30 Sept 2014

3. Hurunui Jacks bridges – still on track for these to be installed in October.

4. Mahinapua Alternative Route – there has been some exciting developments here! The original plan saw the trail leave the information kiosk near the Golf Club, cross the road, and travel parallel to the State Highway until the Mahinapua Walkway. Some local “trail enthusiasts” have spent considerable time mapping out an alternative route which would take the trail across the creek opposite the kiosk, and travel down through the wetlands on the other side of the creek, popping out at the Mahinupua Walkway. I have been told that this route will be stunning. Further investigation and planning is required, but a big thank you must go to Chris Steel and Tanka Davison for their work on this. We have support from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (who manage our NZCT funding Agreement) to re-divert some funding for this option, and we also have good support from landowners.

15 Sept 2014

1.      Kumara – Taramakau Suspension Bridge – the peer review has been completed, plans will be received this week, building consent applied for, with selective tendering to follow. Construction time is expected to be 4-6 weeks from then.

2.      Kaniere Water Race Track – the washouts are still there. Signage remains in place.

3.      Westland Nature Trust – this meeting is this Thursday 18 September, from 9am-12pm. Paul and Chris are attending to represent the stakeholder group.

4.      Hurunui Jacks bridges – delays have meant that these bridges will now not go in until October. The main structural units have been ordered.

5.      NZCT AGM – Tanya is heading to the AGM for the NZ Cycle Trails Trust in Wellington this Thurs. We will report back in the next trail update. The agenda is here FYI.

6.      Trail user statistics – we have the first report from the trail counters for the Westland sections of the trail. Remember it’s early days. We have had a month of fine weather and people are training for Spring Challenge. This will affect the stats.

25 August 2014

1.       Taramakau Bridge – NZTA have confirmed that despite the government promise of a new bridge, the cycle clip-on will still be installed. This will be a 1.5m wide clip-on with 2 passing bays. The project has been evaluated and given priority by the NZTA Management Team and the final funding application is now with the NZTA Board for approval. The design is expected to be completed in the next 2 months with physical construction work commencing in early 2015. NZTA have told us the rubber matting and signage will be in place before Christmas.

2.       Kaniere Water Race Track – there are a couple of wash outs at the Lake Kaniere end of the water race track at the moment. These are well sign-posted and ride-able. These washouts do not change the grading of the track. Council staff are working with Trustpower to look at flows through the water race. We are also working with WestRoads to reinstate the track at the washouts.

3.       Ruatapu to Ross  -  the windblown trees have all been cleared and work will commence on the trail through there in the next couple of weeks. The route through the Hokitika Golf Club has been marked out and work will start this week.

4.       Seats and shelters – we received great feedback on where these should be placed on the trail and you might have noticed several seats were installed on the Grey coastal section last weekend. Construction and installation of seats and shelters on the Westland part of the trail will commence soon.

5.       Hokitika to Ross update – a reminder that Peter and Tanya will be attending the Ross Community Association’s meeting on 1 Sept at 7.30pm to update them on the Hokitika to Ross section of the cycle trail.

13th August

1. Trail counters – these are now all in place from Taramakau Bridge to Hokitika. The ones on the Grey section of the trail will go in soon (mostly completed).

2. Heritage NZ (formerly called the Historic Places Trust) – this visit took place last Friday and a full story was in the Hokitika Guardian today. Positive feedback was received on the Kaniere and Kumara Tram sections. They have no authority interest in the Totara Bridge because it was built after 1900, but are delighted that we are considering using it as part of the trail. The decision on whether we use it or not depends on an engineer’s report and cost.

3. Ruatapu to Ross  - work continues with clearing the windblown trees. The route through the Hokitika Golf Club will be marked out when the weather clears.

4. Hurunui Jacks – the 2 smaller bridge structures have been ordered to go across the creeks.

5. Bike stands - we are starting to think about installing bike stands, and we are currently working on the design and cost of these. We are proposing that the bike stands be a partnership with the businesses who will benefit from having a bike stand outside their shop. If you are interested in this please let Peter know on peter.anderson@westlanddc.govt.nz

6. Hokitika to Ross update – Peter and Tanya will be attending the Ross Community Association’s meeting on 1 Sept at 7.30pm to update them on the Hokitika to Ross section of the cycle trail.

8 August

1. Distance marker posts – these have been installed up to the Kokatahi- Kaniere intersection (94km) and this is where they will stop for now until work on the Kaniere Tram is complete.

2. Taramakau to Kumara Section – The design for the 110m suspension bridge is complete. Building consent and three quotes for construction are next.

3. Trail counters – these are going in now.

4. Historic Places Trust – this visit did not happen last week due to weather. Instead they will be here this Friday. A reminder that they will be looking at 3 things: a completion audit for the Taramakau Tram; finalising the report for the Kaniere Tram; assessment of the Totara Bridge.

5. Ruatapu to Ross  - work continues with clearing the windblown trees. Designs are complete for re-decking and handrails on all bridge structures on this section (excluding the Totara Bridge). Building consents are being applied for. The Hokitika Golf Club have given formal consent to put the track through to the information kiosk. We will update you soon on the timeframe for this work.

6. Taramakau Bridge Safety Improvements – NZTA, Opus International Consultants and Kiwi Rail had a positive and constructive meeting on site at the Taramakau Bridge on Monday 28th July 2014. General agreement was reached on the configuration and position of matting at either end of the bridge and signage for the approaches and bridge itself. Kiwi Rail staff now need to complete some internal procedures to confirm the final design before a timeframe for this work can be made public.

7. Bike stands - we are starting to think about installing bike stands, and we are currently working on the design and cost of these. We are proposing that the bike stands be a partnership with the businesses who will benefit from having a bike stand outside their shop. If you are interested in this please let Peter know on peter.anderson@westlanddc.govt.nz.

8. Seats and shelters – thanks to those who provided feedback on possible locations for seats and shelters.

7 July 2014

The damage from Cyclone Ita has now been repaired and the section of the trail through the Mawhera land including the Macpherson Creek suspension bridge is now open.

---- Previous update: 27 June 2014 ----

The West Coast Wilderness Trail is targeting a July 7 re-opening of the Mawhera section initially damaged by Cyclone Ita.

Although the Trail remains open from Greymouth to Hokitika, a string of weather incidents has placed additional pressure on the repair programme.

Cyclone Ita was followed by severe weather in May and then further intense rainfall throughout the region on Wednesday June 25.

“Staff from Council and a number of contractors have been working hard on the section of the Trail most significantly damaged by the Cyclone,” said Peter Anderson, Operations Manager with Westland District Council.

“That work has progressed well and we are really pleased to have been able to keep the entire Trail open from Greymouth to Hokitika with the use of a detour.

“However, yesterday’s downpour will require a full Trail inspection and potentially additional repair work,” he said.

The public and commercial operators on the Trail are encouraged to report damage to the Trail to Westland District Council as soon as possible. West Coast Wilderness Trail service providers continue to deliver full operational service. 

In advance of the July 7 re-opening of the Mawhera section, the MacPherson Creek suspension bridge was load tested this week. Signage is currently being replaced and the entire section will be subject to a final safety audit in early July.

“The most recent spell of bad weather has certainly been frustrating,” said Mr. Anderson.

“We are, however, pleased with the overall Trail repair programme and also with progress on the yet-to-be-opened section from Hokitika to Ross.

“By the end of this year we expect to have the full four-day ride experience completed and ready for the enjoyment of all users,” he said.

---- Previous update: 3 June 2014 ----

Recent further wild weather has slowed progress on the repair programme for The West Coast Wilderness Trail.

Although the Trail remains open from Greymouth to Hokitika, recent weather brought down a number of trees that were initially dislodged by Cyclone Ita. These tree-falls are now being dealt with in addition to the original damage from the Easter storm.

“We are really pleased to have been able to keep the entire Trail open from Greymouth to Hokitika but the most recent spell of bad weather has certainly been frustrating,” said Peter Anderson, Operations Manager with Westland District Council.

“We are progressing with significant remedial work on the section from the Milltown Forestry Track (Mawhera Land) to Cowboy Paradise and that section of the Trail is expected to remain closed for another five weeks.

“At the same time, contractors are dealing with fallen trees and track scouring that has occurred in the past week,” he said.

The public and commercial operators on the Trail are encouraged to report leaning trees and those with compromised root structures to Westland District Council as soon as possible.

Westroads staff completed cutting through the worst of the smaller trees on Mawhera section last week. Explosive work to blast the root balls will commence this week in advance of a clean up and track repair programme.

Contractors will be using explosives between Tuesday June 3 and Friday June 6 in the Waitaiki Reserve above the Macpherson Creek suspension bridge. A detour is in place to safeguard Trail users.

Signage on the detour between Cowboy Paradise and the Milltown Forestry Track has been further enhanced to ensure cyclists can continue to enjoy full Trail access.

West Coast Wilderness Trail service providers continue to deliver full operational service. 

Despite the recent extreme weather, progress on the yet-to-be-opened section of the West Coast Wilderness Trail from Hokitika to Ross has continued on schedule.

“We expect to be able to officially open this final leg of the four-day Trail on schedule,” said Mr. Anderson. 

---- Previous update: 16 May 2014 ----