A new regional park is being developed north of Auckland, which could feature new walking tracks and a campground.

Auckland Council is consulting on a management plan for Te Arai Regional Park and wants feedback on ideas for developing the park.

The 473ha park features fantastic beaches, with views of Bream Head, Little Barrier Island and the Hen and Chicken Islands. The land is mostly a former forestry block and includes nesting sites of the critically endangered fairy tern – New Zealand’s rarest bird, with only about 40 birds (perhaps 10 breeding pairs)  left. The dunes also provide habitat for shore skink, green gecko and the katipo spider.

The land adjoins a 245ha DOC wildlife refuge in the Mangawhai sandspit, creating an unbroken 14km of publicly owned coastline.

A draft plan will be released for consultation later in the year.

To make a submission on how you’d like to see the park developed, visit www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz, keyword search ‘Te Arai’. Submissions close January 26, 2018.