About 70 riders – including plenty of locals and some from as far afield as Whitianga, Whangamata and the Waikato – have become the first members of the public to enjoy the new section of trail along the north bank of the Tairua River.
The open day on the under-construction north bank section of the Tairua River Trail gave cyclists a chance to take in scenic views both up and down the river before the section is completed and officially opens this summer.
“It was a really successful day, and exciting to finally give the public a glimpse of the great work our volunteers have done on the north bank,” says Hikuai District Trust Chair Derrick Adams.
“Just under 2km of trail has been built around Tanners Farm, and we have less than 1km more trail to build to connect this section to the SH25 bridge at Swampy Stream between Hikuai and Tairua.”
Mr Adams thanked landowner Alan Tanner for supporting the open day and the ongoing construction efforts along the river, as well as the volunteer team that helped organize a successful outing.
“Crucially, fundraising is progressing well and we’re on track to begin building a suspension bridge across the Tairua River this summer, which will connect this north bank section with the existing south bank trail that runs to Pauanui waterways.
Mr Adams stressed that more funding will be needed to complete the bridge, as well as the final stages of north bank trail from Swampy Stream to Tairua School in the coming years.
“Our ‘Build A Bridge’ campaign gives supporters the chance to be a permanent part of an iconic structure that will eventually connect Pauanui and Tairua, bringing with it a big range of benefits for the community. Nearly half of the available planks have sold and we encourage anyone who’s interested to get involved.”
A full range of options for supporting the trail and donating towards future construction can be found at https://www.tairuarivertrail.org.nz/donate.html.
