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Plans for an ambitious cycle trail through the Kawarau Gorge have been green lit after objections from affected landowners have been resolved.
The proposed Kawarau Gorge Trail - which will link with the Lake Dunstan Trail - is set to proceed following agreement, after “cordial negotiations’', between the Central Otago Queenstown Trails Network Trust (COQTNT) and the objectors in the Environment Court appeal.
Property developer Dave Henderson took action against the trust earlier this year after it was granted resource consents for a 27.5km-long trail in the Kawarau Gorge connecting existing cycle trails from Gibbston through land next to Queenstown’s Victoria Hills landfill to Bannockburn.
The action centred on land Henderson and former Christchurch mayor Sir Bob Parker and his wife Lady Joanna Nichols-Parker own as an entity called the Cardrona Cattle Company Ltd.
The planned 35km Kawarau Gorge Trail will link the Queenstown Trail with the Lake Dunstan Trail in Central Otago.
Trust chairman Stephen Jeffery said it was exciting to resume progress on the Kawarau Gorge Trail which is part of the $26 million New Zealand Cycle Trail Project connecting five Great Rides in Central Otago.
These include the Queenstown Trail, the recently opened Lake Dunstan Trail, the Otago Central Rail Trail, the Roxburgh Gorge Trail, and the Clutha Gold Trail.
The proposed route connecting Wanaka to Cromwell and the missing 13km on the Roxburgh Gorge Trail from Doctors Point to Shingle Creek will complete the ambitious seven-year project creating over 500km of linked cycle and walking trails throughout Central Otago.
“The trust is grateful to the Kawarau Gorge landowners who have provided legal access for the trail at Victoria Flats and Mt Difficulty Station,” Jeffrey said.
He also paid tribute to the previous Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult and QLDC chief executive officer Mike Theelan and staff for their support in helping the trust overcome both landowner concerns and technical hurdles.
The Kawarau Gorge Trail will traverse from the Nevis Bluff to Bannockburn where it will link with the Lake Dunstan Trail to Clyde.
Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency is responsible for the connecting section of the trail from Gibbston through the Nevis Bluff, including a tunnel under the state highway.
“The final piece in the puzzle, currently under way, is finetuning for the section of trail that traverses Department of Conservation (DoC) land. We are working with DoC to finalise a community management agreement and lizard management plan to protect the species in the proposed trail area. We hope to have their approval in place in early 2023,” Jeffrey said.
He considered the network of trails could only reinforce the profile of Central Otago as a growing international cycling destination.
“We have already seen the outstanding success of the Lake Dunstan Trail and with the added investment into new trails the future looks particularly bright for cycling tourism in Central Otago.”
