OceanaGold | Waihi North Project | Recreation and tourism assessment 23 Such response rates would compare favourably to an on-site intercept survey of users in an outdoor setting, particularly since the Strava data are collected over all seasons and all day (an intercept survey would normally only cover relatively short time periods and be confined to specific interception points). Nevertheless, caution needs to be applied to the use of Strava data as they show participation by only Strava members. There will be an inherent bias to the more competitive and tech-savvy, and some data accumulate from users staying logged in when they are doing other activities, such as driving. Some records are also offset by tens of metres due to either poor GPS reception or map projection errors. However, most records appear in their correct locations. Strava is therefore a little like a tag and release programme, but unlike, for example, tagging 10 longfin eels with GPS devices and seeing where they head to breed10 Strava essentially tags several thousand active people in an area and monitors where and how they recreate. Its greatest strength is therefore in showing the relative value of settings for different forms of recreation. Heatmaps indicate the cumulative activity of Strava subscribers in any setting. The brighter the colour, the more activity there. Figure 13 relies on the data filter for ‘running’, which will dominate the dataset, but will also include walking and tramping. This shows the relative popularity of the Wentworth Falls and Wharekirauponga Track, but also some activity along the Wharekirauponga to Golden Cross Track. Figure 14 shows the Wharekirauponga to Golden Cross Track area in more detail with three activity records.11 10 As NIWA did in 2019 and earlier in the century see https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/2018695044/mystery-of-the-longfin-eel-s-breedingground 11 In low use areas it is possible to see and count individual activity records, but in relatively high use areas, such as the Wharekirauponga Track, the routes coalesce and become indistinguishable. Golden Cross Whiritoa Paeroa Waihi Figure 13: Strava heatmap for southern Coromandel Range, 12 months data to November 2020
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