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Engineer takes on 10km section of Te Araroa
John Smith has taken on the job of putting a 10-kilometre walkway up the Puhinui Stream in Manukau City - part of Te Araroa.
Manukau City Council already owns most of the stream margins, and its walkways strategy allows for a future walkway up the stream.
'But it needs someone to push it, to get it going,' says Smith.
He contacted Te Araroa Trust after hearing Trust plans outlined on radio, and proposed the trail route go through Manukau City via Mangere Mountain, the Mangere Sewage Treatment Plant foreshore, where the oxidation ponds are being decommissioned, Ambury Park, the Otuataua Stonefields, recently opened up as an historic reserve, the outskirts of the International Airport, and on up the Puhinui Stream, past the Manukau City Centre to Totara Park.
Te Araroa Trust has approved the route as its preferred transit across Manukau City. It would link with Auckland City's Coast-to-Coast walkway
John Smith is a civil engineer, formerly Planning Service Manager at the Auckland International Airport and a keen tramper.
'After coming back from the UK in October last year and seeing the wonderful access there, I got the idea of forming a footpath trust for Manukau City,' he says. 'The Puhinui Stream seemed a good place to start.'
He has explored the route and believes, with a good volunteer group, $40-60,000 dollars is sufficient to put the walkway in. The group will seek an additional landscaping budget from the stream's surrounding industry. As a first step Smith has sought approval and partial funding for the new track in a submission to Manukau City's 2001-2011 Draft Strategic Plan.
