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Work is due to start this month on a new $1 million, 2.2km footpath and cycle trail from Point Wells to Matakana Country Park.
The new path is the latest link in a network of tracks being planned by the Matakana Coast Trail Trust (MCTT), which has worked with landowners, Rodney Local Board, Auckland Council and central government to plan, raise funds and build the new trail.
It is being funded largely by private donations from local residents keen to give walkers and cyclists a safe refuge from traffic along Point Wells and Omaha Flats Roads, and will connect with the existing trail that runs between Jones Road and Point Wells Road from Omaha and Matakana.
Warkworth construction firm Mason Contractors will build the new trail, starting from the bend opposite Bali Gardens on Point Wells Road through to the entrance to Matakana Country Park.
The job is expected to take eight to 10 weeks and one-way traffic with stop/go signs will be needed on some sections.
The final trail network, which has just been renamed The Coastal Trail, aims to provide increased opportunities for outdoor recreation, strengthen local economies and foster a deeper appreciation for the environment.
MCTT chair Aidan Bennett said the trust’s team of volunteers had been working for many years to make The Coastal Trail a reality.
“The vision is to build more than 100km of trail that runs from Puhoi to Warkworth, through Matakana and out to Leigh and on to Mangawhai. The trail will also link with the communities of Snells Beach, Point Wells and Omaha,” he said. “Despite the financial challenges of the past few years, planning and progress is being made.”
Bennett said special thanks were owed to local companies such as Hutchinson Consulting Engineers and Mason Contractors for providing pro bono or discounted services, as well as other local businesses that have offered donations or discounts.
He also thanked Saatchi & Saatchi NZ chief executive Mark Cochrane, a local resident and avid cyclist, for providing creative expertise in rebranding The Coastal Trail.
Bennett added that while the generosity of private donors and local businesses meant the new trail section could be built this summer, the trust still needed additional funding to meet the final cost.
Info and donations: www.thecoastaltrail.co.nz
