Hokianga-Bay of Islands tourist track gets government support

A series of tourist cycling and walking pathways to provide a coast-to-coast link between Horeke and Russell will receive government funding support as part of the nationwide New Zealand Cycleways project.

The mix of cycling and walking tracks is a major expansion of the Western Community Board proposal for an Okaihau-Kaikohe cycleway following the former rail corridor. It is one of only three projects across New Zealand to have attracted government financial support to date.

The expanded concept on completion will provide for a 90-kilometre trail passing through 11 towns and settlements. The first section to be constructed will be the 12-kilometre rail corridor section. The full 90-kilometre tourist pathway will take in existing pathways and services and provide both new cycling and walking links where required.

Board chair and project coordinator Tracy Dalton said today the announcement that the project would be government supported was the "best news we could possibly have received."

The funding support and the possibility of a construction start before the end of this year was announced by Prime Minjster John Key at the opening of the Local Government New Zealand conference today. The government has committed $9 million to the national cycleways "Quick Start" programme this year, which includes the mid-North coastal link.

"It is not a fait accompli just yet but we are now so close to a construction start it's unreal. The final hurdle is to undertake a feasibility study for the second stages of the project which will extend the cycleway from Kaikohe across to Opua/Russell and from the Okaihau/Kaikohe track west to the Hokianga Harbour," she said.

The Board was still awaiting details of how the funding would be applied, but it was understood the feasibility study for the extended network would be fully funded and that construction funding would follow if the economic benefits stacked up.

"These projects need to have a unique factor to attract support, and in our case that factor was seen to be a trail steeped in early New Zealand history dating from before the New Zealand land wars. Parts of the trail will follow ancient Maori trails from west to east.

 

"We are far from daunted by the need to look beyond a simple Okaihau-Kaikohe track. There are already a number of ideas on how the rail corridor link can be extended to the west coast, including the potential to either tap into existing tourist services or create new ones. These will all be tested as part of the feasibility study.

"The link to Kawakawa and the east coast has already been examined fairly closely and should be fairly straightforward," she said.

Tracy said the critical issue was to look to ways to generate as many additional visitor nights as possible along the link to bolster both the local and regional economy through employment and business opportunities. It was also crucial to lift the level of exposure for existing businesses and services.

"This is really great news for the north and an economic driver which will have a real impact on the Western Ward- an area which has generally been devoid of this type and level of support in the past.

"The progress made to date would not have been possible without the support of Mayor Wayne Brown. He has been on board since the idea first came up and has driven the project forward at the highest levels," she said.

Mayor Brown said today the project was the perfect example of what could be achieved when communities came up with good ideas and then worked together to achieve a result.

"This project ticks pretty much all the boxes when it comes to opportunities for both social and economic development. I would have been surprised if it had not flown. I'm fully behind it and will continue to give it all the help and support I can," he said.

Mr Brown said credit had to go to Tracy Dalton for her work on the Okaihau-Kaikohe rail corridor link which had been well advanced even before the government's cycleway programme was announced.

"This has put the Far North in the front row and has made sure we are one of the first three districts in New Zealand to receive funding support," he said.