116) Different cultures move through the landscape in different ways. They pause at different locations.
117) Traditional water transport established the urban design pattern of the Hokianga. The harbour did not divide. It was the link. To understand the Hokianga you must travel by water.
118) The primary relationship of the Historic Precinct is to the water. To understand Kohukohu you need to arrive by water. There is urban design logic in the “Crossings” boat bringing strangers in from the sea The roading pattern is secondary to the axis of the wharf. It came much later.
119) New Zealanders have normally travelled along ridges, staying well away from the tortuous twisting paths of our streams. Ridges in turn became pathways and often roads. In a city like Auckland all the main roads run along ridges. However the steep terrain of the Hokianga set a different pattern, The ridges contained the harbour and they were crossed to go to other places.
120) The road in Kohukohu is a classic one-sided coastal road. It is concerned with edge. Protecting and enhancing the form of that road is necessary if the heritage precinct is to be understood. The footpath on the water side of the road needs to become a promenade.
121) Arriving in Kohukohu is a different experience from passing through Kohukohu. The historic precinct can only be understood if it is seen as a destination. This is a key design issue. Those who pass through need to tolerate some disadvantage. Those who arrive need to be made welcome.
122) Traditionally North Hokianga roads have been places of social interaction. You did not pass another car. You stopped for a yarn, often in the middle of the road. Other vehicles were happy to wait if they did not want to join in the conversation. If you did not have time to stop drivers would always exchange a friendly wave. “Upgrading” the roads has resulted in a “downgrading” of human interaction. Some people now drive by without even a friendly wave.
123) Roads now are designed for individuals, not communities. That is not the Hokianga way. The ferry is a community event where people meet, catch up on gossip, and share their lives. You can pick the strangers. They sit inside their cars with the windows up, impatient to be on the road again. Any township needs to be like the ferry. In a Heritage Precinct there should be no strangers.
124) Attitude is important in the Heritage Precinct. Through design it is possible to make or destroy attitudes.
125) A speed limit of 30km/hour needs to be imposed and enforced within the Heritage Precinct. Slowing people down would allow their community life to speed up. Ideally traffic would be slowed to pedestrian speeds, so that people could happily jay-walk and stop to talk, if necessary safely in the middle of the road. People need to arrive at the Heritage Precinct, not pass through it.
Water transport established the urban design patterns of the Hokianga.