Over 150 people enjoyed the recent opening of the new Cycle/Walkway in Ruawai.

Meandering along the shoreline of the Northern Wairoa River, this historic trail was created through the efforts of the Ruawai walkway-cycle track group, a subcommittee of the Ruawai Promotion Board. The project started as an idea from the community to try to bring more people to the area for economic reasons coupled with the community having a place that families and individuals can walk or cycle safely. Several other groups including the Kaipara District Council, Raupo Drainage Board as well as local cyclist enthusiasts have been involved in this project. Funded by Lotteries Funding this is a true community-led project and will be an asset to the area.

A blessing from the local Kaumatua, Toko Retimana opened the event with the pleasant sounds of “otherwise fine” a local duet in the background. Check out the video here of the opening.

The opening of the cycle/walkway has incited an amazing uptake with a regular 5pm cycle ride on Sundays proving to be popular. Locals are out walking their dogs on the trail regularly and many have taken to using it as a safe place to ride with their children.

Enthusiast Nicky Reid has seen this as a catalyst for bigger things and is currently working with some key people to form “Bike the Kaipara” charitable trust. She sees this as an avenue to umbrella smaller cycleway projects around the Kaipara.  Nicky was also amazed about the lack of information people have of the Kaipara citing “a month ago I tried to register our Stopbank Trail on Trailforks website (that maps off-road bike trails) and it had never heard of Kaipara District. I can’t believe I had to register Kaipara - the whole of NZ is a big mass of bike trails and there is a big hole over the Kaipara, so now we exist. I’m sure we can add some more rides to it already, Kai-Iwi Lakes, Old Mill Road at Donnelly’s Crossing, Ripiro.  Kaipara does not need to be a “third world” district, I would like to try to put our existing rides on the map and see what happens. This would be a good project for 2019”.