McKee Memorial Recreation Reserve and Scenic Reserve

The McKee Memorial Scenic Reserve and Recreation Reserve are two separately administered reserves accessed by a fork in the road at the northern end of Te Mamaku / Ruby Bay. Wedged between the Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere shoreline and the steep cliffs and native bush of the scenic reserve, the recreation reserve was once known as the McKee Memorial Domain, and informally as the McKee campground. ¹

Arthur McKee. Photo from the Tasman Heritage website.

The reserves are named after Arthur McKee. In 1902 he purchased horticultural land in the wider Motueka area. By 1910, he was promoting large-scale apple orchards in the Moutere hills, forming a syndicate to clear land and attract investment in the local apple industry. Arthur owned a large orchard at the top of the bluffs, and in 1921 set aside 21 Acres of native bush.²

After his death in March 1943, his family gifted the forested land, then known as McKee Bush, to the Automobile Association (Nelson) Inc. for public use. At that time, the Automobile Association owned the adjoining 6 1/2 acres, purchased from James Allen in 1930, which was used as a picnic ground. In 1948 the land was officially declared a public Domain, under the administration of the Department of Lands and Survey, and the Automobile Association gifted their land to the Crown in 1956. In 1979 all the parcels of land were classified as recreation reserve, with a dual classification under the Reserves Act. The bush covered part was classified as scenic reserve and administered by the Department of Conservation, and the rest remained a recreation ground. In 1992 the recreation reserve was vested, in trust, to the Tasman District Council.^3-5

Traditionally this picturesque coastline served as a waka landing site and trading site for local Iwi, including Ngāti Kōata and Ngāti Apa. For over a century the stony beach and the campground on the flat backshore of the recreation reserve have been popular with picnickers, birdwatchers, short stay caravaners, day-trippers and swimmers. The pebbly shoreline provides an important habitat for Oystercatchers, while the coastal forest - home to a giant lancewood, tītoki, koromiko, beech, karaka, supports many native and introduced bird species. The Mckee Scenic Reserve is the last significant area of coastal native bush left between Nelson and the Abel Tasman National Park. ⁶

Te Mamaku / Ruby Bay. Photo from the Tasman Heritage website

Unfortunately, the low-lying beach front, and eroding cliff face above the campground make it vulnerable to adverse weather events and coastal inundation. In 1954-1955 two severe storms flooded the backshore damaging Pinus radiata trees. ⁷ More recently the recreation reserve was badly damaged during ex-Cyclone Fehi in February 2017 and the campground closed to the public for much of that year. There had also been problems with sewage system failures for the two years prior to that storm. Then in August 2022 a significant rain event once again caused damage to the camp infrastructure, cutting electricity at the campground, and crucially causing landslides on the Ruby Bay Bluffs above the campground, and closing the access route on Ruby Bay Scenic Drive. The slips took four months to repair. ^8,9.

The cost of repairing the damage to the site following the adverse weather events, lead to significant debate as to whether the cost of repairing the campground was affordable to the council, or whether a 'managed retreat' from the domain should be undertaken.¹⁰

2022

Updated, March 11, 2025

Story by: Tasman Libraries

Floods