Where people meet landscape: Lake Taupō's new footpath

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talking with Ngāti Tūwharetoa artist Kingi Pitiroi while on the newly upgraded Great Lake Walkway. Photo / Laurilee McMichael

The cobbles are out and the skaters are in!

Finished just in time for the Prime Minister's visit on September 10, the Great Lake Walkway upgrade began in January and was halted for six weeks when the entire country went into Covid-19 alert level 4 lockdown.

Known locally as the Lion's Walk, Taupō District Council landscape architect Fraser Scott says the 4.2 kilometre upgrade of the pedestrian area next to Lake Taupō is more than just a footpath.

"As a landscape architect, where people meet the landscape I am always looking for opportunities to give the best experience and to understand the values of the landowners," said Fraser.

A joint project between the three landowners, the council, Waipāhīhī C75 Reserves Trust on behalf of hapū Ngāti Hinerau and Ngāti Hineure, and the Tūwharetoa Maori Trust Board, the footpath renovation delivers access along the lakefront and provides erosion protection for the lakeshore. Designs from the Waipāhīhī wharenui are replicated along the footpath, referencing the whakapapa (genealogy) of hapū and the iwi Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

Fraser is particularly proud of the treatment given to the pump station at Two Mile Bay and to the bridge over the Onekeneke Stream.

New bridge over the Onekeneke hotwater stream. Plantings of rushes from the Juncus genre along the stream. Photo / Rachel Canning

"The pump station was a giant hazard and an eyesore. Building a lookout was an opportunity to turn it into a positive and allowed us to save the mature kanuka and ake ake.

"Functionally we could have put a straight bridge over the stream, but this way we put more meaning into the experience and tell a story," said Fraser.

Upgrading the footpath to a smooth surface with an extended width of 2.8 metres was already in council's Long Term Plan. Winning the hosting rights for 2020 Ironman 70.3 World Championships pulled the project forward 10 years. Due to Covid-19, Taupō is now scheduled to host the event in 2022.

The new smooth surface has been welcomed by skaters and all types of scooters, with Fraser saying feedback from Taupō Mobility Access has been that the new surface is allowing more people to access the footpath.

Small wheels are loving the new smooth surface of the wider and improved Great Lake Walkway. Photo / Rachel Canning

"For someone in a wheelchair the cobbles made for a painful and unpleasant experience. Feedback we have had, people are pretty emotional about being able to now get down to the lake."

With people using the footpath in more ways, Fraser said a key message for everyone to remember is to 'share with care'.

Catching the brunt of the southerly wind and losing land and infrastructure called for a softer design than the traditional vertical seawall at Rainbow Point and beside Millennium Hotel and Resort Manuels.

Jill Stanaway with Pippy the dog and Dide Harrison walking along the Lion's Walk at Two Mile Bay. Photo / Supplied

"We worked with C75 and the trust board for a new way to achieve the functionality of an erosion control wall, while softening the look with piles of big rocks. The built-in viewing opportunities are there to soften the monotony.

"It looks dramatic. When we walked past the rocks with the Prime Minister there was a big reaction and they asked about it."

Erosion at Hot Water Beach didn't require such extreme measures as the waves hitting the beach are not at full force. Geo textile sausages were used to create a living grass wall.

"Visually it's very deceptive, it looks like a nicely planted area."

There are many new plants with the project and Fraser said the council will be watering for the first summer. He said if anyone wants to adopt an area for watering then they are welcome to email the council's parks and recreation team at info@taupo.govt.nz.

He says using boardwalks was a natural solution to signal a narrow stretch of the footpath.

The decision was made to speed up the completion of the footpath when the Prime Ministers announced her September 10 visit to view shovel ready projects.

"It was scheduled to be finished two weeks later and everyone made a huge effort. We were planting right up to the few hours before they arrived."

Including the erosion control measures, the total cost of the project was $4.2 million. Work was carried out by local firms WSP and Camex Civil, and out-of-town specialist engineers Tonkin & Taylor.

Fraser said the three landowners working together and coming to agreement on values and key design features meant new infrastructure could be applied seamlessly across multiple boundaries.

"The result has been a good outcome for everyone."