coastal areas around the Nelson-Tasman region, the reserve has not reopened since.

McKee Memorial Recreation Reserve was closed just before ex-Tropical Cyclone Fehi hit on February 1. It is yet to reopen.

The campground, which sits on a thin stretch of shoreline under the Ruby Bay bluffs, also had failures of its sewerage system since the summer of 2016-17, which were exacerbated by a series of high rainfall events and storm surges.

With repairs tipped to be costly, one of the options for Tasman District Council was to close the site permanently to campers. However, that was not the preferred option for many councillors who highlighted its popularity among Nelson-Tasman residents as well as visitors.

A stormwater swale is planned to help prevent ponding at the site.

The playground with a view is ready for little people again.

* McKee reserve campground may close permanently

* Unhappy campers call for action as water regularly swamps seaside reserve**

The reserve is popular with campers; it is always full over the key summer period.

The campground, which is relatively cheap at $6 per person with youngsters under 16 free, is always full over the key summer period with many campers returning regularly to the site.

Council reserves and facilities manager Beryl Wilkes this week provided some hope that campers could return after she outlined the success of the repairs to date.

'Looking at it now … if all the utilities and everything comes up and works, there should be some camping available there in the future,' Wilkes told councillors at a meeting of the community development committee.

She added that 'with regards to camping', she intended to have a report with some options for a committee meeting in September.

'So, I can assume that it's looking very promising,' said committee chairman Cr Peter Canton. 'It's quietly encouraging.'

Wilkes said the sewerage pipes at the campground had been flushed and new pumps installed.

'We're quite hopeful actually that with that change we may have resolved quite a bit of the problem,' she said. 'We have got a resource consent to do the stormwater drainage that we proposed to help with the entrance end where it's ponding.'

A stormwater swale was proposed. The plan was to scoop out some soil to make it lower than the road and install pipes under the road to the coast.

'It should drain a major percentage of that stormwater and stop it from going across the road and destroying the roadway,' Wilkes said.

Council staff had also investigated three pipes in the face of the bluffs after concern was raised that they might be contributing to flooding in the reserve.

Wilkes said the pipes were 'just draining a little walkway'.

'They are not connected to the houses at all … and he's [compliance officer] quite convinced that there's only minimal water coming down,' she said.

In a report about the reserve, Wilkes says a meeting has been organised with representatives of the McKee family to discuss the ongoing management of the reserve. It comes after Fred McKee in April presented a proposal to shift its management to a charitable trust.