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An 88-year-old marathon runner and national real estate legend has become The Coastal Trail Trust’s first patron, after boosting its coffers with a generous $150,000.
Garth Barfoot, whose father started Barfoot & Thompson in 1923, became a passionate supporter of the project for a network of paths and bike trails between Mangawhai and Puhoi after meeting founding trustee Allison Roe.
Both share a love of long-distance running, triathlons and Masters Games, and Roe was his mentor in the lead-up to last year’s New York marathon, which Barfoot not only completed for the first time, but was the oldest athlete to finish.
Coastal Trail Trust chair Aidan Bennett says Barfoot’s support has been nothing short of transformative, first donating $100,000 to help kickstart the project in its early stages, before giving a further $50,000 to support the 2.2km-Point Wells section currently under construction.
“Garth’s generosity and spirit are truly inspirational. His early donation gave this project its start before we were even ready to build,” Bennett says. “Having him as our first patron is a huge honour – and entirely fitting for someone who has spent his life pushing limits.”
Barfoot has been cycling since he was a child during World War II, although the super-fit octogenarian says his exercise regime is now “limited” to running a mere 5km every weekend, whether at his North Shore home or the family holiday property in Mangawhai.
The latest Coastal Trail section at Omaha Flats, from Point Wells to Matakana Country Park, is more than halfway to being finished by Mason Contractors, with completion expected by the end of June.
The new path and cycleway starts across the road from the Point Wells end of the Jones Road section and runs along the fence line to the turnoff to Omaha, before extending along the edge of Omaha Flats Road towards the country park.
Yellow flexi-post bollards have recently been installed between the edge of the road and cycleway for riders’ and walkers’ safety, together with painted cycle/walking symbols on the trail surface.
The final section will continue along the edge of the road to the country park, which will involve some cutting back of existing hedges.
The majority of the $1 million-construction cost has come from community and individual donations, topped up by a Sport and Recreation grant from Auckland Council.
