Support Grows for Gibbston River Trail Completion

The Gibbston Community Association hopes to complete the Gibbston River Trail in 2009.

The small community is working in partnership with Queenstown Lakes District Council, Wakatipu Trails Trust and the Department of Conservation to form an 8km public walking and mountain biking trail along the true right bank of the Kawarau River in Gibbston. The track is being built to National standards for Day Visitors and DOC will take responsibility for the ongoing maintenance when the trail is finished.

Interpretive signage will educate visitors about the natural and human history of the area, including archaeological and heritage sites of public interest. The trail grade will be relatively easy, without challenging mountain ascents/descents, and will provide spur tracks to access four wine tasting facilities and three café's.

The group recently received several grants, including $11,000 from William Torrance Trust and $3,000 from QLDC toward building bridges along the Wentworth section of the trail. Wakatipu Trails Trust will provide $12,000 for a spur track to provide access from the Peregrine Wines car park near the centre of the track and New Zealand Community Trust has just awarded the group $5,000 for track construction.

Association Chairwoman, Susan Stevens said, "Of the original $1.4million required to build the trail, we now have a shortfall of just over $149,000. We still have 10 grant applications out there, which will be considered over the next few months. If they're approved, we would have all the funds we need to complete the entire trail."

"Our top priority now is to formalise the easements that are required over private land to form the track. We are very fortunate that Paterson Pitts volunteered to prepare the surveys, Mac Todd volunteered to do the legal work and Lakes Environmental agreed to sponsor the consent fees. This will save us another $40,000 or so," said Stevens.

Graeme Todd of MacTodd said that his firm was happy to be able to provide free legal services to another community group in recognition of the commitment the community itself has made to this exciting project. “As solicitors to the Queenstown Lakes District Council we recognise we have an obligation to give significant support to the greater community and we are proud of our record in doing so,” said Todd.

“We have a great deal of admiration for the work that Susan Stevens and the Trust are achieving in Gibbston,”said Steve Winter, Queenstown Manager of Paterson Pitts. “We were pleased to be able to volunteer our professional services in this endeavour for the benefit of the Trust and the wider community.”
Stevens said, "We are also very fortunate to have the support of several private landowners who granted easements along their land for the trail. Those who live in and who visit the District will be the lucky beneficiaries of their generosity and vision for our future.”

The first 1.5km of the trail, departing at the eastern end from the Waitiri Creek Wines car park, opened to the public in March 2007. Stevens said, "We have raised the money to properly finish this 1.5km section of trail, but we must first formalise the easement with the landowner."
"If anyone would like to donate toward the trail, they can contact me via the QLDC website. We are an Incorporated Society and a registered charitable entity with donee status. We are also a 100% volunteer organisation, so every penny that we raise goes to our community projects," said Stevens.