News and media

Manukau City steps up

  • 05 Sep 2008

Manukau City has approved a specific Te Araroa route 55 km right through the city, and authorised its officers to negotiate land access on behalf of the trail.



If necessary - and subject to standard council approval mechanisms for any amount over $50,000 - its officers may buy land in favour of the trail route.



On December 8 the Council's Community Development Committee approved the proposed route 55 km through the city. The regional Te Araroa Auckland Trust - separate from the main Te Araroa Trust - has been working with council officers for the past year to refine the path. The committee had before it a report and maps prepared by Environmental Policy Planner Duncan White, and Manager of Manukau Parks Digby Whyte, outlining a route that follows existing walkways and public parks, uses esplanade reserve, some road corridor and also paper roads.



Councillor Jan Sinclair asked that the Clevedon Community Board be consulted on the trail route through that ward, and a further report will be made to that board in February.



Manukau City's route extends over twice the distance of the North Shore City Coastal Walk, opened in November as part of Te Araroa. It crosses the Manukau Harbour on the old Mangere Bridge, follows the Mangere Gateway Heritage route along Kiwi Esplanade to Ambury Regional Park, then depending on timing goes around the recently restored edge of the Manukau Harbour beside the Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant - or alternatively around Wallace, Creamery, Greenwood, Oruarangi and Ascot Roads - to the Otuataua Stonefields. It follows Ihumatao Road east, to George Bolt Memorial Drive past the Auckland International Airport, and onto Puhinui Road. It uses Prices Road to reach Puhinui Reserve, then follows the Puhinui Stream 12 kilometres to the City Centre.



From the City Centre it connects to Totara Park then heads south along Redoubt Road, connecting if possible through private land to Brownhill Road, right into Whitford Park Road, right into Brookby Road, left into Kimpton's Road, then follows an unformed paper road into Clevedon Scenic Reserve. A route may need to be negotiated on private land if this paper road is impassable, and Te Araroa volunteers have talked to private property owners about possibilities in this area. It follows existing walking tracks to the summit lookout, then out through the reserve's main entrance and into Clevedon. From there it follows the Clevedon-Kawakawa Road east over the Wairoa River, up McNicol Road past the McNicol Homestead, then follows the Wairoa River into the Wairoa Gorge, along a paper road and into the Hunua Ranges Regional Park.



The Auckland Regional Authority has agreed to host Te Araroa through the regional park on existing tracks and the Auckland Department of Conservation has agreed to a track across the Mangatawhiri Scenic Reserve. A Te Araroa volunteer is presently negotiating access across private land between the southern boundary of that reserve and the Hotel du Vin. The trail is by then in the Franklin district, where the council recently authorised its staff to work with Te Araroa Waikato Trust to achieve the best route through, joining with the existing Te Araroa track down the Waikato River toward Hamilton.

Page last updated: Jul 28, 2020, 5:08 PM