News and media
Dome track extended
Mark Percy (left) and Fiona Mackenzie, Te Araroa's project manager in the North, install the sign at the Govan Wilson end of the new track.
A new trail close to Warkworth is the latest link in Te Araroa - The Long Pathway.
The new Dome to Govan Wilson Road addition to Te Araroa extends the existing 2 km 'Dome' track into a 12 kilometre trail that emerges on Govan Wilson Road, on the southern side of Mt Tamahunga. The new trail passes through two bush-clad DoC scenic reserves, and crosses a kilometre of commercial forest on a new Walkways Act easement.
It's one more leg complete in the 50-km continuous walking trail that's planned to connect Puhoi and Pakiri. That 50-km track is now 90% signed up and open. Te Araroa Trust has still to negotiate the four kilometres of thoroughfare from Puhoi to Remiger Road, but from Remiger Road there's now a walking thoroughfare across Arthur Dunn's farm to the summit of Moirs Hill. then down forest roads and across farmland to Kraack Road, crossing State Highway One to link with the new Dome - Govan Wilson track.
At the Govan Wilson Road end, there's then a 1500-metre break in the link through to Tamahunga summit, but in anticipation of this being solved, Te Araroa Trust has already put a walking track from the summit of Tamahunga down to Pakiri. When the two missing bits of trail corridor at the Puhoi and Tamahunga ends are in place, there'll be opportunity for a continuous two- or three-day hike between Puhoi and Pakiri.
In the meantime the new Dome to Govan Wilson Road tramp is a good stand-alone tramp, with parking at either end. It traverses some steep country, and can take between 5 and 7 hours to complete.
Thanks to volunteer David Edge who helped Fiona and Mark with much of the work, and the families and friends of all three. Thanks also to the Rodney District Council, the Department of Conservation, Matariki Forests which granted the easement to make the connection between two DoC reserves, and to the ASB Community Trust for help with trail and signage finance. A map of the new trail can be found
by clicking hereto go to the maps section.
The Puhoi to Govan Wilson Road section is now signed through from Remiger Road . . .
To the Moirs Hill summit where Te Araroa construction manager Noel Sandford stands beside a newly installed sign . . .
Across farmland where new stiles have been built, Noel Sandford again . . . .
To the new stand-alone track between Dome and Govan Wilson, where Te Ngahere workers front to back, Cain Broadfoot, Cain McMillan and Allan Johnson worked on the new trail . . .
And where Mark Percy just this week bored the holes for the new sign.
