1. Spiritual

It is known as a place where Kupe and his wife and children stayed during exploration of the Wellington region.

Its remoteness feeling was one of the reasons the area was selected for a Regional Park in 1975.

It is Wellington's Sunset Coast - where you watch the setting sun over the sea horizon from the beach or the clifftops or the hills.

To this day, many people come here to re-create in the spiritual sense.

Quartz Hill - Makara Farm can fufill the same inspirational roles as Cornwall Park and Long Bay Okura Great Park in Auckland.

2. Recreational

Makara Beach is the only public access to the 60km length of Wellington Coast from Titahi Bay to Owhiro Bay, comprising one of Wellington's 5 major recreational nodes. Travelling north along this coast necessitates fording the Makara Stream, and there is little public land along the shore, so it is inappropriate for the public to use. The coast south of Makara Beach is practical to reach and has public land along the shoreline until the western end of Te Ika a Maru Bay.

Public use of the shoreline is 30-50,000 visits per year, and comprises walking, running, tramping, picnicking, naturestudy, swimming, fishing, shellfishing, snorkelling, diving and kayaking.

Public use of the slopes above the coast is mainly on the Conservation Covenants and the Makara Walkway which receives about 10,000 visits per year. A particular highlight is the climb to Fort Opau and its spectacular historic gun emplacements looking out over the dramatic coast and the expanse of Cook Strait. The weather dominates this experience, whether it be a howling cold southwesterly, or a sheltered light southerly in the sun, or a gusty nor-wester cleaning out the cobwebs. On the way one passes the historic Wharehou Pa and views the Quartz Hill peneplain.

Long term use of the area has developed since Makara Radio was established in 1944. Families and friends of workers at the station would use the farm roads and tracks to access the coast at Opau Bay and Te Ika a Maru Bay. Over the years up to the closing of the station in 1996 many Wellingtonians came to appreciate the open space and access that Quartz Hill - Makara Farm provided.

Long day walks or camping/tramping trips to Te Ika a Maru Bay and around to Owhiro Bay have been popular over the years and to this day. The impassable features of the shoreline between Opau Bay and Te Ika a Maru Bay make crossing Quartz Hill - Makara Farm essential for safe public recreational access south of Makara Beach.

3. Community Use

Other uses of Quartz Hill - Makara Farm include Orienteering events by the Wellington Orienteering Association, and regular use of the historic Makara Radio buildings and aerials by the Wellington Amateur Radio Club.

4. Historic

The most visible historic feature is the Fort Opau gun emplacements. They are the sharp end of an extensive complex of barracks, roads, houses, radar direction finding station and observation post.

Hidden away at the end of Opau Road are the old Makara Radio buildings. From 1944 to 1996, NZ kept a 24 hour watch on maritime and distress frequencies, and provided radio, telephone and telegraph services to outlying islands and ships.

5. Archaeological

The area is scattered with maori pa sites and ditches, terraces, middens and karaka groves. These are generally protected by the Historic Places Act.

The area is part of the Ohariu - Te Ika a Maru precinct.
The most prominent feature is the Wharehou Pa site above Wharehou Bay.

6. Landscape

The entire Makara/Terawhiti landscape is recognised as a regionally outstanding landscape.

Wellington City Council found that Quartz Hill has a very distinctive landform, when it assessed its natural and amenity values.

Quartz Hill is the major focus and pivot for the coastal landscape as accessed by thousands from Wellington. It is the focus for road views from the city, and for foot and boat traffic in the surrounding area. The clarity of the silhouette of the summit and spurs is a very important landscape value. Not a dramatic peak, but a flat summit, means the Hill may be less recognised under traditional landscape aesthetic criteria as noteworthy. Full landscape analysis recognises such values.

That a Makara Regional Park was proposed for this area, indicates the landscape values of the area as an "expansive wilderness on the Region's doorstep with remoteness feeling".

The landscape continues from the coast, the escarpment, the spurs, valleys and slopes up to the summit of Quartz Hill. Quartz Hill is therefore an essential part of the coastal environment, the coastal landscape.

7. Geopreservation

The Quartz Hill peneplain is a geological feature that was described as of regional/national signficance, but is now considered to be of national/international significance.
Such features have long been recognised as deserving of preservation.
It is the largest relatively uneroded peneplain remnant in the Wellington Region.
It is the defining feature of the "K-surface" term introduced by NZ's world authority on geomorphology - C.A. Cotton.

8. Biodiversity

Vegetation
Over 95% of Wellington City's native forest has been cleared since settlement. The two modified forest remnants at Post Office Bush and Johnny's Bush are important refuges, that provide the seed source for regeneration of the surrounding landscape. The most important mechanism for the regeneration of native forest in this area is the progression of shrublands to native forest, given physical protection. The conservation covenants and regenerating areas behind Makara Beach and at the south of the property will in time provide the native forest that will enhance the 2 inch landscape that presently exists.
There is a small area of salt turf at the mouth of Opau Stream where the salt spray whisks up the valley.
The coastal cliffs harbour some salt tolerant cliff species that will improve as regeneration progresses.
There is a small wetland in Opau Stream but it is formed by the artificial dam that is used for farm water supply.

Fauna
The common bush birds of Wellington are found in the two forest remnants, and are likely to increase in numbers as the shrubland on the conservation covenants and regenerating areas quietly restores additional native forest. As regeneration on the surrounding hills progresses, and as Reserves in Wellington City are better managed for native birdlife, the overall number of common bush birds is expected to rise.