Cars Banned from Cape Palliser

At the southern tip of the North Island, cars and trucks have been banned from driving along the Cape Palliser beach road.

The South Wairarapa District Council made the decision this week after years of damage caused by vehicles. People can still walk, cycle, or use e-bikes for the next two years, but only local landowners and certain visitors with special permission may drive there.

The road, which is partly on Māori land and partly on Crown land, leads to a rugged beach near the Stonewall scenic reserve. It is also home to sacred sites, including old gardens, pā, and burial grounds. Local iwi Ngāti Hinewaka said vehicles had harmed both the land and its history, while campers and drivers often left behind rubbish.

Earlier this year, the council said four-wheel drives and quad bikes were damaging native plants and wildlife, and that campers also posed a fire risk. Over 3,500 people gave their views before the vote, though only about 10 percent wanted a full driving ban.

Haami Te Whaiti, chair of Ngāti Hinewaka, welcomed the change, saying the land needed time to recover from “decades of damaging use.” He said people had been entering without permission, sometimes leaving mess behind or harming farm animals.

The council will now properly survey the road and put up signs so visitors do not wander into protected areas. Mayor Martin Connelly explained that erosion had forced vehicles to drive off the original road, which caused further problems.