Steve and Megan McIntosh, and their children Charlie, 11, and Stella, 6, were disappointed to find part of the Waikareao Estuary cycleway closed due to storm damage.
A public boardwalk in Te Puna could be closed for several months due to severe flood damage during last week's wild weather.
The floods have also closed a popular cycle track along the Waikareao Estuary, also known as the Daisy Hardwick boardwalk, and its reopening date was yet to be confirmed as officials assess the damage.
The Te Puna coastal staircase and boardwalk between Fairlie Grove and Waitui Reserve foreshore, which links Matahiwi Road and Fairlie Grove, was too dangerous to be used by the public.
Waitui Reserve walkway closed due to storm damage. Photo/Supplied.
A Western Bay of Plenty District Council spokeswoman said the king tide and storm surge eroded some of the supporting piles on the Waitui Reserve public walkway.
A structural engineer had inspected the walkway and told council staff it was too dangerous for people to use, the spokeswoman said.
"It is too early to say what the repair costs will be as the damage was only discovered on Monday. A full assessment of the damages is yet to be undertaken."
Affected nearby residents had been sent letters informing them of the closure.
A cycleway link between Sulphur Point and Chapel St was also still closed.
A Tauranga City Council spokeswoman said the eastern side of the Waikareao Estuary cycleway adjacent to Takitimu Drive also remained closed due to severe storm damage.
Council engineers were still assessing how long it would take to complete repairs.
The section closed was from just north of the carpark at Waihi Road next to the over bridge and down towards Chapel St.
Part of the cycleway adjacent to Takitimu Drive closed due to storm damage. Photo/Supplied
Steve and Megan McIntosh, and their children Charlie, 11, and Stella, 6, visiting from Auckland were disappointed to find the cycleway closed.
The family were holidaying in Tauranga for a few days and decided to cycle the track for the first time while here.
The couple, who used to live in Tauranga years ago, said they were gutted to find the area closed as everyone had told them it was such a beautiful track to cycle along.
"When we checked with the local i-Site they never mentioned this cycleway was closed. If we had known earlier we would probably have headed to Rotorua," Mr McIntosh said.
Steve and Megan McIntosh, and their children Charlie, 11, and Stella, 6, were disappointed to find part of the Waikareao Estuary cycleway closed due to storm damage. Photo/John Borren
But the McIntosh family was relieved when told the western part of the cycleway was open.
"You can't do much when bad weather causes this amount of damage," Mrs McIntosh said.
Tauranga City Council and the NZ Transport Agency would have to share the cost of meeting the repair bill, a council spokeswoman said.
