Geoheritage Values of the Wairarapa
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Date
12/10/2020
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Abstract
The Manawatu and Wairarapa regions, lower North Island, are an important
geological archive for New Zealand but are not among the iconic geotourism
attractions of New Zealand. Recently the geoheritage values of the region have been
discussed by various groups including Massey University and Horizons Regional
Council with an aim to promote the region to visitors seeking destinations with
geological significance. The suggestion has been made the Manawatu River form
the backbone of a geopark. While Manawatu River is regionally significant, we
argue it lacks the unique attributes needed for globally significant geoheritage
value. Here we demonstrate the wider region has at least two globally unique and
geologically superb features that should be evaluated using global comparative
studies. Exceptional turbidite successions representing accretionary prism
successions are exposed in the Wairarapa region. These are comparable to the
iconic “flysch” locations of the North American Cordillera, the Alps, the Pyrenees
and the Carpathians. Furthermore, a succession of thrust faults and related
mélange sequences are among the best exposed and most accessible in New
Zealand. These undoubtedly carry high geoheritage value and we propose that
these two geological features, with community support, regional council funding
and the local university (Massey) facilitating the transfer of knowledge to the
community, should be signposted and promoted to visitors. In the long term the
stunning geological succession of the Wairarapa Mudstone Country should gain
international recognition and form the basis of a UNESCO Global Geopark.
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Keywords
geoheritage, geopark, geotourism, geoeducation, geosite, flysch, sea level change, global change
Citation
Geoconservation Research, 2020, 3 (2), pp. 97 - 127 (31)