Sign In / Register
After years of advocacy and hard work, a 140-hectare portion of the Lincoln Downs wastewater irrigation farm near Mangawhai has officially been declared a Recreational Area, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Mangawhai Tracks Charitable Trust (MTCT).
Situated on the face of the Brynderwyn Hills, the newly designated reserve comprises a mix of regenerating pasture, shrubland, and mature forest – land unsuitable for wastewater irrigation but offering outstanding potential for walking, tramping and mountain biking. A central ridge naturally separates the western side, earmarked for walkers, from the eastern slopes set aside for biking trails.
Over the past four years, MTCT volunteers – fondly known as the Trackies – have poured hundreds of hours into designing and constructing more than 12 kilometres of walking and tramping tracks across the area as part of Stage 1 and 2 of the development.
While public access is not yet open, Trust volunteers have been granted special permission to work on-site through their regular Friday morning working parties.
Kaipara District Council is working towards providing public road access and a car park at the base of the hill to allow the wider community to enjoy the completed tracks. The Trackies hope this will become a high-priority project, enabling both public use and the start of bike park planning.
Meanwhile, MTCT continues to maintain and upgrade the popular Tanekaha track complex off King Road, focusing on replacing bridges and improving the surface of the busy route to the first waterfall.
The team is also actively involved in maintaining tracks across the Mangawhai Community Park.
The volunteers say they love what they do and their reward is seeing locals and visitors making the most of their work.
More information about MTCT’s projects can be found at www.mangawhaitracks.com.
