Gatecrasher: Stolen car smashes bike trail gates

A series of reinforced gates along the Twin Coast Cycle Trail, like this one at Pembroke St, were turned to matchwood yesterday.

A 17-year-old driving a stolen car smashed down a series of cycle trail gates before he was caught in a foot chase, police say.

Moerewa residents alerted police about 11am yesterday that someone was driving on the Twin Coast Cycle Trail/Pou Herenga Tai and crashing through reinforced gates designed to keep cars off the track.

Kawakawa police tried to cut the driver off at Station Rd, Moerewa, which intersects the trail.

Constable Roger Dephoff said he just missed the car there so he tried again at Factory Lane beside the old timber mill.

He found the driver had just pulled off the trail and was parking under some trees. The teen fled on foot, along with his 14-year-old female associate, when he saw a police officer sprinting towards him. Mr Dephoff caught the pair after a chase of about 50 metres.

He was charged with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, wilful damage and breaching bail. He was held in police custody overnight and was due to appear in the Kaikohe District Court today. The girl was referred to Youth Aid.

Mr Dephoff said the driver had got onto the cycle trail at Lucas Rd, after tearing up a field at Moerewa School, then rammed a series of gates including two at Pembroke Rd.

The Nissan Cefiro was reported stolen in Whirinaki on Sunday night.

The stolen car used to demolish the cycle trail gates was abandoned next to the old timber mill in Moerewa.

Far North District Council staff visited the scene yesterday afternoon to ascertain the extent of damage and check what repairs were required.

It is not the first time the cycle trail has been vandalised. The gates demolished yesterday had been reinforced with steel bars.

The Ngapipito Rd section was regularly vandalised when tensions over its construction were running high in 2012 and a sturdy steel gate at Opua was sawn through last year, possibly by motorists unwilling to walk a few hundred metres to a popular fishing spot.

Once complete the trail will stretch 85km from Opua in the Bay of Islands to Horeke in South Hokianga.