A flyover of Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway in early 2023. Video / NZTA
The weekend’s walk over the new Manawatū-Tararua Highway turned out to be the biggest of the four walks organised so far.
Te Ahu a Turanga is going to be the new “gateway” between Ashhurst and Woodville. It will replace the Manawatū Gorge road, which was permanently closed to vehicles after a slip in 2017.
Woodville Lions, which organised Sunday’s fundraiser along with Woodville School, sold about 1500 tickets, with many participants opting for the 12km option.
Hundreds of people were bussed in to walk Te Ahu a Turanga-Manawatu-Tararua Highway, which will be the new "gateway" between Palmerston North and Woodville. Photo / Paul Taylor
It was so popular that most of the tickets were sold out before Christmas. The organisers put on another time-slot and that, too, sold out quickly.
It was a chance for many — including me — to see the work in progress on the highway, which is due to open in mid-2025.
I opted for the 6km walk, which started from the end of Cook Rd.
Windmills tower over walkers on the Te Ahu a Turanga-Manawatū-Tararua Highway, which is due to open in 2025.
Rain the night before the walk meant boggy and slippery conditions and it was hard going at times.
It took a little while for the mud to start drying out and, given I was in the first time-slot of 9am, it was still quite wet. I learned quickly to follow any vehicle tracks because this gave a bit more traction.
It probably would have helped to wear hiking boots, but I didn’t own any and wasn’t about to go and buy a pair, so I made do with sneakers and a hiking pole — trust me, this really helped in the very slippery parts.
I wasn’t the only one experiencing difficulties, although luckily, I managed to keep my footing. Others weren’t so lucky, with more than one person falling.
The organisers suggested allowing about 2½ hours for the 6km trek and I made it in just over two hours.
Marshals were stationed along the trail and others would drive by to check in with walkers in case of injury. Photo / Leanne Warr
I could talk about the feat of engineering, but I know very little about engineering, so all I can say is that seeing the whole project up close was a whole lot more spectacular than watching the progress videos.
Not that the videos aren’t fantastic and informative, but there’s something about seeing all the work that’s gone into the new highway in person that shows what a huge undertaking this project has been.
Looking down towards Woodville. Photo / Leanne Warr
As for the views, you’re surrounded by spectacular scenery and, now that the project is more than two-thirds complete, it’s easier to imagine just how it will look to drive the new highway in less than two years.
This is the fourth time the walk has been organised and I’m hoping I’ll get to do another before it officially opens. Maybe next time I’ll be fit enough to do the 12km.
Leanne Warr is editor of the Bush Telegraph and has been a journalist on and off since 1996, when she joined the Levin Chronicle. She rejoined NZME in June 2021.
