I’ve just been visiting the Riwaka Resurgence; this was the first time I’ve returned here since the orientation and interpretation panels were put into the ground. For some interpretation projects there can be an extended development period, so it can be fairly exciting to see these panels “in action” after having worked on them some months ago.
It’s always rewarding to see our creations being used – while wandering about the place I had a chance to see how people actually use the panels.
On the interpretation panel, in particular, I can see the white space works well in making the information appear clean and easily read.
I was interested to see the geological panel as well, with the orientation panel as well as interpretation. Not having seen it for a few months I feel it’s worked out well. While you’re in day-to-day involvement with a project you can lose perspective. It’s “hard to see the signs for the trees”. Now with fresh eyes, I can appreciate it for what it is. The information is nicely layered. People read what they like, take snippets and walk on, enjoying their walk interspersed with absorbing information about the resurgence and actually dipping into the river itself.
I was a bit unsure at the time but it’s worked out well. There’s enough of a contrast between the greys and piping, and the steel piping, far from being visually dominant, has faded into background.
The piping itself has produced a slender structure. It’s not big and bulky like a timber structure would be. After all, it’s not signage that’s intended to be the major feature, but the actual environment itself.
Not only was this the first time I’ve been to this site since the panels were placed, but since that time a mighty matai tree has crashed down at the source of the resurgence. The matai left a gaping hole in the bush canopy. What was a dark secluded resurgence now stands brightly sunlit, exposed beneath a huge hole in the sky. This has had major visual impact at Riwaka, but already, after only a few months of warm weather, the ferns have started to cover the ground and no doubt within a year or so the green will again take over as the bush recovers. At the moment it’s still looking quite raw, a big scar in the sky. It will take a while for the track to recover. There’s a lot of timber that the DoC workers have cut up and moved to the side. This too will take time to rot away.
The Riwaka Resurgence, though, remains a high quality walk close to Motueka and accessible for wide range of people. It’s not quite wheelchair accessible, but a reasonably able-bodied range of people can access the walk, and while the bush recovers from the loss of one of its local giants there will always be something new to see for the regular visitor.
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