Subscribe to RSSRuapehu Cycleway Opens
The Prime Minister officially opened the first stage of the 200-kilometre Ruapehu to Whanganui New Zealand Cycle Trail project at Old Coach Road, Ohakune today.
The Old Coach Road segment of the Ruapehu to Whanganui Ngā Ara Tūhono trail is the beginning of a network of inter-connected trails which will pass through some of the country’s most spectacular and historically-significant scenery.
The Nga Ara Tuhono Cycleway will pass through the stunning scenery of Tongariro and Wanganui National Parks, include the iconic Bridge to Nowhere and Hapuawhenua Viaduct, and pass by the many marae along the Wanganui River Road.
Also opening today as part of the first stage of the trail is a route through the Mangapurua Valley in the Whanganui National Park.
John Key called the trail - when finished - a fantastic four-to six-day cycle tour, and one that will open up a stunning part of the country to tourists. The support of the Ruapehu and Whanganui District Councils, iwi and local community groups has helped to drive this project forward and they, along with the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Tourism, can be proud of what has been achieved so far,” says Mr Key.
It is estimated the Ruapehu to Whanganui trail will bring in up to $3 million per year for the local economy through tourism.
This trail is one of seven Quick Start projects for the New Zealand Cycle Trail, and will be one of the first to have significant portions of it open to cyclists.
The trail is one of the three in which the Department of Conservation is developing in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism.A section of the 200km cycleway trail from Ohakune to Wanganui has been opened.
The Greens cycling MP Kevin Hague calls it a hint of what’s to come — a network of cycle trails that will connect some of our most picturesque countryside to our towns and cities.
The Green Party is working jointly with the Government to realise a shared vision for a national cycle network.
“The long-term vision for this project is for a network of cycling routes and tracks throughout the country that can be used by tourists and recreational riders, but eventually by people also riding to work or the supermarket, and kids riding to school,” said Mr Hague.
“The Prime Minister and I have previously acknowledged that quiet, back-country links into and around towns and cities will need to be part of the network. These links also have the potential to add thousands of additional kilometres and substantial benefits to Nga Haerenga with relatively little extra cost,” Mr Hague said.
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Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
1 Comments
Hmmmh, at the moment it looks like the Bridge to Nowhere remains exactly that - at the end of a dead-end trail. Is there any intention to change that? Wouldn’t know how, though - that is RUGGED country. Maybe take the bicycles on the kayaks awating you at the landing
BTW, with lots of little pieces like this coming on stream in bits and peices over the next couple years, I think the press will soon start yawning and ignore it. While the public will slowly and surely start using it…
BTW 2: It is great to actually see the PM on a bicycle. A year ago, he wouldn’t even let himself be photographed on a bike in front of Parliament when CAN gave him their Cycle Friendly Award for the cycle trail idea.
Then, when he opened the Hastings (I think it was Hastings) school cycling track of Paul McArdle’s “Bikes in Schools” charity, his flappers told the charity folks that the Prime Minister was, under NO CIRCUMSTANCES, be asked to get onto a bike. Not even by one of the kids.
In his defense, when the PM then opened that track, he DID get on a bike. And it would have been ridiculous for him not to. But shows how far cycling has come (and still has to come), that the PM’s handlers would have even made such a warning.