Tarapuruhi Bushy Park
Forest Sanctuary
Visitor experience plan and projects
Tarapuruhi Bushy Park is a 100-hectare predator-free forest sanctuary near Whanganui, and home to heritage-listed assets, including a Category One listed Homestead.
The Tarapuruhi Bushy Park Trust Board had reached a critical strategic decision point: park facilities and dated, uncoordinated promotional materials needed updating at a time when the organisation was redefining its strategic focus and embarking on a new working relationship with local iwi Ngā Rauru.
We were engaged to develop a comprehensive Visitor Experience Plan detailing priority projects for investment that would help the Trust to achieve its goals and help to position the sanctuary as a compelling visitor destination in line with contemporary leisure expectations.
We were then tasked with the production of the first suite of prioity projects - with a new Visitor Education Centre installed into the historic stables building.
We delivered:
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Visitor Education Centre & Entrance Kiosk: Design, fit-out, and delivery management.
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Heritage Displays in the Historic Stables: Curated and designed to highlight the site's rich history.
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Refreshed Sanctuary Signage: Modern, cohesive wayfinding, site maps and interpretive signage.
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Updated Marketing Collateral: Realigned brand messaging, photography, videography, website and promotional assets designed to build public engagement.
Bringing this project to life was a team effort:
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Tarapuruhi Bushy Park Trust - client and project sponsor, with Ngā Rauru iwi representation
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Rotary North - project delivery support
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Local knowledge holders - content, research, and story development
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Graphic production - Jess Gommers, Morrie Gibbons
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Visitor Centre paint and flooring specification and joinery, entrance kiosk - Elinor McDouall (Drawingroon Architects)
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Volunteers - Centre joinery and interactive components
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Des Bovey - illustration
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Lamp Studios - videography
“Lily was engaged by the Bushy Park Tarapuruhi Trust Board to undertake a Visitor Experience Plan and to design a new Visitor Education Centre. The Board is responsible for managing a 100 hectare, fenced, predator free Sanctuary just outside Whanganui. Tarapuruhi also has a number of heritage listed buildings, including a Category One listed Homestead, within the Park boundaries. Any promotional material held by the Board was dated, and generally uncoordinated.
Lily produced a visitor experience plan that was unanimously and enthusiastically accepted by the Board. The task was quite a challenge as the group is made up of volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds.
The fitout of the Visitor Centre, entance kiosk, refreshed signage, site maps and marketing material were all either managed directly, or overseen, by Lily. The Visitor Education Centre was opened in October 2019, with the Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage, extremely impressed with the quality of the facility.
The approach Lily took to the project was one of inclusion and understanding. This involved working with our Iwi partners and a range of individuals each with differing personalities and views. It also involved her liaising and managing her team of professionals and voluneteers behind the scenes.
Lily has an engaging personality which makes her a pleasure to work with. However, her knowledge, passion and experience in this sector is what adds significant depth to her work."
Kevin Ross, 2019
Former Bushy Park Tarapuruhi Trust Chair